Assess. Educate/train. Practice. Gloryanne Bryant, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, and Deborah Grider, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPMA, CEMC, CPCD, COBGC, CCS-P CDIP, reveal how following those three steps can prepare you for ICD-10 implementation.
The HIM profession is constantly changing, but HIM professionals are still responsible for maintaining the integrity of the health records. Lou Ann Wiedemann, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA, CPEHR, explains why HIM professionals can—and should—also play a role in clinical documentation improvement (CDI).
Coders are the backbone of an organization’s fiscal health. Timely coding leads to timely revenue collection. Glenn Krauss, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, PCS, FCS, C-CDIS, discusses why coders must be willing to look beyond their traditional roles to help ensure the continued financial viability and success of the organization.
Do you audit records before sending them to your Recovery Auditor? If not, your hospital may be one of many that simply doesn't have the resources to do so. Lori Brocato, Cathie Eikermann, MSN, RN, CNL, CHC, and Laura Legg, RHIT, CCS, reveal why hospitals should consider auditing records before sending them to the Recovery Auditor.
Neoplasm coding in ICD-10-CM is similar to the current ICD-9-CM coding. Most benign and all malignant neoplasm codes are found in chapter 2 of ICD-10-CM, just as in ICD-9-CM, according to Betty Hovey, BA, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-H, CPCD, CCS-P, PCS, CCP, CIC, RMC. She explains some of the ICD-10-CM guidelines for proper coding.
What do cubism and coding have in common? Both can be viewed as art forms. Joel Moorhead, MD, PhD, CPC, details the three steps that the coding artist performs in reassembling medical record elements into abstracted form.
There is nothing new about stress; humans have felt stress since the beginning of time, and coders are certainly no exception. Lois Mazza, CPC, discusses how coders can mitigate the many effects of stress while they handle the pressures of their jobs and lives.
New clinical guidelines for malnutrition could help alleviate compliance challenges associated with coding the condition, which has never had universally accepted clinical criteria. Jane White, James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP, and Alice Zentner, RHIA, describe the new guidelines and what coders need to know about malnutrition coding.
A lot of learning is ahead for coders and others who will need to learn how to code in ICD-10. There are changes all around, and OB coding is no exception. Lori-Lynne A, Webb, COBGC, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, explains coding for OB ultrasounds, amniocentesis, MRIs, and other procedures in CPT ® , ICD-9, and ICD-10
Many physicians say that systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria are insufficient and confusing at best, and don't indicate whether a patient is truly sick. Some patients may meet necessary criteria for SIRS and truly have sepsis or another severe diagnosis. Others, however, may meet two of four criteria but not actually have SIRS. Where does all of this information leave coders? Often between a rock and hard place. Jennifer E. Avery, CCS, CPC-H, CPC, CPC-I, and Robert S. Gold, MD, offer seven tips for coders who need to negotiate tricky sepsis coding.