James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CCDS, CDIP, interprets the various guidance given in Coding Clinic , Fourth Quarter 2017, including pre-bill audits and denials based on clinical criteria, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with exacerbated asthma.
More than 13 million Americans have bladder incontinence, and women are twice more likely than men to have it, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Peggy Blue, MPH, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC, reviews ICD-10-CM/PCS coding for the bladder and writes that with so many Americans affected, knowledge of proper coding of bladder diagnoses and procedures is important.
Recent findings support the possibility that the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program has had the unintended consequence of increased mortality in patients hospitalized with heart failure, says a study published by JAMA .
Q: Can acute respiratory failure be used as the principal diagnosis rather than ICD-10-CM code I46.9 (cardiac arrest, cause unspecified) when both are present on admission?
Sharme Brodie, RN, CCDS, reviews the most recent Coding Clinic guidance, which touches on common coding conundrums from subjects such as clostridium difficile, diabetes with ketoacidosis, myocardial infarction, pulmonary hypertension, and more.
Creating a query can be complicated, and there are a number of continued training tactics that prove successful for the coder when trying to improve upon physician query practices. This article takes a look at how improving a coder’s knowledge of principal and secondary diagnosis selection can produce a more effective physician query. Note: To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
In advance of ICD-10-CM/PCS, many institutions implemented computer-assisted coding (CAC) hoping to mitigate anticipated productivity losses. Erica E. Remer, MD, FACEP, CCDS, highlights some of the pitfalls of CAC and provides techniques to improve accuracy. Note: To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Candace Blankenship, BSN, RN, CCDS, details the scoring weight of the new ICD-10-CM heart failure codes and looks at potential reimbursement discrepancies as none of the new heart failure codes have been assigned to a CC/MCC.
