Author: Kostick, Karen M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: April 2010

WHEN CODING Questions arise, coding professionals should evaluate all possible resources, including querying physicians, networking with other coding professionals, and seeking official coding advice. These techniques help ensure consistent healthcare diagnostic and procedure coding.

Author: Bowden, Karen

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: March 2010

Like the rest of the US economy, the healthcare industry is facing some harsh economic realities today. Credit is tight and the public sector continues to slash spending, requiring healthcare providers-especially hospitals-to rein in costs and protect revenue.

In times like these, h....

Author: Zeisset, Ann M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: March 2010

Root Operations that Take Out Some or All of a Body Part

The medical and surgical procedure section of ICD-10-PCS contains most, but not all, procedures typically reported in the hospital inpatient setting. As with all codes in ICD-10-PCS, the medical and surgical procedure codes contain....

Author: DeVault, Kathryn

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: February 2010

Changes to CPT codes for 2010 include 219 additions, 141 revisions, and 63 deletions. This article highlights some of the more notable changes; a comprehensive list can be found in appendix B of the 2010 CPT coding book. The changes took effect January 1.
Resequencing

The most n....

Author: Zeisset, Ann M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: February 2010

ICD-10-PCS has a completely different structure than ICD-9-CM. Each ICD-10-PCS code consists of individual values rather than lists of fixed codes and text descriptions, with each value containing a unique definition. The objective of the procedure is identified in the third character, the roo....

Author: DeVault, Kathryn

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: November 2009

The final rule for the FY 2010 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System was released on July 31, 2009. Changes in the rule went into effect with inpatient discharges of October 1, 2009, and are reflected in Grouper Version 27.0.

The changes to MS-DRGs and the complication and co....

Author: Kostick, Karen M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: November 2009

National health policy has been increasingly responsive to the healthcare needs of rural residents and providers. Rural America has a large percentage of the nation’s Medicare population, and this percentage continues to grow as residents born in the Baby Boomer generation begin to retir....

Author: Endicott, Melanie; Gardner, Amy

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: October 2009

The HIM field continues to expand and change, opening up more opportunities for HIM practitioners to move out of the HIM department and into other areas of the hospital. Recent initiatives, such as ICD-10-CM/PCS, MS-DRGs, Hospital-Acquired Conditions, and Present on Admission reporting, have b....

Author: Barta, Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: October 2009

One of ICD-10-PCS’s goals is to ensure a complete picture of a patient’s procedure. Completeness means that there is a unique code for all substantially different procedures, including the same procedure performed using a different approach.

All ICD-10-PCS codes are seven....

Author: Schraffenberger, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: September 2009

New ICD-9-CM procedure codes for fiscal year 2010 go into effect October 1, 2009. This article highlights the new and revised procedure codes. The 2009 addenda with all changes to the ICD-9-CM procedure tabular and alphabetic index (volume 3) is located on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid....