** The coding information and guidance are valid at the time of publishing. Learners are encouraged to research subsequent official guidance in the areas associated with the topic as they can change rapidly.
Tips & Expertise: CPT Coding for Breast Surgery
Q: May code 19380 (revision of reconstructed breast) be reported with code 11970 (replacement of tissue expander with permanent implant)?A: Yes, it would be appropriate to report code 19380 If extensive capsule and extensive soft tissue work is performed (eg, not...
Information Blocking – What Health Information Professionals Need to Know
Information Blocking – What Health Information Professionals Need to Know Date: October 5, 2022October 6th, 2022, is the next milestone of the 21st Century Cures Act – when health care providers must provide expedient access to all electronic health information (EHI)...
Reconstruct Your Breast Cancer Coding
October is breast cancer awareness month! Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control. The kind of breast cancer depends on which cells in the breast turn into cancer. Breast cancer can occur in any of the three main areas of the...
Tips & Expertise: 2023 IPPS Updates
Q: Can you summarize how MS-DRG grouper logic works?A: The first step in grouping an MS-DRG is the assign the case to a major diagnostic category (MDC). This is done by classifying the principal diagnosis into one of 25 MDCs based on body system and case similarity....
Tips & Expertise: Minimally Invasive Liver and Biliary CPT Coding
Q: What is the difference between biliary drainage using an ERCP approach and percutaneous biliary drainage?A: When a biliary stent is placed in the biliary tree for drainage using an ERCP approach, a scope is inserted into the mouth and through the esophagus,...
Behind the Mystery of the Biliary Tree
The liver, gallbladder, and pancreas play important roles in digestion through the release of bile and digestive enzymes. The ductwork that connects these organs to each other and ultimately to the alimentary canal of the gastrointestinal tract, is often a mysterious...
Tips & Expertise: 2023 ICD-10-CM Updates
Q: Does acute/chronic respiratory acidosis really code as acute/chronic respiratory failure? Can a code for respiratory acidosis be reported with the respiratory failure codes?A: Yes, that is how it is indexed in ICD-10-CM. There is an Exclude2 note for code E87.29,...
Tips & Expertise: 2023 ICD-10-PCS Updates
Q: When should the new qualifier M for Monoclonal Antibody in the 3E0 table be used? Can it be used to report cancer or COVID MAB therapy?A: The qualifier M for Monoclonal Antibody is only available when the 6th character substance value C, Other Therapeutic...
Get Ready to Reprogram Your Z79.899 Coding Brain
We all have those codes that we’ve memorized – the ones that we assign on autopilot when we read certain documentation. For many coders, that code is Z79.899, Other long term (current) drug therapy. It is the catchall code when the patient is or has taken a medication...
Tips & Expertise: CPT Coding for Wound Repair
Q: How do you code for a through and through lip laceration when the mucosa, subcutaneous tissue, and skin are all repaired? Can you report code 40650 with a code for the skin repair?A: Assign only code 40650 for repair of a through and through lip laceration. This...