** 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: 2022 ICD-10-PCS Updates Webinar Q&A
Q: For the customizable interbody fusion device, is discectomy included or coded separately?A: Per the New Technology guidelines, the codes in the New Technology table report the only the steps of the procedure covered by that root operation. In table XRF, the...
2022 Guidelines for Reporting Social Determinants of Health
Blog Post: Digging into HIM & Coding
Our coded data plays a great role in this initiative by providing measurable data. To strengthen reporting of SDOH, the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (OCG) have been expanded for fiscal year 2022 (effective October 1, 2021). Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming changes! | Read More.
Tips & Expertise: Wounded By Wound Care Webinar Series Q&A
Q: Can diabetic foot ulcer code be used with pressure ulcers? The code book seems to indicate it would not.A: You cannot assume a link with pressure ulcers and diabetes. Quick tip! Q: Regarding diabetic foot ulcer. I did see the quick tip, but ICD10 indicates...
Is your organization worried about wound care coding?
Blog Post: Digging into HIM & Coding
One of the most difficult and misunderstood diagnostic coding types is that of a wound care clinic. Often managers lump these types of charts into clinic coding and expect productivity to be just as high. Ask any wound care coder and they’ll tell you that a wound care chart is one of the most confusing case types out there.
Most of the conditions treated in wound care clinic are chronic, nonhealing ulcers, yet the clinic is called wound care – not ulcer care – which is just the beginning of the confusion. Patients are often seen weekly, and the severity of their wounds (ulcers) can improve, deteriorate, or remain stagnant week to week. Many coders are unsure how to code these charts. What type of wound is being evaluated? How does the wound look this week? How, exactly, is the wound being treated? | Read More.
Tips & Expertise: CPT Coding for Shoulder Procedures Webinar Q&A
Q: Would you please explain the difference between a hemiarthroplasty and prosthetic replacement?A: A hemi would only be one component, whereas a total would be two components. Q: Please provide your reference for your measurements. The AMA stated measurements...
Coding Check Up: How Are Your PVD Coding Skills?
Blog Post: Digging into HIM & Coding
If you’ve been keeping up to date on your Coding Clinic subscription and coding guidelines, you know that coding advice for COVID-19 keeps changing. As coders, we know it’s imperative to keep our eyes peeled for new codes, updated guidance, and evolving disease processes, but COVID-19 has taken this to a new level with changing advice on a bimonthly basis. And just in case you are about to stop reading here thinking you are current on COVID, beware: the CDC isn’t done messing with codes related to COVID-19. | Read More.
Tips & Expertise: Oh Baby! Diagnostic OB Coding for ICD-10-PCS Webinar Q&A
Q: Would you use laminaria qualifier on the abortion table for the use of a synthetic osmotic dilator such as Dilapan-S?A: Dilapan-S has a similar action on cervical dilation as laminaria insertion. Haugen Consulting Group recommends using the qualifier “Laminaria”...
Don’t Sleep on Shoulder Procedures!
Is coding for shoulder procedures keeping you up at night? Don’t worry, it happens to many of us! Over the years, I have become pretty comfortable with these procedures, so I thought I would share some insights that may be helpful. I am sure you have heard the...
Interested in Information Blocking?
Blog Post: Digging into HIM & Coding
Information Blocking has been making headlines for nearly a year now. On April 5th, 2021, the Information Blocking provision of the 21st Century Cures Act went into effect, but you may still be asking yourself “what is information blocking?”. The 21st Century Cures Act, passed in December 2016, largely focused on National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for research and drug development, to streamline the drug approval process. But a portion of the legislation focuses on empowering patients to take ownership of their healthcare, in part by ensuring expedient access to the electronic health information (EHI). The term information blocking was coined; defined as any practice that is likely to impede access to, the exchange of, or use of EHI. Continue reading to learn more about this hot topic! | Read More.
Why You Should be Coding ICD-10-PCS Blood Transfusion Codes for OB Patients
Blog Post: Digging into HIM & Coding
The best, but not necessarily most efficient, way to determine if anyone is using coded data is to stop coding it. At times it seems no one is paying attention to what we code as long as they get what they need, but if you stop coding what they need, things start emerging that you didn’t anticipate. Case in point: the impact blood transfusion procedure coding has on quality measures. | Read More.