** 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.
Jumping off Cliffs with Mary Beth Haugen
Publication: NEC Podcast
Mary Beth Haugen, MS, RHIA, is founder and CEO of The Haugen Consulting Group and Haugen Academy, based in Denver, Colorado. She has over 25 years of experience in Health Information Management. Prior to launching Haugen Consulting Group, Mary Beth held leadership roles in Information Services and HIM in a variety of healthcare settings. | Read More.
2017 AHIMA Triumph Award
Publication: AHIMA
The LEADERSHIP AWARD honors those individuals or groups who have provided outstanding service as leaders; demonstrated ongoing leadership competency with the Association and the HIM profession; adhered to and advocated for the AHIMA Code of Ethics, and other appropriate codes of conduct; valued honesty, integrity and transparency and worked as team players/collaborators; been recognized as a qualified authority in the HIM profession; and presented a positive professional image for the Association and the profession. | Read More.
Finding documentation for HCC reporting purposes
Publication: JustCoding
Can you explain where in the clinical documentation it would be acceptable to report from for hierarchical condition category (HCC) purposes? Would you code from history of present illness, past medical history, active problem list, or the assessment? | Read More.
Rigorous documentation, diagnosis coding pays off in risk-adjusted reimbursement
Publication: JustCoding
In the outpatient world, physicians are accustomed to seeing services as the key to reimbursement, but as healthcare shifts toward value-based care, severity and outcomes will increasingly factor into reimbursement as well. | Read More.
Making the most of Medicare Preventive Services
Publication: MGMA Connection
Medicare covers a range of preventive services to promote health by identifying and addressing problems early on when treatment is most effective. However, many eligible patients and some providers may not be fully aware of the benefits described in Your Guide to Medicare’s Preventive Services. | Read More.
Coding and Clinical Criteria: The Value of an Escalation Policy
Publication: ICD10 Monitor
As coders, we often face dilemmas without benefit of clear guidance, creating the feeling of being pulled in different directions. In today’s audit environment, coders need practical solutions to succeed in a setting of conflicting expectations. This article focuses on coding and clinical criteria dilemmas, and the value of having a facility policy for coding in these situations. | Read More.
You can claim TCM for patients who elect hospice — if they’re at home
Publication: Part B News
Question: Can we claim transitional care management (TCM) codes 99495 or 99496 on a patient who is discharged to hospice? Answer: Almost certainly not if it’s in a facility. If it’s home hospice, though, and you fulfill the requirements, you have a pretty strong case to get paid. | Read More.
How to Craft an Effective Record Retention Policy
Publication: Health Data Management
As healthcare organizations create and manage vast quantities of electronic data from various sources, record retention has become an increasingly vital and challenging aspect of information governance. Providers are pressed to make tough decisions—what to keep, what to destroy, and how to retain or archive information in a cost-effective manner.
Many uphold the idea that storage is cheap—why not keep records forever? However, a “keep everything” approach is not a practical long-term plan. | Read More.
Uniting HIM and IT
Publication: Journal of AHIMA
AS HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS move toward value-based models, health information management (HIM) and information technology (IT) must work together to strengthen relationships while promoting population health, accountable care, and information governance (IG) initiatives. | Read More.
Use Modifier 62 for Surgeon Duos Using Same Code, but Make Sure You Can Justify It
Publication: Part B News
Question: When two surgeons are working a patient, when is modifier 62 (Two surgeons) appropriate and when is modifier 80 (Assistant surgeon) appropriate?
Answer: If you’re going to bill 62, the procedure must “really need the individual skills of two surgeons to even perform — a complex nature, like certain spine or heart transplant procedures,” says Corina Marquardt, CPC, CPMA, senior consultant with the Haugen Consulting Group in Denver.
CMS helps you figure out whether these modifiers are appropriate by listing co-surgery and assistant-at-surgery status indicators in the relative value file of the Medicare physician fee schedule. | Read More.
