by Kristi Pollard | Apr 5, 2022 | Uncategorized
Angioplasty is a relatively simple procedure in concept: insert a balloon into an occluded artery, expand it, and the result (hopefully), is a patent vessel. The ICD-10-PCS codes for angioplasty are not so simple. Since PCS codes have seven characters, there are...
by Deanna Upston | Mar 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
The work of a neurosurgical coder encompasses many different types of procedures and takes you all over the CPT book. There are sections for work on the spine, the spinal cord, nerves, and brain. Since March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness month, we decided March...
by Mary Bort | Feb 17, 2022 | Uncategorized, Webinar Q&As
Q: Is it appropriate to wait for a pathology report before coding?A: Absolutely, I encourage it. Q: If my surgeon does not document the size of a lesion and the margins, can I take them from the pathology report? 4A: Ideally, this is not good practice. When specimens...
by Mary Bort | Jan 31, 2022 | Uncategorized
Orthopedic oncology is a subspeciality of orthopedics that involves the diagnosis and treatment of malignant disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic oncologists treat conditions such as: Primary bone cancers Soft tissue tumors Cancers, such as breast,...
by Kristi Pollard | Dec 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
In the final rule for the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) for 2021, CMS announced plans to phase out the inpatient only list (IPO) by 2024. To kick that off, they removed 266 musculoskeletal-related services and their corresponding anesthesia services...
by Shea Lunt | Dec 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the environmental conditions where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life risks and outcomes. Some examples include income level,...
