by Mary Bort | Feb 15, 2021 | Uncategorized
Q: I have a physician who performed a conversion of a patellofemoral joint to a total knee. He replaced the patellar polyethylene and implanted a total knee replacement. What would be the appropriate code for this? Would this be reported as 27447 or do we need to use...
by Mary Bort | Jan 25, 2021 | Uncategorized
Surgeons often use the terms arthroplasty and replacement interchangeably to describe a procedure they are performing. On occasion, they will also state that they are doing a revision. As a coder, it is essential to understand the procedures surgeons perform and...
by Kristi Pollard | Jan 8, 2021 | Uncategorized
In a discussion about spinal anatomy, one of my coworkers once said, “It’s not so much that the spinal column is three-dimensional, it’s more five-dimensional.” I think that is an apt description of the vertebral segments that stack one on top of the other to compose...
by Kristi Pollard | Oct 27, 2020 | Uncategorized
November is American Diabetes Month and there’s no better time to review one of the most common coding variances we see on coding audits: coding for diabetic complications. Later this month, I will present a webinar on this topic, but for now, let’s get a jump on it...
by Jennifer Cayce | Sep 2, 2020 | Uncategorized
Are you looking for opportunities for focused audit reviews or coder education? At HCG, we track our audit data throughout the year to identify trends in the industry and opportunities to educate coders in specific problem areas. So far, in 2020, we have identified 4...
by Deanna Upston | Jul 31, 2020 | Uncategorized
This blog post has been a long time coming, as this topic has been top-of-mind since 2018, when critical care services were placed on the Office of Inspector General (OIG) work plan. Since that time, I have had an opportunity to review hundreds of critical care charts...
