Health Information Management

Pay Per View: Maintain compliance when coding from the medical record

APCs Weekly Monitor, March 7, 2008

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You might think that everything between the first and last page of a medical record is fair game when it comes to code assignment. But in most cases, physician entries are the only appropriate sources from which to garner diagnosis codes.

The discharge summary is the most reliable part of the medical record because it is the physician's final account of his or her patient care, says Lori S. McGuire, CCS, EMT, founder of Simply Coding in Nevada, OH. The discharge summary best supports a principal diagnosis that the physician must determine after study.

Click here to recognize what's fair game and what's off-limits when coding from the medical record. Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies subscribers have free access to this article in the February issue via their online subscriptions.



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