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JustCoding News: Inpatient

JustCoding News: Inpatient is a free companion e-newsletter to Justcoding.com, the Web site that provides thorough explanations and in-depth analysis of medical conditions, diseases, treatments, and procedures.

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2009 | 2008

JustCoding News: Inpatient

Issue 46, November 11, 2009

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• HIM directors’ salaries on the rise, but profession isn’t exempt from poor economy

  HIM director salaries are on the rise, according to HCPro’s Medical Records Briefing salary...

• Tips for problematic complications and comorbidities, A-Z

  Many clinical documentation improvement specialists and coders struggle with the CC and MCC lists...

• Examine denials for inappropriate admissions and review coding and billing process

  During the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) demonstration program, many hospitals experienced claim...

• Healthcare News: CMS releases 2010 Medicare physician fee schedule final rule

  On October 30, CMS released a display copy of the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) final rule...

• Bunions

  Bunions

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

  Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

• Temporal sclerosis

  Temporal sclerosis

• Q&A: Determining whether a physician query is leading

  QUESTION: Is it appropriate to query a physician for which diagnosis he or she wants to be a...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• ICD-10 Watch

  ICD-10 Watch

Issue 44, October 28, 2009

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Improve your CDI program with severity adjusted data

  There is a new focus on capturing severity of illness (SOI) and risk of mortality (ROM), and...

• 2010 ICD-9-CM updates: Dealing with venous disease code changes

  Robert S. Gold, MD, examines the concept of acute and chronic pulmonary embolism and thrombosis and...

• Terminology used by physicians and ICD-9-CM doesn't always match up

  Physicians may document appropriate terminology to describe a patient’s condition(s), however...

• Healthcare News: Take note of the latest RAC developments for regions D and B

  CMS has now approved issues for RAC auditing in all states. HealthDataInsights announced earlier...

• Sepsis and Septicemia: Clear Up Coding and Documentation Confusion

  In this new white paper, Jennifer Avery, CCS, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-I, senior regulatory specialist for...

• Q&A: CPT coding for a closed treatment of a metacarpal fracture, with manipulation

  QUESTION: What code(s) should we report for the following procedure: Closed reduction, percutaneous...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• ICD-10 Watch

  ICD-10 Watch

Issue 42, October 14, 2009

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• NCDs clarify how to identify and report never events

  Even though never events should never happen, there are occasions when they do. Providers continue...

• Understand the complexity of coding for conditions that aren't named in documentation

  Physicians may document clinical indicators of significant conditions, but they may not actually...

• Monitor staff performance and physician documentation to ensure POA compliance

  Just because coders have been reporting the present-on-admission (POA) indicator for nearly two...

• Healthcare News: Note changes for coding anemia due to chemotherapy

  A recent JustCoding.com article referenced Coding Clinic advice on coding anemia secondary to...

• 2009 JustCoding.com Coder Salary Survey

  2009 JustCoding.com Coder Salary Survey

• Q&A: Charging for E/M services provided during a visit for preoperative clearance

  QUESTION: A patient presents for preoperative clearance. During this encounter, another health...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• ICD-10 Watch

  ICD-10 Watch

Issue 40, September 30, 2009

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Know the HIM director's role in shift to HIPAA 5010

  A hospital’s information technology project list is likely exponential. The transition to...

• A round-up of new ICD-9 procedure codes for 2010

  In the calm before the ICD-10 storm, CMS added 14 new ICD-9 procedure codes that take effect...

• Avoid the push and pull when reporting complications of surgery

  Reporting complications of surgery is often likened to a tug of war between hospitals and...

• Healthcare News: DCS Healthcare announces approved RAC audit issues in Region A

  On September 21, DCS Healthcare posted its first CMS-approved issues for audits in Region A. The...

• Understanding and Applying the 2010 ICD-9-CM Codes

  Robert S. Gold, MD, and Shannon E. McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CPC-I, CCDS, review deleted codes...

• 2009 JustCoding.com Coder Salary Survey

  2009 JustCoding.com Coder Salary Survey

• Q&A: Charging for behavioral therapy in the home setting

  QUESTION: I have a question regarding behavioral health treatment sessions. Can a physician or...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• ICD-10 Watch

  ICD-10 Watch

Issue 38, September 16, 2009

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Decode the language of physicians: A closer look at hypotension and ACS

  The language of the practice of medicine doesn’t always mesh with the language of coding...

• Use benchmarks to set coding productivity standards

  Recovery audit contractors are scrutinizing coding accuracy, and the transition to ICD-10 is only a...

• Understand coding nuances when reporting observation services

  Physicians perform observation services when they monitor patients’ conditions. A patient...

• Healthcare News: RACs announce additional issues approved for review in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and other states in Regions B and C

  On September 10, Connolly, the RAC for Region C, approved the following issues for review for...

• Confidentiality Agreement

  Anissa Fabrizio, RHIA, CCS, administrative director of patient financial and information services...

• Case Study

  Case study

• Q&A: Append appropriate modifiers when reporting CPT codes 81002 and 82270

  QUESTION: We receive denials from Medicare for CPT code 81002 (Urinalysis, by dip stick or tablet...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week's mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• ICD-10 Watch

  ICD-10 Watch