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Submitting improper Medicare documentation can lead to denial of fees, payback, fines, and increased diligence from payers. Let BOCCS help you avoid fraud and stay in compliance.
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Issue 12, December 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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NCVHS recommendation big step forward for ICD-10 implementation
HIM professionals are applauding recent developments in the push for ICD-10 implementation. The... -
ED coder role helps recover reimbursement, improves compliance
At 150-bed Kalispell (MT) Regional Medical Center, a contracted employee of the emergency... -
Recheck program and ongoing training improve accuracy, consistency, showcase cod
Lambert developed a coding "recheck" program, in which coders collaborate and discuss each other's... -
Residents and coding training make a healthy mix
However, Brooks says that in the third year of residency, "they really want to spend some time with... -
Help bridge the gap: Coders' clinical knowledge benefits everyone
We are in an era where HIM is at its highest level of importance. The survival of hospitals, other... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 11, November 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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New angles, renewed emphasis on medical necessity in 2004 Work Plan
This year's Work Plan, issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) on October 1, includes many... -
ICD-10-CM debate continues
A report on the field testing of ICD-10-CM from the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the... -
Don't neglect the effect of DRG CC splits
In the 2004 final rule for the inpatient prospective payment system (PPS), a number of... -
Chart reviews yield valuable coding tips from a variety of cases scenarios
By Robert S. Gold, MD On a recent chart review tour, I came across some tricky situations that... -
Alaska hospital struggles with coder recruiting
Hospitals across the country have been forced to rely on contract coders to keep backlogs to a... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 10, October 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Partners for improved documentation may be right on your units
Proper documentation supports coding compliance and medical necessity, reduces denials, and... -
No inpatient coders? Take another look at your outpatient coders
When Debra Collingwood, RHIT, director of HIM at Stevens Hospital in Edmonds, WA, started her job... -
Follow the twists and turns of hernias to the right code
The word "hernia" usually makes you think of an external bulge, either at the umbilicus or in the... -
Sharpen registration process for better reimbursement
Ensuring a smooth and thorough registration process can help you cut down on back-end problems such... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 9, September 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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New ICD-9 diagnosis codes require training for coders, physicians
The 79 new ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes and 24 new V codes published in the final rule in the August 1... -
Beware: New compliance hot spot
One area to watch with the release of the inpatient prospective payment system (PPS) final rule is... -
Don't get your bones out of joints
Misunderstanding anatomy can lead to coding errors that can have serious financial and compliance... -
Accurate stroke coding, even without costly work-ups
Vacillating coding guidelines, the addition of fifth digits, and ongoing problems with... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 8, August 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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AHIMA members field test ICD-10
Almost everyone involved with coding medical records is eagerly awaiting news on the implementation... -
Cross-training, certification focus push Florida coders up the ladder
When Holly Woemmel, MA, RHIA, was hired as the matrix director of HIM for Health-First, Inc., in... -
Determining the differences between aneurysms, dissections, and pseudoaneurysms
Last month, I discussed what aneurysms and dissections really are and how terminology crossovers... -
Check your charges before Pat Palmer comes knocking
Eleven dollars for a "disposable mucous recovery system" may seem like a reasonable charge--until... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 7, July 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Outlier final rule adds to compliance burden for hospitals, FIs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) followed through with its plan to close... -
DRG payment window expansion unlikely if you follow current rules
If you use the Office of Inspector General's annual Work Plan as one of your compliance tools, you... -
Make your coding department a well-oiled machine
Part two of a two-part series In the June BCCS, we talked about various recruiting efforts. Now... -
Use official coding guidelines for general rules, create facility-specific guide
It seems to take forever to get official coding guidance, and once it's published it doesn't always... -
The difference between aneurysms, dissections, and pseudoaneurysms
Aneurysms, dissections, and pseudoaneurysms: Because of terminology crossovers, it may be difficult... -
Don't let documentation, digits derail diabetes coding
Unclear documentation is usually the source for problems with coding for diabetes for your... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 6, June 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Find coders through conventional and unconventional methods
Part one of a two part series. The nationwide coder shortage shows no signs of easing up, so... -
CMS clears up the foggy three-day payment window
If your hospital's billing software bundles the accounts of the patient who has a sprained ankle... -
Overbilling settlement at UC Davis Medical Center prompts facility to add more a
When the five medical schools in the University of California (UC) system settled a physicians at... -
What do all those failure codes mean?
October 1, 2002, brought numerous new ICD-9-CM codes related to classifications of heart... -
Oklahoma hospital revamps its E/M coding
Before January, the emergency department (ED) doctors and nurses at McAlester (OK) Regional Health... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 5, May 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Five steps to better septicemia documentation, coding compliance
Whether physicians use the wrong language or coders misinterpret physicians' wording... -
Coders and physicians are on the same documentation page
When Austin (MN) Medical Center, an affiliate of the Mayo Health System, became provider-based five... -
MN hospital integrates facility and physician billing
When Austin (MN) Medical Center, an affiliate of the Mayo Health System, became provider-based five... -
Get the full story before assigning a code
The codes for arteriovenous malformation (AVM) require you to determine whether a patient's AVM is... -
Interventional procedures cause coding confusion
Interventional radiology procedures allow physicians to pinpoint diagnoses with minimal invasion... -
Coding Q & A
This month's Q&A comes from HCPro, Inc.'s recent audioconference, "Coding and Billing for...
Issue 4, April 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Coder blows whistle on DRG upcoding in TN hospital
In late January, Maury Regional Hospital in Columbia, TN, settled a $2 million whistleblower... -
Inpatient concurrent coding offers many benefits for WI facility
A year ago, Nannette Roberts, CCS, director of HIM services at Ripon (WI) Medical Center, a... -
A physician's perspective on documentation, queries, and a working relationship
Unless coders set themselves apart, they end up as just one of a long list of people who contact... -
Differentiating the definitions of diverticular disease
It's important to understand what physicians are referring to when they use the term...
Issue 3, March 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Testing transactions
Once you've developed your own transactions and code sets processes or put your software upgrades... -
Tips for auditing same-day readmissions
Your hospital may try to do its best to treat and discharge patients efficiently. But if you... -
HIPAA prep: Survey shows most providers not ready for testing
Once you've developed your own transactions and code sets processes or put your software upgrades... -
Modifying procedures-aborted, unsuccessful, and distinct
Modifiers continue to play an integral role in correct outpatient coding, and they continue to... -
When not to code what the doctor says
We all wish attending physicians would give us diagnoses when we need them. But sometimes we have... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 2, February 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
Issue 1, January 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
Issue 1, January 1, 2003
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Outlier payments face scrutiny
Questionable outlier payments to other providers may expand the scope of a new federal... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding...
Issue 2, February 21, 2003
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A hiatus on hernias of the diaphragm
By Robert S. Gold, MDWhen you see the same cases day after day, week after week, you tend to fall... -
Bled dry: Coding, billing for blood strain hospital and resources
Between confusion over Medicare coding and insufficient reimbursement, billing for blood and... -
Coding Q&A
The mission of this BCCS monthly supplement is to help you find answers to your urgent coding... -
Critical care coding and compliance concerns
Time, place, diagnosis code all come into playAs the source of the highest-paying evaluation and... -
Unique structure at FL hospital increases coder recognition
If you look for the Charge Capture and Coding (CC&C) unit at Mayo Clinic/St...
Issue 1, January 21, 2003
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Continuing Education Quiz
October to December 2002Directions: • Complete the quiz by writing the letter corresponding... -
Managing CPT 2003
Understanding everything from new subsections to new semicolonsBelieve it or not, the 250 CPT code... -
The truth about intravascular thrombosis and embolism
By Robert S. Gold, MDCoding issues frequently arise because blood clots exist in the body that... -
Understanding hypertension coding
There is a difference between high blood pressure and hypertension, but many physicians use the...