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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, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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How HPMP can improve your facility’s coding and compliance
Free tool finds problematic DRGs, issues reports Editor’s note: This is the first in a... -
Coders as auditors: Technology adds new dimension to old profession
Coders who sift through piles of records in paper-based systems and manually assign codes to... -
Know why, when, and how to clarify physician documentation to code correctly
By Robert S. Gold, MD The goal of a physician query is to achieve a better reflection of the... -
Improve documentation with coder/case manager team
Six tips to laying a sound foundation at your facility The team approach to documentation... -
Follow Federal Register three-day window guidelines
HIM professionals and coders commonly roll outpatient services into inpatient admissions...
Issue 11, November 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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’Internal medicine’ cures Maine facility
In-house consultants improve coding, compliance Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Bangor has... -
It’s official: Coders can code from nonphysician documentation
Physician assistant, nurse practitioner notes permitted Official coding guidelines released in... -
Form clear queries with a standardized policy, documentation, and open questions
Follow these tips to avoid improperly leading the physician Coders are often in the unenviable... -
Learn meanings of STEMI, NSTEMI for proper code assignment
If you look closely at the 2006 ICD-9-CM codes, you’ll notice two new terms in the 410.xx...
Issue 10, October 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Four tips to prepare for postacute care DRG changes in your facility
CMS has dramatically increased the number of DRGs subject to the postacute care (PAC) transfer... -
How to solve the screening versus diagnostic mammography puzzle
Code and bill mammogram based on physician’s orders The question comes up again and again... -
Use software to improve charge capture in your facility
The popularity of mobile charge capture--doctors using hand-held devices to charge for services at...
Issue 9, September 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Final IPPS rule drops cardiac coding bombs not in proposed rule
DRGs introduce new logic, principal diagnoses The inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS... -
Patient safety law gives pharmacists, others chance to report medical errors
Pharmacists and other individual healthcare professionals will be able to report confidentially any... -
Involve coders in documentation improvement for best results
Hospitals can make millions of dollars per year in additional revenue by training their talented... -
Not even Congress can stop postacute care expansion
Prepare now for payment, tracking changes Several state and national medical associations... -
Understand hypostatic pneumonia and inappropriate use of 514
Over time, the terms we use for diseases change. Sometimes that history is very interesting... -
When in doubt, use manual for inpatient procedures
When it comes to coding inpatient operations and procedures, pick up volume three of the ICD-9-CM...
Issue 8, August 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Transmittal adds new step, more ICD-9 codes to coders’ plates
As you prepare for the updates of ICD-9 codes that will take place October 1, be sure to address... -
System focuses on documentation and coding to turn around finances
When Kaleida Health, a five-hospital system in Buffalo, NY, began a high-profile, lengthy... -
Discover the difference between heart dysfunction and failure
The evolution of the code sets for heart failure over the past several years has caused some...
Issue 7, July 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Document imaging simplifies hospital’s coding process
With an average of 500 lab account registrations per day and 1,000 sheets of paper in a variety of... -
Don’t neglect at-home coding opportunity, says TX HIM director
Since it established a remote coding option in 2003, Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital has seen... -
New department addresses all aspects of coding
Centura Health, Colorado’s largest healthcare system, put its coders and the coding function... -
Prepare your physicians for the new renal disease stages, coordinating codes
As of October 1, 2005, an important ICD-9-CM code will be replaced by a bunch of unfamiliar...
Issue 6, June 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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CMS targets postacute care in IPPS proposed rule
Plans move 223 DRGs under transfer policy Aside from the expected new ICD-9-CM codes and DRG... -
CMS sets up new entity to augment recovery efforts
In an attempt to identify improperly paid Medicare claims and to recover money from the Medicare... -
Proposed rule includes new codes, DRG reorganization
In addition to the continued focus on quality data reporting, the inpatient prospective payment... -
Understanding the types of heart failure leads to better coding
Since my last article about heart failure, I’ve received interesting questions from coders... -
AHA breathes new life into respiratory failure
Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM, Q1 2005, reveals significant changes in acute respiratory failure...
Issue 5, May 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Official ICD-9 guidelines updated
Focus on sepsis, septicemia, E codes, and obstetrics For the first time in five years, CMS and... -
Attorneys answer coder queries about e-documentation, audits
Editor's note: The following is a collection of questions and answers from a session held during... -
Conquer complex ICD-9 coding
Trainer tackles top troubles, including diabetes, obstetrics, and injuries After more than a... -
A common coding conundrum
By Robert S. Gold, MD While conducting a documentation improvement program at a hospital, I... -
Five ways to foster better coder-physician relationships
Imagine that your facility's physicians answer your documentation queries when asked and they not...
Issue 4, April 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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MACs: The meat of carrier reform
After decades of the same system ruling the Medicare fee-for-service program, Medicare... -
One-day stays could get you one step closer to government audit
Your organization may pride itself on caring for patients efficiently, getting them out the door in... -
Computer-assisted coding not on the horizon
Only 2% of respondents to a recent HCPro, Inc., benchmarking survey use computer-assisted coding... -
Principal diagnosis delays
As coders, you're probably used to certain classic presentations of sepsis and the words physicians... -
Preparation, organization keys to surviving audits
Until he started dealing with Medicare and Medicaid laws in his various roles with the Office of...
Issue 3, March 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Seven C's to compliant coding
Top-ranked coding hospitals share many of the same traits when it comes to consistent, compliant... -
How to get paid what you're due
Editor's note: Share this article with your revenue cycle staff to help them understand how they... -
Documentation improvement is not the same for every facility
Almost every facility can benefit from documentation-improvement efforts. But do those efforts... -
Distinctive documentation, definition details determine your coding
Our team just finished a tour of audits at a major client's facility. We came up with a slew of... -
Your coders need back-to-basics training
After years as a coding educator and trainer, I still find it interesting how many coders consider...
Issue 2, February 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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NUBC updates billing with the UB-04
The National Uniform Billing Committee (NUBC) began work to replace the UB-92 four years ago. The... -
Nine steps to auditing your claims
Hospitals lose an average of $1,000 per day due to denied claims. Because of these high stakes, it... -
Are you getting credit for CHF care?
We hear about the various quality initiatives of quality improvement organizations, the quality... -
Dig into your data for better coding, reimbursement
Low-cost or free data are available to help you track your facility's efficiency and coding...
Issue 1, January 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Inpatient psych PPS final rule out
CMS finally published the long-awaited final rule about the new prospective payment system (PPS... -
Measure coder nonproductivity to improve efficiency
Measuring your coding staff's nonproductive time (i.e., time spent doing anything other than... -
Automated coding: Prepare now for future technology
Part two of a two-part series Automated coding may sound like a futuristic technique light years... -
Correct code depends on clinical circumstances
By Robert S. Gold, MD In the continuing quest to help coders and physicians understand the same...