Health Information Management Newsletters

Briefings on APCs Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies Briefings on HIPAA HIM Briefings

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.

Subscribe »

2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Issue 12, December 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• New ICD-9-CM rules alter sepsis, pain management guidelines, and more

  New official ICD-9-CM coding guidelines that took effect November 15 alter the way that hospitals...

• Quality measures affect more than just IPPS reimbursements

  IPPS hospitals must report 21 quality measures in 2007, but be aware of significant case mix index...

• OIG to audit inpatient services, specialty hospitals in 2007

  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has turned its expansive gaze on a vast number of problematic...

• The RAC project: Its effect on one California hospital system

  Editor's note: This article is the second in a two-part series. Last month, Briefings on Coding...

• Heart failure core measures are lacking

  Ever since the new code sets for heart failure (and acute myocardial infarction [AMI]) came out in...

Issue 11, November 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The RAC project: Coming to a state near you?

  Recovery program may go national Editor's note: This article is the first in a two-part...

• Are your coders capturing these commonly missed CCs?

  Editor's note: This article is the second in a two-part series. Last month, Shannon McCall...

• UB-04: Prepare for increased diagnosis codes, new fields

  Coders will play vital role in assigning new present-on-admission indicator Coding professionals...

• Sepsis is not septicemia: ICD-9-CM guidelines only add confusion

  We've heard that ICD-10-CM is coming and we've heard that American Health Information Management...

Issue 10, October 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Don't overlook these commonly missed CCs

  Editor's note: This article is the first in a two-part series. It's no secret that...

• Don't pass on reporting clinical quality measures

  How HIM/coding plays a vital role in data gathering, reimbursement Hospitals are not required to...

• Are published profile data accurate?

  Over the past five years, HIM professionals have learned that various organizations are collecting...

Issue 9, September 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Get ready for phase one of sweeping IPPS reform

  On August 1, CMS announced plans for sweeping reform to the IPPS, with some changes effective...

• Increase coding staff's productivity with an incentive plan

  Before implementing any financially based incentive plan, obtain approval from your organization's...

• ICD-9-CM: Sequence and code your way to accurate claims

  Editor's note: This is the third part of a three-part series. This month's article covers anemia...

• Demand ischemia is coming: Be on the lookout

  One of the most common problems that coders face is inadequate documentation to justify admissions...

Issue 8, August 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• New ICD-9-CM codes add specificity, pave path to ICD-10, experts say

  The new ICD-9-CM diagnosis and procedure codes, effective October 1, serve as a reminder that...

• Use PEPPER to spice up undercoding

  How one facility used the data to recoup due revenue Editor's note: This month's story, which is...

• ICD-9-CM: Conquer diabetes, fracture, and burn coding

  This is the second part in a three-part series and covers diabetes, fractures, and burns. The first...

• Query physicians to improve your data and reimbursement

  When an inpatient medical record contains incomplete, inconsistent, unclear, or ambiguous...

• Oops, the NCHS did it again

  Our dear friends at the National Centers for Health Statistics (NCHS) embarrassed us all in October...

Issue 7, July 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• ICD-9-CM: Conquer complex cases

  This is the first of a three-part series. Part I covers general ICD-9-CM guidelines, signs and...

• Root out home healthcare discharge (06) problems

  The expansion of the post-acute care transfer (PACT) policy to 182 DRGs in October 2005 threw a...

• How HIM coding affects little-known payment formulation

  The formula by which Medicare pays health maintenance organization (HMO) plans-including...

• Prepare for severity of illness now

  As you probably are aware, big changes are coming to hospital reimbursement in the next year or...

Issue 6, June 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS proposes major DRG overhaul

  CMS dropped a bombshell with the April 12 release of the 2007 inpatient prospective payment system...

• Don't overlook other important changes in 2007 IPPS proposed rule

  In addition to the proposed 2008 switch to consolidated severity-adjusted (CSA) DRGs, be aware of...

• Don't be left behind: Start your case-mix improvements

  Hospitals that do nothing to improve their physicians' documentation and their case mix will be...

• Case study: How two hospitals implemented APR-DRGs

  When Maryland underwent a mandated statewide conversion to All Patient Refined DRGs (APR-DRGs) in...

• Code RDS properly to ensure accurate data collection, appropriate reimbursement

  The International Classification of Disease (ICD) code sets are designed so that hospitals in one...

Issue 5, May 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Part A, B consolidation coming due to nationwide MAC reform

  Prepare for anticipated billing changes Hospital coding staff traditionally bill their...

• Coding expert touts benefits of ICD-10

  Encourages Washington for 2009 implementation Working with ICD-9-CM every day "reaffirms that it...

• Conduct inpatient coding audits to maintain compliance

  One of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks a hospital can undertake is conducting inpatient...

• Why 'MERCI' isn't always French for 'thank you'

  The interventional age is proceeding at full blast. More peripheral vascular interventional...

Issue 4, April 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Ensure proper coding of these four thorny inpatient procedures

  Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series. Last month's story examined coding problems...

• Comply with physician supervision requirements for diagnostic testing

  Hospitals and nonhospital settings, such as independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTF), have...

• Tackle physician documentation with education, review

  One facility uses HIM professionals to drive improvement Documentation improvement programs...

• Turn to AHA/CMS for answers to tough coding questions

  New partnership to provide HCPCS help for hospitals If you have an outpatient coding question...

• Lobby the experts to help make a difference

  Experience can change your perspective. Some-times you gain new insights and additional knowledge...

Issue 3, March 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Be wary of these miscoded procedures

  Editor’s note: This article is the first in a two-part series. Next month’s story will...

• Inpatient psych PPS proposed rule out

  Period of transition depends on accurate data Although a quick read of the inpatient...

• Learn the lowdown on incident-to physician billing

  Avoid problems by keeping accurate documentation Incident-to physician billing recently landed...

• Look to case management for best discharge assignment

  Although case managers are often the best choice for assigning discharge-disposition codes, most...

• When a diagnosis isn’t what it is: Documentation and coding conundrums

  One of the marching orders accepted as gospel by HIM professionals is selecting a code as a...

Issue 2, February 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Connect these six dots to achieve coding compliance in your facility

  Struggling to find the best method to achieve coding compliance in your HIM department? The six...

• Sort out the differences between screening, diagnostic colonoscopies

  Focus on problem scenarios, communication Coders face the recurring problem of coding...

• Sepsis coding guidelines not fully evolved

  The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the code system for the International Classification...

Issue 1, January 6, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• OIG Work Plan hammers old coding trouble spots, examines new services

  The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) 2006 Work Plan covers much of the same tried-and-true...

• Conduct audits with a dash of PEPPER

  Editor’s note: This article is the second in a two-part series. Last month we described the...

• Understand the parts of replaced major joints to improve your coding as a whole

  Until the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the new 2006 ICD-9-CM codes...