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Issue 12, December 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Prepare for ICD-10-PCS' surgical coding challenges

  ICD-10-PCS is a whole new ball game for inpatient coders. Everything will change. Coders have been...

• Changes continue for Recovery Auditors

  The audit landscape continues to change as Recovery Auditors (RA) expand prepayment reviews and CMS...

• Check in on coding, MS-DRG updates

  The Cooperating Parties made the last regular update to the ICD-9-CM codes October 1, 2011, but...

• Documentation improvement not just about ICD-10

  Physicians are never going to like receiving queries from coders and CDI specialists. They really...

• Don't get caught up in coding by memory

  Yeah, ICD-10 is all different, isn't it? Well, the appearance of the codes may change, but the...

Issue 11, November 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Specificity key to simplifying sepsis coding in ICD-10-CM

  Coders may find assigning codes for sepsis somewhat easier in ICD-10-CM, but they will still face...

• Wound care goes beyond pressure ulcers

  All pressure ulcers are wounds, but not all wounds are pressure ulcers. A wound is an injury to...

• Discover and correct common documentation insufficiencies before ICD-10 implementation

  How well could you code in ICD-10 using your current physician documentation? Do your physicians...

• Use PEPPER to understand coded data

  If you're not already actively using your hospital's PEPPER (Program for Evaluating Payment...

• Dear SIRS, let me introduce you

  Over and over, one gets frustrated that professional coders are told that they are smart and...

Issue 10, October 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Review changes in the FY 2014 IPPS final rule

  CMS released its FY 2014 IPPS final rule in August, and with it comes a whole slew of changes for...

• Brush up on sepsis coding to avoid Recovery Auditor takebacks

  Does the patient really have sepsis? Experts say ­coders often struggle with this question...

• CDI ethics: Play by the rules

  CDI specialists shouldn't focus on reimbursement, yet the reality is that improved documentation...

• Specificity now = specificity in ICD-10-CM/PCS: Ensure your documentation is up to par

  Despite a coder's best efforts to learn ICD-10-CM/PCS, there is one variable that could pose a...

• BCCS advisors encourage coders to embrace their strengths

  The countdown clock to ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation is ticking. One year from now-in October...

• Use your brain when coding strokes in ICD-10-CM

  Each physician may have his or her own way of describing a stroke. ­However, consistent...

Issue 9, September 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Know when and how to query for AKI

  Patients may present with a whole host of acute renal impairments (i.e., functional or...

• Big data: The next 'big' thing in coding

  Most coders have heard the buzz phrase "big data," but what does it mean exactly? And...

• ICD-10-CM/PCS: Managing the change for coders

  When it comes to ICD-10-CM/PCS, coders may be the hardest and most directly hit employees. Yet some...

• Avoid common coding traps, look for opportunities

  As meticulous as a coder may be, he or she is bound to make a mistake at some point in his or her...

• It takes guts-and specificity-to code intestinal diagnoses in ICD-10-CM

  ICD-10-CM includes some new concepts regarding the intestinal tract that are worthy of closer...

Issue 8, August 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Four nifty tips to ensure principal diagnosis accuracy

  Does the DRG accurately depict the patient's story? Does the length of stay and severity of illness...

• How a culture of compliance can help coders

  When Paul Belton, RHIA, MBA, JD, LLM, speaks about the culture at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego...

• Coder/CDI case study: A little respect goes a long way

  It took some time to break down the wall between coders and CDI specialists at New Hanover Regional...

• Q&A: State HIM associations' role in ICD-10-CM/PCS coder education

  BCCS recently spoke with advisory board member Gloryanne Bryant, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, about the...

• Make coding hip and knee replacements in ICD-10-PCS a walk in the park

  Joint replacement surgery is nothing short of a miracle for those experiencing pain due to an...

• Respiratory insufficiency still insufficient in ICD-10-CM

  Although ICD-10-CM resolves some problematic areas of coding, it isn't a panacea. Respiratory...

Issue 7, July 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS, ONC tackle the topic of EHRs and coding

  Do EHRs enable fraud and abuse by encouraging upcoding? What other factors could have led to higher...

• Inpatient charging: Consistency is paramount

  Charging for inpatient ancillary procedures and ­supplies has always been confusing. "CMS...

• ICD-10-PCS: Put your heart into coding pacemakers

  Upon quick glance, codes for insertion, removal, and revision of pacemakers look quite different in...

• Create a coding roundtable to ensure data integrity

  When coding guidelines are murky and open for interpretation, coders can sometimes feel as though...

• Value-based purchasing: What to expect in FY 2014 and beyond

  Hospital value-based purchasing (HVBP). It's the latest buzz phrase in the healthcare industry...

Issue 6, June 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• E codes: Rounding out the patient's story

  Auto manufacturers rely on them to make decisions about improving passenger restraints in vehicles...

• Stopping diabetes in its tracks: How ICD-10-CM can help

  More than 8% of the population in the United States (i.e., 25.8 million children and adults) has...

• Documentation of medical necessity drives successful RA appeals

  Most hospitals have been overwhelmed by Recovery Auditor (RA) requests for documentation. So it's...

• CMS releases FY 2014 IPPS proposed rule

  Consider the following: A beneficiary is admitted to a hospital pursuant to a physician order and...

• Don your thinking cap before querying for acute cor pulmonale

  by Robert S. Gold, MD

Issue 5, May 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Physician engagement is key to coding accuracy

  William E. Haik, MD, FCCP, CDIP, a practicing ­pulmonologist and director of DRG Review, Inc...

• Don't let underpayments fly under the radar

  Nearly 75% of participating hospitals ­nationwide with RA activity reported receiving at least...

• Keep current on changes to the three-day ­payment rule

  The three-day payment window has been wrought with compliance challenges since its inception. In...

• Comply with new ACDIS/AHIMA query practice brief

  In February, AHIMA published an update to its 2010 query practice brief. The updated brief...

• Why coders should be aware of advice for coding ESRD, excisional debridement, and more

  Coders should question the ­validity of coding advice and work collaboratively with physicians...

Issue 4, April 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Use caution when reporting unrelated DRGs

  DRGs for procedures unrelated to the principal diagnosis shouldn't occur frequently. If they do...

• Get to know the ICD-10-PCS root operations

  Editor's note: This is the second article in a two-part series about ICD-10-PCS root operations.

• Condition code 44: How coders and billers can help ensure compliance

  Although coders and billers don't play a role in determining whether condition code 44 is...

• Plan for the worst, hope for the best

  When Lori Belanger, RN, BSN, RHIT, inpatient coder and CDI specialist at Northern Maine Medical...

• ICD-9-CM codes for PEGJ and cardiorenal syndrome require physician input

  by Robert S. Gold, MD

Issue 3, March 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Look for clinical clues when querying for CCs and MCCs

  Everyone knows that CCs and MCCs are under scrutiny these days. ­However, that doesn't mean...

• Coded data drives so much more than ­reimbursement

  Researcher Bill Rudman, PhD, RHIA, says he didn't fully understand the implications of codes that...

• Get to know the ICD-10-PCS root operations

  Editor's note: This is the first article in a two-part series about ICD-10-PCS root operations.

• Create a coding/CDI e-blast for physicians

  The advent of electronic media is slowly but surely changing the way we access information...

• Face-to-face talks are crucial for CDI

  by Robert S. Gold, MD

Issue 2, February 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Copy and paste documentation poses challenges for coders

  As Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, ­Calif., implemented its EHR, the dreaded...

• Do both conditions truly meet the definition of principal diagnosis?

  The ICD-9-CM guidelines state that it's unusual for two or more diagnoses to meet the definition of...

• POA indicator accuracy remains high

  In times of increased auditor scrutiny, it's important for coders to remind themselves of their...

• Coding productivity losses: Four lessons learned from the Canadian ICD-10 experience

  Will ICD-10-CM/PCS wreak havoc on coding productivity?

• Why ICD-10-CM falls short for some diagnoses

  by Robert S. Gold, MD

Issue 1, January 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Are you ready for ­Recovery Auditor prepayment reviews?

  After a six-month delay, the Recovery Auditor prepayment review demonstration program began in...

• Think before you query for causes of pneumonia

    Clinically Speaking column: Drew Siegel, MC, CPC, and Robert S. Gold, MD, review...

• Cozy up with the FY 2013 ICD-10-CM guidelines

  Upon quick glance, the FY 2013 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting probably look...

• Highlights from the FY 2013 OIG Work Plan

  The FY 2013 OIG Work Plan includes plenty of new additions in which inpatient hospitals might be...

• Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies 2012 index

  Looking for a past BCCS article? Find what you need with the 2012 article index.