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JustCoding.com

Issue 1, December 17, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Multiple-procedure discounting policy

  This excerpt from HCPro’s book, Orthopedic Coding Guide for Ambulatory Surgery Centers...

• Top coding hospital shares the secret to its success

  Sometimes complex challenges require simple solutions. And for AdCare Hospital, a 114-bed facility...

• Carpe diem: Seize the opportunity to make the most of your coding career

  Staff education is generally the first area in which hospitals cut back, and in today’s dire...

• Three outpatient rehab coding/billing scenarios to test your knowledge

  Rick Gawenda answers three outpatient rehab coding/billing questions that address common scenarios...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS releases PQRI report that highlights 2007 program outcomes

  On December 3, CMS published a new report, “Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI...

• Q&A: Consider medical necessity when questioning MUE edits

  QUESTION: CMS does not publicize information about medically unlikely edits (MUE), particularly as...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, December 10, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Add these coding resources to your must-have list for 2009

  This article provides a summary of the books, handbooks, Web sites, newsletters, and audio...

• A round-up of the 2009 final CPT codes: Digestive, male, neurology, radiology, pathology, and medicine code changes

  This is the second article in a two-part series on the 2009 CPT changes that take effect January 1...

• Try your hand at this long-term care billing pop quiz

  Think you’re a long-term care billing pro? Test your knowledge of skilled nursing facility...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS issues guidance to ease transition from FIs to MACs

  On November 12, CMS issued special edition Medicare Learning Network article SE0837 to assist...

• Q&A: Coding a colonoscopy versus a sigmoidoscopy

  QUESTION: When a physician starts to perform a screening colonoscopy but can only proceed as far as...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, December 3, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Sample postoperative pain injection form

  This form, which is an excerpt from HCPro’s book, Orthopedic Coding Guide for Ambulatory...

• Put your coding skills to the test with these scenarios that include several common winter ailments

  Test your knowledge of coding using five sample scenarios. For example, a downhill skier swerves to...

• AHIMA physician query brief provides long-awaited guidance

  Many facilities strive to improve physician documentation and ensure compliant queries, and now...

• A round-up of the 2009 final CPT codes: Evaluation and management, anesthesia, integumentary, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular changes

  This is the first article in a two-part series on the 2009 CPT code changes that take effect...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS instructs hospitals to report new HCPCS code C9899 to receive payment for implanted prosthetic devices

  On November 3, CMS released Transmittal 1628 that outlines how it will pay for implanted prosthetic...

• Q&A: Coding severe protein malnutrition

  QUESTION: Physicians do not generally provide thorough documentation of protein malnutrition on...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, November 26, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Understand the art of coding: Painting the clinical picture one compliant code at a time

  Coders have the ability to transform multiple documents or pages of transcription into medical...

• Don't let the complexity of urology coding overwhelm you

  The world of urology includes an array of complex procedures with equally complex CPT codes...

• Diabetes classification integral to hospital quality measurement, correct code capture

  On October 1, a bevy of new ICD-9-CM codes took effect, including a new category for secondary...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS allows all hospitals to participate in outpatient quality reporting

  On November 17, CMS announced via the QualityNet Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program...

• Q&A: Coder vs. CDI specialist queries--Two HIM professionals weigh in

  QUESTION: Is there any difference between queries that clinical documentation improvement...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, November 19, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Understand the coding and clinical documentation improvement link

  Coders and CDI specialists have a unique relationship and should recognize the roles that they each...

• Case study: Beittel-Becker bills more accurately with new EHR system

  While the search for a practice management and electronic health record (EHR) solution took some...

• Take the confusion out of calcium scoring codes

  Providers perform computer axial tomography scans of the heart with or without the following...

• Don't shoot your finances in the foot: Ensure compliant use of modifiers when coding ASC podiatry services

  Coding for podiatry can be fairly complicated due to the number of procedures that one encounter...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS delays RAC permanent program

  CMS announced on November 3 that it was imposing an automatic stay on the Medicare Recovery Audit...

• Q&A: Assigning POA indicators for pressure ulcers that progress from one stage to another during a hospital stay

  QUESTION: What present on admission (POA) indicator should we assign when a patient presents to the...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, September 3, 2008

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• CMS announces physician fee schedule final rule and launches electronic prescribing incentive program

  On October 31, CMS announced the Medicare physician fee schedule final rule for calendar year 2009...

• Consider these five tips for landing your first coding job

  You’ve finished your classes and passed your certification exam. But you may find that...

• MS-DRGs on OIG radar

  Facilities need to monitor coding staff to see how well they adopted new practices since MS-DRGs...

• Coding patient status on the UB-04

  Patient status codes are extremely important to ensure that subsequent billing by a skilled nursing...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS releases 2009 HCPCS annual update

  On November 1, CMS announced modifications to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS announces 2009 OPPS/ASC final rule

  CMS released its calendar year 2009 OPPS/ASC final rule on October 31, and providers can expect to...

• Q&A: Coding for nuclear stress tests

  QUESTION: When we report CPT code 78465 for a nuclear stress test, can we also charge for the...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, November 5, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

  Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

• Otitis media effusion

  Otitis media effusion

• Gout

  Gout

• Psoriasis coding 101

  Meera Mohanakrishnan, CPC, CPC-H, discusses the signs and symptoms and treatment for psoriasis, and...

• Familiarize yourself with revised code titles, new payments, and more in the 2009 IPPS final rule

  Examine the changes and analyze the impact of new MS-DRGs for cardiac procedures and sepsis and...

• Put in the extra effort when documenting consultations in your practice: Consider these tips to maintain compliance

  Medicare and third-party insurance auditors often examine evaluation and management codes...

• Healthcare happenings: Several professional associations urge Congress to adopt ICD-10-CM

  In an October 28 letter to Congress, the American Hospital Association, the Advanced Medical...

• Q&A: Coding urine drug tests

  QUESTION: What code should we report for a urine drug test that a provider reads in the office...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, October 29, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• AHIMA issues final practice brief on managing an effective physician query process

  On September 29, The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) released its...

• A snapshot of RACs today and a glimpse of what lies ahead

  Face it folks, recovery audit contractors (RAC) are here to stay. After all, RACs have a vested...

• Guidelines explain new codes for pressure ulcer staging, ventilator-associated pneumonia

  Gloryanne Bryant, RHIA, RHIT, CCS, and Shannon E. McCall, RHIA, CCS, CPC-I, discuss the new...

• Evaluate coder productivity in light of MS-DRGs and the POA indicator

  Focus on education to address the increased time and frustration inherent with MS-DRG changes and...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS updates hospital outpatient department payment information for value-driven healthcare

  On October 17, Medicare posted an update to the hospital outpatient department (HOPD) data about...

• Q&A: Coding for oxygen supply

  QUESTION: What is the correct CPT code for oxygen? We previously reported CPT code 94799 (unlisted...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, October 22, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• 2008 coder salary survey: A special report

  As coders, you understand the important role your work plays in the revenue cycle and in ensuring...

• The sky is the limit when it comes to career possibilities

  So you’ve reached the point in your coding career where you want to take it to the next...

• Coding for septicemia, sepsis, SIRS, and septic shock

  Coding for septicemia, sepsis, SIRS, and septic shock can be confusing for even the most seasoned...

• Choose the correct code when reporting sacroiliac joint injections

  When coding sacroiliac joint injections, ambulatory surgery center coders are frequently faced with...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS releases RAC contingency fee percentages

  CMS announced October 6 the names of the four permanent national recovery audit contractors (RAC...

• Q&A: Report a code from the 14000-14300 range for adjacent tissue transfer

  QUESTION: Our coding team has a difference of opinion about flap closures. For example, when a...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, October 15, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Authorization for release of protected health information from mental health records

  This form is an example of an authorization release of protected health information from mental...

• Emphasize complete documentation, compliant coding in light of medical technology evolution

  With the constant evolution of medical technology and the implementation of more accurate and...

• Understand the new ICD-9-CM codes that took effect October 1

  Now that October 1 has passed, coders should be using the new and revised ICD-9-CM codes. Christina...

• Understand complications versus expected surgical outcomes to ensure compliant coding

  DeAnne W. Bloomquist, RHIT, CCS, and Robert S. Gold, MD, explain why physician documentation of a...

• Healthcare happenings: AHIMA issues final practice brief on managing an effective physician query process

  On September 29, The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA released its...

• Q&A: Coding colovesicular fistula due to diverticulitis

  QUESTION: A patient with severe diverticulitis was admitted to the hospital after having had...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, October 8, 2008

• Three kinds of closures affect repair codes

  When coding for repairs in the integumentary system, it’s important to understand the...

• Test

  Test

• Reduce unnecessary one-day stays: Ensure compliance with proper admissions

  One-day stays are on the rise, and with the advent of Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC), hospitals...

• Certified nurse midwifery: An alternative ancillary service in an OB/GYN practice

  Lori-Lynne Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, provides your OB/GYN practice with the knowledge and the criteria...

• Avoid the trap of 'probable' diagnoses: ICD-9-CM official guidelines highlight the importance of discharge notes

  Karen M. Lindemann, RHIT, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, and James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, help you steer clear of...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS releases FY 2009 IPPS PC Pricer

  CMS released the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) PC Pricer for fiscal year (FY) 2009.

• Q&A: Identify site and stage when coding decubitus ulcers

  QUESTION: What code should we assign for a pressure ulcer of the coccyx? Some coders report code...

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• New on JustCoding Platinum

  New on JustCoding Platinum

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Word of the week:

  Word of the week:

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question  

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

Issue 1, October 1, 2008

• Three kinds of closures affect repair codes

  When coding for repairs in the integumentary system, it’s important to understand the...

• Ask these questions when coding laceration repair

  Ask these questions when coding laceration repair

• Understand coding and billing for multiple endoscopic procedures

  Jessica A. Little, CPC-FP, takes the confusion out of coding and billing for multiple endoscopic...

• Get to know MIPPA's hospital-related provisions

  Kimberly Hoy, JD, CPC, discusses the recently enacted Medicare Improvements for Patients and...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS announces 2009 premiums and deductibles

  For the first time in nine years, Medicare will not increase its standard Medicare Part B monthly...

• Q&A: Coding suture removal with and without anesthesia

  QUESTION: A patient presents to a clinic for suture removal. The patient originally received the...

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• New on JustCoding Platinum

  New on JustCoding Platinum

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Barrett's esophagus

  Barrett’s esophagus

• Fatal familial insomnia

  Fatal familial insomnia

• Trigeminal neuralgia

  Trigeminal neuralgia

Issue 1, September 24, 2008

• Clean up your MPI before implementing an EHR

  HIM directors agree that duplicate medical record numbers are extremely difficult to manage. In...

• Clear up morphology and neoplasm code confusion: Understand what additional tools your ICD-9-CM Manual offers

  Lori-Lynne Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, explains how you can use the neoplasm and morphology tables in...

• Case studies

  Case studies

• Q&A: Principal diagnoses and acute MIs

  Robert S. Gold, MD, provides detailed answers to questions about principal diagnoses, sequencing...

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Healthcare happenings: CMS updates HAC and POA indicator reporting Web site

  CMS announced that it updated its Web site that includes information on the present on admission...

• Q&A: Don’t use modifier -53 for hospital OPPS claims

  QUESTION: Can we append modifier -53 for a nuclear medicine procedure during which we administer...

• Request to amend or correct protected health information

  Use this tool when patients request to amend or correct their protected health information. The...

Issue 1, September 17, 2008

• Healthcare happenings: CMS instructs contractors to hold all claims with HCPCS code Q0091

  CMS instructed contractors to hold all OPPS claims with HCPCS code Q0091 (screening...

• Recognize the newest HACs: Three new conditions to monitor for FY 2009

  Hospitals can breathe a slight sigh of relief when it comes to HACs. Although CMS originally stated...

• Key risk factors may reveal gram-negative pneumonia

  Key risk factors may reveal gram-negative pneumonia  

• Avoid inappropriate physician queries

  Since the implementation of Medicare Severity DRGs in October 2007, the volume of physician queries...

• Q&A: Code highest stage when ulcer progresses

  Q: An admitting physician in an acute care facility documents that a patient a pressure ulcer on...

• Ensure charge ticket compliance with a clear-cut policy

  It has several names, the most common of which is a charge ticket. Other terms include encounter...

• Copy of a charge ticket

  Copy of a charge ticket

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week's mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

Issue 1, September 10, 2008

• Tackle E/M coding for hospital-based outpatient clinics

  With the large variety of hospital-based outpatient clinics out there—including...

• Make sure acute myocardial infarction data is correct before core measures catch up with you

  Robert S. Gold, MD, tells us why physicians need an objective perspective to measure for acute...

• Learn about the preadmission services window policy

  The preadmission services window policy answers to many names. Some refer to it as the “DRG...

• CMS updates Physician Quality Reporting Initiative Web site

  On August 29, CMS announced that it updated several sections of the Physician Quality Reporting...

• Q&A: Report diagnostic radiopharmaceutical HCPCS code with nuclear medicine procedure

  QUESTION: Our physicians often perform therapeutic thyroid treatment (CPT code 79005) with...

• Understanding and applying the 2009 ICD-9-CM Codes

  This year ushers in many more specific ICD-9-CM codes and very few changes to the Medicare Severity...

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Trivia of the week

  Trivia of the week

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Last week’s mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

Issue 1, September 3, 2008

• Understand freestanding ASC Medicare coding requirements for facility services

  Medicare requires ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to maintain clinical records for all patients...

• Reacquaint yourself with the CPT Manual appendices

  Joe Rivet, CPC, CCS-P, CICA, gives you a complete and conscise breakdown of the CPT Manual’s...

• Understand coding guidelines for prefabricated splints

  William L. Malm, ND, RN, Susan Garrison, CHCA, PCS, FCS, CPC, CPC-H, CCS-P, CHC, CPAR, Rick...

• Medicare providers remain satisfied with fee-for-service contractors

  Most Medicare healthcare providers are satisfied with the services that Medicare fee-for-service...

• Q&A: Removal of foreign body without an incision

  Q: A patient presents to the emergency room (ER) with a foreign body (fish hook) in his upper arm...

• Orthopedic terminology

  Orthopedic terminology

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week’s mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

Issue 1, August 27, 2008

• Avoid common coding mistakes for urology

  Glenn Krauss, BBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, FCS, PCS, C-CDIS, Michael A. Ferragamo, MD, FACS, and...

• Outpatient coders not exempt from the FY 2009 ICD-9-CM code changes: Prepare your staff for new, invalid, and revised codes

  Shannon McCall, RHIA, CCS, CPC, and Shelley C. Safian, MAOM/HSM, CCS-P, CPC-H, CHA, explain why...

• Understand Medicare's strides to reduce rising radiology imaging costs

  Glenn Krauss, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, PCS, FCS, C-CDIS, addresses concerns regarding the increased...

• Healthcare happenings: QIO contracts to focus on quality and safety

  CMS has awarded contracts to the 53 contractors participating in Medicare’s Quality...

• Q&A: Colonoscopy with cannulation of the ileum

  QUESTION: What code should I report for a colonoscopy with cannulation of the ileum?

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia

  Trivia

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week’s mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, August 20, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Develop compliant physician queries to enhance your CDI program

  The query process is an effective way to improve clinical detail and coding accuracy. More specific...

• Report unlisted procedure codes appropriately to ensure accurate reimbursement

  Meera Mohanakrishnan, CPC, CPC-H, explains why it’s important for coders and billers to...

• Get acquainted with chronic conditions

  How do you define “chronic”? Many medical dictionaries and Web sites describe chronic...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS seeks cosponsors for educational conference on e-prescribing incentive payment program

  In an August 8 press release, CMS announced a special conference to educate physicians and other...

• Q&A: Report CPT codes 17110-17111 for destruction of telangiectasia

  Q: What is the correct CPT code for destroying telangiectasia on the skin via a laser? The...

• Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome

  Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome

• Raynaud's phenomenon (disease)

  Raynaud’s phenomenon (disease)

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia

  Trivia

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week’s mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

Issue 1, August 13, 2008

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week's mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Don't let suture coding tie you up

  Coding wound closures is fairly straightforward, and the CPT Manual does a good job providing...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS releases FY 2009 IPPS final rule

  CMS released its inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) final rule for fiscal year (FY) 2009...

• Implement the new ESA transmittals in your hospital

  When Angela Simmons, CPA, director of clinical revenue and reimbursement at the University of...

• Focus on documentation for new ICD-9-CM codes

  Education among coders and physicians will help prevent the flood of physician queries that might...

• Q&A: For inpatient stays, code each vaccine separately

  Q: Medicare allows hospitals to separate out any vaccines patients receive during an inpatient stay...

• CMS releases 2009 IPPS final rule

  CMS releases 2009 IPPS final rule

• Querying common conditions

  The query process is an effective way to improve clinical detail and coding accuracy. More specific...

• ICD-9-CM guidelines

  ICD-9-CM guidelines

• Healthcare happenings: ICD-9-CM official guidelines for coding and reporting

  CMS and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) released the following guidelines for...

Issue 1, August 6, 2008

• List of the ICD-9 code changes

  This list includes new diagnosis codes, new V codes, new procedure codes, and revised diagnosis...

• Don't take "no" for an answer: How to appeal denied claims

  It happens every day in every kind of healthcare facility: Claims denials. Large and small...

• Don't let HACs cut into your bottom line

  DeAnne W. Bloomquist, RHIT, CCS, and Robert S. Gold, MD, discuss the financial impact that the...

• Prepare for the worst, hope for the best

  Most health information management (HIM) directors think a disaster will never occur at their...

• CMS increases payment for ground ambulance services under MIPPA

  On July 15, the U.S. Congress enacted the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of...

• Use the same charge for self-pay and insured patients

  Q: Two male patients present for the same procedure­—a total hip arthroplasty (CPT code...

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia

  Trivia

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week’s mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Quizlet: Disease and medical condition grab bag

  Quizlet: Disease and medical condition grab bag

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

Issue 1, July 30, 2008

• Healthcare happenings: CMS extends payment rule for brachytherapy and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals

  On July 15, CMS enacted the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008...

• Understand coding, reimbursement guidelines for pain control injections, spinal cord stimulators, and nerve destructions

  For ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) that offer pain management services, it’s important to...

• Sample operative report

  Sample operative report

• Don't 'grab and run' with diagnoses: Become a clinically savvy documentation improvement specialist

  If they don’t perform a thorough record review, clinical documentation improvement (CDI...

• CMS launches demonstration project to bundle payment for physician and hospital services

  Those in the health information management (HIM) world know that hospital and physician incentives...

• Refresh your memory on coding common summertime injuries

  As the weather turns warmer and people become more active over the summer months and early fall...

• Q&A: Avoid double billing supplies that are already included in a service code

  Q: I work in a pediatrics office and have a question regarding billing for supplies (e.g. slings...

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week’s mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Quizlet: Integumentary refresher

  Quizlet: Integumentary refresher

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

Issue 1, July 23, 2008

• Don't forget to provide HIPAA training for billing and coding staff

  Fewer interactions with patients doesn’t mean fewer interactions with PHI Chris Simons...

• Identify common coding/billing errors to maintain compliance in your ASC

  Stephanie Ellis, RN, CPC, describes the compliance ramifications of coding and billing mistakes...

• The IPPS PC Pricer: Make the most of this helpful software

  Do you work in the finance department or business office at your facility? Are you part of a...

• Healthcare Happenings: CMS doles out more than $36 million in bonus payments for its 2007 PQRI

  In a July 15press release, CMS announced that it paid more than $36 million to health professionals...

• Healthcare happenings: MPFS rate increases from -10.6% to 0.5% due to Congress override of Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act

  The mid-year 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rate of -10.6% has been replaced with a 0.5...

• Q&A: Code congenital anomalies regardless of age

  Q: How should I code a case in which a 16-year-old female has fetal alcohol syndrome? Should I...

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• The Present on Admission Training Handbook

  The pressure is on for hospitals to accurately report present on admission (POA) data to avoid...

• Product of the Week

  Product of the Week

• Trivia

  Trivia

• Mini poll

  Mini poll

• Last week's mini poll

  Last week’s mini poll

• Quizlet: Medical term grab bag

  Quizlet: Medical term grab bag

• New on JustCoding

  New on JustCoding

Issue 27, June 27, 2008

• Q&A: When to bill for terminated procedures and wasted supplies in the OR

  Q: We have a recurring issue at our hospital regarding wasted items in the operating room and we...

Issue 2, December 31, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Orthopedic Coding Guide for Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Second Edition: Commonly Reported Modifiers

  This excerpt from HCPro’s book, Orthopedic Coding Guide for Ambulatory Surgery Centers...

• Knock, knock! Who's there? It's ICD-10, and you'd better be ready

  When someone says ICD-10, most health information management (HIM) professionals roll their eyes...

• Understand the stages of sleep and related disorders to ensure correct coding for sleep studies

  Most of us would agree that there is nothing quite as refreshing as a good night’s sleep. But...

• 10 tips to maximize the effectiveness of your physician queries

  Even after you’ve established processes and procedures for querying physicians, coders should...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS to deny coverage for TIP used to treat lower back pain

  CMS no longer deems thermal intradiscal procedures (TIP) reasonable and necessary to treat lower...

• Q&A: Coding for Omega-3 testing on red blood cell membrane

  QUESTION: What is the proper way to code the documentation below? Should we report code 82726...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia question

  Trivia question

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet

• Correction

  Due to an editing error, last week’s Spotlight article, “Understand when it’s...

Issue 2, December 24, 2008

• New on JustCoding Platinum!

  New on JustCoding Platinum!

• Coding and Medically Unnecessary Settings from The HIM Director's Guide to Recovery Audit Contractors

  This excerpt from HCPro’s book, The HIM Director’s Guide to Recovery Audit Contractors...

• Understand when it's appropriate to append modifier -58

  It’s often difficult for coders and providers to determine when it’s appropriate to...

• Physicians take note: Greater specificity reflects patient severity more accurately

  Official guidelines and advice from the cooperating parties for ICD-9-CM stipulate that only...

• Clear up confusion regarding coding and billing for hospital supplies

  Coding and billing for hospital supplies can be confusing because of the complicated terminology...

• Healthcare happenings: CMS to apply new institutional NCCI edits as of January 1, 2009

  CMS will apply the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits to physician claims for various...

• Q&A: Identify approved diagnostic codes for trigger point and joint injections

  QUESTION: I work for an orthopedic practice. Medicare continuously denies our diagnostic codes for...

• Product of the week

  Product of the week

• Trivia winner

  Trivia winner

• Coder chat

  Coder chat

• Word of the week

  Word of the week

• Quote of the week

  Quote of the week

• Mini-poll

  Mini-poll

• Last week's mini-poll

  Last week’s mini-poll

• Quizlet

  Quizlet