In our Coding Case Studies, we will explore the correct coding for a specific condition based on a hypothetical clinical scenario. This scenario involves a patient presenting with symptoms of…
Critical limb ischemia, also known as chronic limb-threatening ischemia, is an undertreated disease that often leads to amputation and/or mortality. One reason for undertreatment and underdiagnosis was coding. Until recently,…
Is this “new normal” a false reality? As we are now well into October, many months into COVID-19, I think we all have to look at what all the associated…
For 2021, there are 490 new, 47 revised and 58 deleted ICD-10-CM codes. We will cover the ICD-10-CM guidelines in this article and the ICD-10-CM code changes next month. There…
The pandemic continues to impact Medicare reimbursement. COVID-19 continues to make news on the regulatory front with two new directives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), centering…
The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved a new, specific diagnosis code for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) to be used by clinicians in medical records and examined by…
The key to happy and healthy patients? Honest talk about finances. Physicians may be focused on how patients are treated in their practices and the quality of care they receive,…
In the United States, there is currently no authorized or approved vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Operation Warp Speed has been working since the pandemic started to make a…
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked rapid growth in the use of telehealth, and what’s perhaps most surprising to seasoned experts on telemedicine is how smoothly the transition has fared for so…
The term “antibody” has entered our main-stream vocabulary due to the advent of SARS-CoV-2 with manifestation of disease as COVID-19. Antibodies are also called immunoglobulins. They are protein/carbohydrate structures of…
Coding must be supported by documentation, but also by the Official Coding Guidelines. While preparing for a clinical validation presentation on acute kidney injury denials, I took inventory of the…
Here are six resolutions that can improve your billing and collections in 2020. It’s that time of year again when everyone is planning ways to make the upcoming year their…
Provider groups are concerned that some proposals in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule for 2021 would exacerbate the financial challenges physicians are already facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, including…
Throughout the history of international diagnostic coding systems, including the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), pain diagnoses have never been represented systematically. The lack of a coding structure for chronic…
While some have said medical coding sits quietly in the middle of the healthcare revenue cycle, it is a key step that, when done inadequately, can impact each part of…
Becker's ASC Review compiled a timeline of significant medical coding updates that have been proposed or implemented so far this year: January CMS began paying for certain angioplasty and stenting…