LLMs are not ready to automate clinical coding, says Mount Sinai study

A new study from Mount Sinai suggests that using generative artificial intelligence to help with coding automation has some significant limitations. WHY IT MATTERS For the research, Mount Sinai's Icahn School…

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Codes G2211 and GIDXX – Continued Uncertainty

If you have been listening to the discussions on Monitor Monday and Talk Ten Tuesday about the use of the new HCPCS code G2211, you know there remains some uncertainty…

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2024 Coding Clinic 2nd Quarter: COPD and Z79

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (COPD), is an overarching term for conditions which cause difficulty breathing, specifically from some type of impediment to air movement. The two main types are emphysema…

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A ‘TsunamAI’ Of Change Is Coming To Healthcare

In the last 50 years, there have been significant developments that have forever improved the delivery of healthcare. Consider imaging (MRI/CT scans), minimally invasive surgery, anti-viral therapies, precision medicine (e.g.,…

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CMS Rolls Out Largest-Ever Navigator PPACA Enrollment Grant Offering

An unprecedented number of individuals are now enrolled in Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Marketplace health insurance plans – and federal officials this week signaled that the trend…

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IPPS: Planning for the Second Half of 2024

As we begin the second half of the year, it is a convenient time to make plans and take stock of our coding operations. There will be much to do…

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New ICD-10-PCS Codes Are Here

The new ICD-10-PCS codes for the 2025 fiscal year (FY) were posted on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website on June 6. The Version Summary reflects 371 new…

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CPT Coding for Use of Operating Microscope (+69990)

CPT code +69990 Microsurgical techniques requiring use of operating microscope is assigned when a surgeon uses an operating/surgical microscope to aid in visualizing small/fine structures in the operating field during…

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CMS Proposes Payment Models for Surgical Procedures

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed an episodic payment model, the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM). This is one of CMS’s “innovation” models. If it makes…

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Understanding Billing Requirements for Caregiver Training Services

As part of the Jan. 1, 2024 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) guidelines, caregiver training services (CTS) codes were listed as billable services if provided by physicians and non-physician practitioners…

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Diagnosis Pitfalls to Look for When Seeking to Avoid Denials

A recent study from the healthcare solutions company Premier indicated that $19.7 billion is what hospitals and health systems are spending annually on handling and appealing denials. Yes, that is…

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The IPPS Proposed Rule Demonstrates the Importance of SDoH

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Proposed Rule, through which it proposes to change the severity designation for several…

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