Ccs – Page 2

Avoid CVA Diagnosis Coding Pitfalls with 438.13, 438.14

You’ll turn to a V code when your neurologist reports ‘no effects,’ however.

When your neurologist sees a patient who had a stroke, either recently or in the distant past, he may record a number of different conditions — which makes your job more difficult. If you remember a few guidelines, you’ll select the proper ICD-9 codes for every cerebrovascular accident (CVA) case your neurologist treats.

Get Specific With 2 CVA Diagnosis Codes

When your neurologist sees a patient who has had a stroke, or CVA, he may document multiple deficiencies, both new and lingering. When the patient presents with…

2 Tips Lead to Modifier 22 Success Every Time

Watch frequency and provide documentation to rationalize extra pay.

Applying modifier 22 (Increased procedural services) can help increase reimbursement if your neurosurgeon documents a greater-than-usual effort during a surgical service. To ensure your claims’ success, surgeons and coders must also…

Consider Observation Codes for Patients In Apparent Limbo

Medicare clears up confusion surrounding ‘8-hour rule.’

Reporting your FP’s observation services can be tricky business, as there is confusion about how, when, and why to choose from one observation code set or another.

Add to that a common misconception…

Get Paid for EM Visits: How Much ROS Documentation Is Enough?

Caution: Keep enough paperwork on hand to back up EHR.
Transitioning to the world of Electronic Health Records (EHR) can make your coding easier on many levels, but don’t take it for granted. Physicians often fall short in their review of systems (ROS) documentation whether you use paper charts or rely on EHR, but you can […]

Bullet-Proof Level-4, Level-5 E/Ms with These ROS Documentation TipsROS documentation musts that most practices get wrong. Gastroenterology Coders:…
E/M Coding Focus: Geriatric Patients & DementiaDetermine HPI or ROS during assessment for geriatric patients. Your…
Bulletproof Your Doc’s PSA Documentation with This Form You’re just one click away from a code-focused order….

Coding Compliance: OIG Targets Transforaminal Epidural Injections

Verify that you’re counting injections and levels correctly to keep claims clean.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan for 2010 includes a closer look at Medicare payments for transforaminal epidural injections. The Work Plan specifically states, “We will review Medicare claims to determine the appropriateness of Medicare Part B payments for transforaminal epidural injections.”
Stay […]

Save Time Coding Facet Injections With This Coding Tool Hint: Location, number and substance are key. Several factors…
Anesthesia Coding Education: Combined Spinal EpiduralQuestion: Our anesthesiologists sometimes mark our C-section tickets as “combined…
Trigger Point Injection Coding: Count Targets, Not Shots Become the top TPI gun in your coding department…

Critical Care Coding FAQ: Become a Master of Time

Beware: CPT, CMS differ on ‘family discussion’ parameters.
When the physician treats a patient with a critical illness or injury, you need to know when to start and stop the critical care clock in order to avoid miscoding. Check out this FAQ to find out what’s part of critical care, what’s not, and how to correctly […]

Maximize 99291 Coding with This Critical Care FAQ Physician ‘preventing further deterioration’ keys valid critical care claims….
Critical Care Coding Checklist Certain patient conditions could indicate 99291 service. Given the…
Bust 4 Myths About Pediatric Critical Care Services MYTHBUSTER: Codes 99291, +99292 apply to infants, young pediatric…

Ob-Gyn CCI 16.0: Hysterectomy Coding

Here’s where you can bypass the edits with modifier 59.
The Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) version 16.0 didn’t overlook the hysterectomy, vaginal graft, and colpopexy codes — nor should you. To make sense of the deletions, break these additions into mutually exclusive and non-mutually exclusive.
Note: In all these cases — except those involving the anesthetic injection […]

Hysterectomy Coding Simplified: Look at Weight, Removal Severing these ligaments clues you into whether ob-gyn removed…
CCI 15.2 Retracts Neurostimulator Edits from 15.1Look for new edits that affect eye exam codes, anesthesia,…
3 Steps Take the Guesswork Out of Coding Vaginal Cuff Repairs Find out what colporrhaphy code you’ll use for an…

Wound Closure Coding: Make the Simple, Intermediate Distinction

Accounting for depth is a tricky task when coding closure.
Practices interested in ethically boosting their bottom line and getting $80 or more for the same closure repair need to walk the line that separates simple from intermediate.
What Makes a Repair “Simple”?
A wound closure is a simple repair if the procedure:

is simple;
is a single-layer closure involving […]

Coding Education: Simple, Intermediate or Complex Closure?Correctly distinguish closure levels every time with this advice from…
Simple Laceration Repair Code or E/M Code? Answer Could Cost Hundreds Not recognizing a laceration repair that’s included in an…
Multi-Laceration Repair Coding Case StudiesDo you know when to code repairs that occur in…

Checklist: Collect Surgical Deductibles Up Front to Improve A/R

This 3-step checklist will boost your bottom line.
With fewer patients following through on procedures because of economic and financial struggles, and an increasing number of patients not paying their bills, your practice needs to find ways to improve your A/R and bring in deserved money. Adapting an up-front deductible collection policy is one proven way […]

Front Desk Data Tracking ChecklistClean data means more than just a healthy bottom line….
Medical Billers: Test Your Collections Know-How Here This nifty tool tells you if collections cluelessness is…
Time Your Surgical Collections Right by Referencing Payer Contracts Find out if you’re legal in collecting patient portion…

2010 CPT General Surgery Coding Update: Changes for Lap, Abdominal Repair & Hemorrhoidectomy

Can you find codes in 2010’s resequencing mess? We show you how.
Reporting your general surgeon’s service with an unlisted code means more documentation work and a payment guessing game — that’s why you’ll welcome CPT 2010’s more specific codes.
General surgery can get all the details at this on-demand, specialty-specific audio update. But we won’t keep you in […]

What’s the Code for Lap Hiatal Hernia Repair? Question: In accordance with the new laparoscopic hernia codes, does 49652…
Multi-Laceration Repair Coding Case StudiesDo you know when to code repairs that occur in…
Surgical Coding: Scar Revision on Previous Mastectomy SiteTip: Find mastectomy scar revision in wound repair Question: Our…

Avoid CVA Diagnosis Coding Pitfalls with 438.13, 438.14

2 Tips Lead to Modifier 22 Success Every Time

Consider Observation Codes for Patients In Apparent Limbo

Get Paid for EM Visits: How Much ROS Documentation Is Enough?

Coding Compliance: OIG Targets Transforaminal Epidural Injections

Critical Care Coding FAQ: Become a Master of Time

Ob-Gyn CCI 16.0: Hysterectomy Coding

Wound Closure Coding: Make the Simple, Intermediate Distinction

Checklist: Collect Surgical Deductibles Up Front to Improve A/R

2010 CPT General Surgery Coding Update: Changes for Lap, Abdominal Repair & Hemorrhoidectomy

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