Clinical & Coding

At this time last year, many CDI specialists, providers, and coders worried about the arrival of ICD-10; some spoke of doomsday scenarios with...Read More »

Q: The 2016 CDI Pocket Guide states that four or more stents or vessels is equivalent to an MCC and changes the DRG. I understand...Read More »

Q: On pages 139-140 of the 2016 CDI Pocket Guide, the guidance states that code J95.82 should not be assigned when post...Read More »

For 27.3% of patients with depression and 27.7% of patients with bipolar disorder, providers did not integrate their diagnosis into their primary...Read More »

The long-anticipated ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting for fiscal year 2017 were released earlier this month, and...Read More »

by James Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP

AHIMA recently published a clinical validation practice brief in the July 2016 Journal of the...Read More »

by Richard D. Pinson, MD, FACP, CCS

With the release of the 2017 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule on August 2, 2016...Read More »

Q: Does the provider have to say "acute" exacerbation of COPD or just COPD exacerbation?

A: The best way to figure out the required wording...Read More »

CMS is proposing development of bundled payment models for cardiac care and hip surgeries, according to a July 25 announcement. Read More »

CMS released the fiscal year (FY) 2017 IPPS final rule yesterday. CMS made changes to several quality initiatives and reversed the agency’s 0.2%...Read More »