Rebecca Caux-Harry

I was reading an article the other day about a young man who developed severe biventricular heart failure after consuming a large quantity of an energy drink every day for […]

I recently received some questions from an Inside Angle reader about my blog post on ICD-10 coding for aortic valve disease. The reader asked about transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) […]

In this next blog post in our blog series focused on the new E/M guidelines, I’m going to focus on Medical Decision Making (MDM), which along with Time, is a […]

At the time I’m writing this blog, 2020 is a little more than half over. It has been a tough year so far, for so many reasons. I won’t get […]

We’re all living through uncertain times, and like most coding professionals, I’m focused on learning as much as I can about the new guidelines for COVID-19 documentation and coding. It […]

Last month, I wrote about accurate coding for aortic valve disease. This month, we’ll look at coding for mitral valve disease. The mitral valve is located in the left side […]

There are four valves in the heart that separate either the heart chambers from each other, or separate blood flow from heart blood flow.  They are, in the left heart, […]

July was a weird month for me. I ended up taking vacation in July which I haven’t done since I was a student, oh so many years ago. I’m not […]

In the morning, while getting ready for work, I listen to the radio. It’s the same program I’ve listened to for over 20 years. Normally, I “tune out” when commercials […]

In March, the American Medical Association (AMA) published their CPT Editorial Summary of Panel Action February 2019.  The summary warns that final CPT codes and descriptors are still in draft […]

While reading AAPC’s Healthcare Business Monthly, April 2019, I came across an article about problem lists by Mary Wood and Michael Warner. The authors include an example of a poorly […]

For several years now we’ve had four -X modifiers, generally presented as -X (E, P, S, U) which can be used instead of the -59 modifier to unbundle procedure codes […]

Since the Final Rule for 2019 averted the threat of reduced payment for professional services concerning the -25 modifier, I thought revisiting this troublesome modifier would be a good idea. […]

One of the many benefits of working for a nation-wide company is visibility into payer actions from coast to coast. Our many customers send us comments about payer actions and […]

Today, while reading an article about some upcoming new ICD-10 codes, my mind drifted to the part of the world population at risk for exploitation.  In response to increasing violence […]

By now, you’ve undoubtedly seen the CMS proposal to overhaul the E/M documentation and coding guidelines for new and established office visits, along with consolidated payments. There are articles and […]

Any Harry Potter fans out there? I recall a wedding scene in one of the last movies, when a disembodied voice whispers “They are coming, they are coming.” The wedding […]

At AAPC’s annual Healthcon conference in Orlando, Florida, Dr. David Zielske (also known as Dr. Z) had a session on Interventional Radiology, Cardiology and Vascular Surgery coding. As you can […]

Let’s say there’s this not-so-young-anymore woman who was frustrated by a long bout of a winter cold/flu. Upon recovery, she is asked by some friends if she wants to go […]

You code your own doctor visits or procedures in your head during your visit, CPT and ICD. When talking to friends about medical issues, you review the possible ICD codes […]

Last month, I wrote about my experience with The Texas Medical Center and the loss of my mother. One reader questioned whether the healthcare system is working (as I maintained […]

For those of you who are my regular readers, first, thank you so much! Second, you know I can get personal at times. This is going to be one of […]

Recently, I received a question from a reader concerned about a provider coding counseling/coordination of care for the majority of the higher level new patient visits as well as the […]

The CPT changes for 2017 brought a surprise, at least for me. You may have noticed a trend over the last several years of consolidation within the codeset. When two […]

In the past, I’ve written several blogs about the complexity of E/M coding and how to find your way through. The first step is to establish the place of service, […]

I paraphrase, but this is essentially the question we hear from providers when we talk about ICD-10 coding accuracy.

This month, Inside Angle blogger Rebecca Caux-Harry discusses E/M coding guidelines with Andee Andriole, 3M senior manager of outpatient consulting services. Rebecca:  Hi Andee, it was great seeing you at […]

This month, Inside Angle blogger Rebecca Caux-Harry discusses E/M coding guidelines with Andee Andriole, 3M senior manager of outpatient consulting services. Andee: Hey Rebecca, I was just reading some of […]

Echocardiography is the study of the chambers, valves and major structures of the heart.  The CPT books give us specific direction about what to look for within the report to […]

Picking up where we left off last month, here’s part two of my blog on CPT additions, deletions and modifications for 2016 (for part one, click here). Let’s start in […]

I’ve written in the past about how to score the language within an E&M note. There are a number of ways to arrive at the same code, or in fact, […]

I went to see one of my physicians today. She at her computer, me in a chair, discussing the multiple medications I’m taking, and the resulting side effects. If you’re […]

In past blogs, I’ve written about a variety of E&M services and how to code those visits. In case that seemed straightforward, many years ago mid-level providers were added into […]