Diagnostic exams are an important way for hospitals and health systems to capture more complete, longitudinal patient information. Complete coding of diagnostic exams supports population health management and HCC reporting. […]

Oh great—more new modifiers! If you’re like me, I read my CMS updates and focus on what needs to be managed based on regulatory deadlines. Back in 2016, I read […]

The Boston Globe is running a series of articles about patients being billed for out-of-network providers in the healthcare setting. The articles detail how patients get hit with a surprise […]

While the intent of MIPS is important with its end goal of improved quality and patient care, the program’s content can be challenging for coders, billers and providers. The data […]

In my last blog, I recommended checking out excerpts from the March ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance meeting. Those excerpts were written proposals for ICD-10 codes describing SDOH (social determinants of […]

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 […]

The March 19, 2019 letter from Seema Verma, CMS Administrator, to Charles Grassley (Chairman of the Committee on finance) assures that CMS is once again analyzing claims data to determine […]

Spring is in the air: the birds are chirping, the trees are starting to bud and the pollen count is increasing, bringing with it the dreaded springtime allergy season. Allergy […]

I’ve got a two-part (maybe three-part) homework assignment for you: Read a pair of proposals for new ICD-10 codes, presented at the March C&M meeting. They are each two pages […]

What is Parkinson’s disease? It is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing (“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra. The substantia nigra cells […]

According to a March 7, 2019 article in Modern Healthcare, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has decided to recommend that HHS revisit the national ED coding rules by 2022, citing […]

AHA Coding Clinic’s Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) held its two-day winter session in February, and I participate on the EAB as part of 3M’s contract with CMS. As I was […]