Ask the Expert

Q: We are seeing more fundoplication surgeries and esophageal sphincter augmentation procedures for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease at our hospital. Do you have any tips for our coders when reporting these procedures in ICD-10-PCS?

Q: My hospital, like many others, is dealing with a shortage of nurses. What solutions can we implement to help make up for this deficit?

Q: If a patient has overdosed and is incapacitated, is the doctor or nurse allowed to call the patient’s family or friends to let them know?

Q: What are the criteria for receiving the C-APC for observation services (8011)?

Q: What CPT codes would you use to report an anterior cervical discectomy and interbody fusion performed at the same level during the same session?

Q: Sometimes employees don’t seem to have a great understanding of HIPAA even after they have received HIPAA training. What HIPAA training strategies work best?

Q: What do case managers need to know about the changes to the Detailed Notice of Discharge (DND) form?

Q: Can we bill for Part A payment for an inpatient stay of less than two midnights if the physician expected the patient to meet the 2-midnight benchmark at the time of admission?

Q: Our coding department frequently has trouble reporting type 2 myocardial infarctions (MI). Can you share any coding and clinical criteria guidance?

Q: I have to fly to a conference for work. I was hoping to work on the way, at the airport and on the plane, but I sometimes need to access electronic PHI to get my work done. What should I do to ensure that I stay HIPAA compliant while traveling and working in public places?