The 2017 ICD-10-CM updates included a significant number of additions to digestive system diagnoses, especially codes for pancreatitis and intestinal infections. These codes are largely focused in the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and a review of the anatomy of this body system could help improve accurate documentation interpretation and code selection.
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released guidance on patient access fees with little fanfare last year but the guidance, intended to clarify existing OCR regulations, became a flashpoint for controversy. The guidance states that organizations may charge a patient either a flat fee of $6.50 or follow a specific methodology for calculating the cost of making a copy of requested patient records. Although some organizations found their fee schedules out of step with OCR’s guidance, the biggest problem came from an unexpected corner: attorneys.
Inpatient coding departments are likely familiar with integrating clinical documentation improvement (CDI) specialists into their processes. Crystal Stalter, CPC, CCS-P, CDIP, looks at how CDI techniques can benefit outpatient settings and what services and codes facilities should target.
Even though we are set to inaugurate a new president of the United States who vowed to abolish Obamacare, I believe that Donald J. Trump will not touch provisions that address perceived cost inefficiency or quality within our healthcare system. In fact, if you’ve read CMS’ game plan for transforming healthcare published in JAMA in 2014, note that many of these provisions began with George W. Bush and have been embraced by the AMA with the implementation of MACRA.
