The transition to ICD-10-CM is coming. The only question is when. Despite the delay, coders and other HIM professionals must continue to prepare for the transition.
Editor’s note: To help coders prepare for the upcoming transition to ICD-10-CM, we will provide occasional articles about specific anatomical locations and body parts as part of a larger series for ICD-10-CM preparation. This month’s column addresses digestive system.
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Our coding experts answer your questions about molecular pathology codes, HCPCS codes for drugs that aren’t separately payable under OPPS, deducting push time from infusions, CPT initial observation codes, and diabetes coding in ICD-10-CM.
Coders and billers may not completely understand how to charge for inpatient supplies. One misconception is that the room rate incorporates all supplies used for every inpatient. Another misconception is that payers will not separately pay for inpatient supplies.
Modifier -PD (diagnostic or related nondiagnostic item or service provided in a wholly owned or wholly operated entity to a patient who is admitted as an inpatient within three days or one day) is now included in the I/OCE, according to January updates detailed in Transmittal 2370.
The respiratory system, responsible for inspiration (carrying oxygen into the body) and expiration (the expulsion of carbon dioxide), is composed of two tracts: the upper respiratory tract and the lower respiratory tract.
As technology evolves, providers can perform more procedures at the patient's bedside than they ever could in the past. Previously, they could only perform these procedures in another department of the hospital, and they had to charge separately for them.
Our coding experts answer your questions about physician supervision for chemotherapy, billing injectable drugs, Addendum B and coverage, new transitional care management codes, and stent placement with other procedures.
Q We're struggling with nursing documentation of stop times for IV infusions (e.g., piggybacks and hydration). The nurses also inconsistently document a patient's return to the unit from diagnostics. We know that CMS now allows us to use average times for common services, and we're interested in considering this approach at my organization. Can you share additional specifics?
Self-administered drugs present a significant issue for coders, especially when considering how they may or may not be covered by Medicare Part B. In many instances, payers may consider a drug to be self-administered in some circumstances but not in others. As a result, coders must pay special attention to how these drugs are used within their setting.
