SuperCoder Blog

Substance abuse disorder coding got more detailed options and clarifying notes in the 2018 version of ICD-10-CM. The good news is that now that we’re a few months in, you may have noticed that these changes helped bring your code choices more in line with current clinical practice. Here’s a refresher on how your code choices changed.

Make Sure You’ve Got .11 Options on Cheat Sheets

The added specificity for substance abuse coding means better data collection from ICD-10-CM codes and more accurate information in the patient’s record, too. Specifically, …

Birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality in the U.S. In fact, about 5,500 infants in the country die each year due to birth defects.

In an effort to bring down that rate, the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) marked January 2018 as National Birth Defects Prevention Month. The theme for this year was Prevent to Protect. We do not know the cause of many birth defects and many birth defects cannot be prevented, but the campaign stressed the importance of preventing infection during pregnancy to reduce the probability of having a baby with a birth defect.

Did you know? Effective coding can be critical to …

The highest level emergency department code, 99285, is popular. A comparative billing report (CBR) by eGlobalTech recently showed the national percentage of emergency department services submitted with 99285 was 55 percent. And when the highest level E/M code in a group is getting that much use, you know there’s going to be some scrutiny. Here’s a quick-start guide to 99285 to help get you on your way to better coding.

Compare the Requirements for 99281-99285

To choose an emergency department E/M code from 99281-99285, you have to …

This is the flu season. If you are not sick, there is a good chance some of your family, friends, or acquaintances are. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned providers about the rise of “influenza A (H3N2),” affecting more patients and leading to more hospitalizations.

Influenza vaccinations have been in the spotlight to help with prevention, so be sure you know the right codes and rules to apply.

Report Updated 2018 Flu Vaccine Codes

The printed manual for CPT® 2018 added two additional flu-vaccine codes to your list …

To minimize the clerical load linked to electronic health record (EHR) data entry, physicians across the U.S. are increasingly turning to medical scribes. In fact, an estimate by scribe employer ScribeAmerica predicts that as many as 100,000 scribes may be working in this country by 2020!

And why not? A recent study indicates that using scribes can reduce physician’s average time spent on EHR work by 50 percent. However, there are some downsides to consider, and not being aware of the rules could jeopardize your claims.

Make sure you identify the pros and cons of hiring a medical scribe in your practice.

Pros

Higher Productivity

Scribes boost productivity as they shorten …

How are you doing this February? I’m looking at some snow, myself. But these three news pieces from CMS show that spring is right around the corner. Don’t miss these deadlines on MIPS suggestions, special enrollment, and HCPCS Q2 implementation.

1. By March 1: Make Your Voice Heard on MIPS

If you’ve got suggestions for future MIPS Advancing Care Information measures and improvement activities, CMS has put out the call for input.

To comply with MACRA, CMS is removing social security numbers from Medicare cards. The goal is to help prevent identity theft. Here are three ways you can prepare for this big change.

1. Familiarize Yourself With the New Look

The look of the new cards won’t be a drastic change from the old ones. They’re still red, white, and blue. They have the beneficiary’s name, the type of Medicare the patient is entitled to, like Part B, and coverage dates. The cards will be smaller, …

A lot of the talk around TCI SuperCoder lately has been focused on our recently improved 2018 Data Files and the major financial consequences that can result from an organization’s choice of data files.
Why is this choice so important? When it comes to medical codes, data sets have to have the right information in the right format or your productivity, accuracy, and reimbursement will suffer. To help you make the best choice for your bottom line and your employee satisfaction levels, consider these questions when you make your next medical coding data files decision.

Are the Data Files Accurate and Up to Date?

If the information in a medical codes file …

A 90.5 percent accuracy rate for Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) payments may not sound too bad, but consider that the 9.5 percent improper payment rate adds up to $36.2 billion!

That’s the news from the 2017 Medicare Fee-for-Service Supplemental Improper Payment Data report based on Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT). Smart move: Reviewing CERT results can help clue you in to the areas Medicare will scrutinize to ensure proper payment. You can use your investigation skills to pinpoint the services and specialty areas that apply to you …