Archive for December, 2010

December 7, 2010

Coding education in Vegas does not stay in Vegas!

Go back to your agency as a coder or administrator and share the information you learned at the Coding and Regulatory Symposium! Come to my two-day class focusing on recent coding changes, especially those impacting wounds and therapy, with a focus on regulations and how these changes impact the bottom-line of agencies.

January 27-28, 2011, Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
9:00AM -4:15PM each day

This class is appropriate for all levels of coders, plus administrators who want to learn more about how coding impacts revenues and operations.

Agenda Day 1

Morning focus: Regulatory Issues
9:00‐10:00  How Coding and OASIS Add to Your Case Mix Score
10:00‐10:45  Myths and Truths that Impact Therapy Coding
10:45‐11:00 Break
11:00‐11:30 Common Errors Impacting Your Payment and Outcomes
11:30‐12:00 ICD‐10 and the 2011 Change to the 5010 Format
12:00‐1:00 Lunch
Afternoon focus: Applying regulatory education to coding
1:00‐2:00  Sequencing and Coding Guidelines
2:00‐2:45  Interactive Coding Session
2:45‐3:00 Break
3:00‐4:15 Interactive Coding Session (continued)
4:15  Adjournment
Agenda Day 2
9:00‐10:30 Wound Care Coding: All Wrapped Up
10:30‐10:45 Break
10:45‐12:00 Interactive Coding Session
12:00‐1:00 Lunch
1:00‐2:30 How Jan. 1 PPS Changes Impact your Operations
2:30‐2:45 Break
2:45‐3:30 How to Support Your Coding and Appeal Downcoding
3:30‐4:15 Facts and Forward Thinking about ICD‐10‐CM and ICD‐10‐PCS
4:15 Adjournment

Coming to Vegas?

$49 a night! That’s the price we have arranged (plus $12.95 for a resort fee) for each night at the Monte Carlo!!

Looking for a registration form?

December 5, 2010

CVA, V12.54 and Hemiplegia

There seem to be some lingering questions from guidance of a few months ago. This issue is one that never seems to  go away: CVA.In the past, the Coding Clinic had instructed hospitals not to code hemiplegia in acute CVA patients if the hemiplegia had resolved before discharge. (Q2, 1989) A question in the Q2 2009 Coding Clinic asked for reconsideration of this policy, given the significance of the diagnosis and the fact that many patients may be receiving therapy, even though the diagnosis is resolved.

This should not affect home health coding, given we cannot use acute codes in M1020 or M1022. We use late effects. Three codes deal with hemiplegia …

438.20, Hemiplegia affecting unspecified side
438.21, Hemiplegia affecting dominant side
438.22, Hemiplegia affecting nondominant side
We should be able to continue to code these for our therapy patients.

This change should not affect V12.54, history of TIA/CVA. Since all the deficits are resolved before our patients get to us, there are no late effects to deal with. We can still code acute stroke in M1010 and M1016 provided within 14 days.

December 2, 2010

401.9 … still a valid code?

I recently received this queston, and the answer is: Of course it is!

401.9, essential hypertension, is on the 2011 code list, and it is valid.

I’m sure the real question surrounds its case mix status.

As this blog noted a few months ago, 401.9 was under review to be taken off the case mix list. The code still is case mix, but that doesn’t mean it will stay as such permanently.

It comes down to this: the code is valid, and we code based on patient care, not on case mix.

December 1, 2010

Come to the Home Care Coding and Regulatory Symposium

On Jan. 27-28, I will hold a two-day seminar on coding and its interactions with regulatory, OASIS and therapy issues. This is just a teaser … more to come soon!

It’s $385 for the first attendee; $350 for more than one attendee from your organization. And a quick note that it’s in Vegas at the Monte Carlo, and we’ve gotten rooms for less than $50 a night! Cheap hotel and great education!

Home Care Coding and Regulatory Symposium

Something for Everyone! Because coding affects or is affected by OASIS and regulatory changes, we focus on how the pieces work together, especially with recently enacted, and upcoming changes. The most current issues:

  • How 2011 PPS Changes Impact your Operations
  • Additional Changes Impacting Home Care in April 2011
  • How Coding and OASIS Add to Your Case Mix Score
  • How Coding Errors Impact your Payment and Outcomes
  • 2011 Change to the 5010 Format and ICD-10-CM Forward Thinking
  • Interactive Coding Sessions on both days—Send your most complex scenarios!
  • Wound Care Coding–All Wrapped Up
  • Myths and Truths that Impact Therapy Coding
  • How to Support Your Coding and Appeal Downcoding

More to come here and at www.selmanholman.com!

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