About the authors
Melinda Tully, MSN, CCDS, is Senior VP of Clinical Services and Education and has 25+ years in Acute Care as a Clinical Specialist and Nurse Practitioner. Her area of specialty is clinical documentation education focused on continuous quality improvement.
Paul Weygandt, MD, JD, MPH, MBA, is a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) with over 20 years of combined experience in medical management, legal counsel, and orthopedic surgery. His area of specialty is facilitating CFO-CMO/VPMA/Physician Relationships to drive quality improvement.
Blogroll
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- David Block MD, PhD on ICD-10: AMA Decision Tries to Avoid the Inevitable – and Will Likely Fail
- David Block MD, PhD on Open Medicare Database, Good or Bad for Healthcare?
- Steve Sisko on ICD-10 Impact on Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial Reimbursement
- Admin on AMA Votes to Stop ICD-10
- David Block MD, PhD on AMA Votes to Stop ICD-10
Archives
Categories
Category Archives: Coding
Denise Buenning from CMS Answers the Industry’s Top Questions about the Version 5010 Upgrade
From a recent ICD-10 Update Upgrading to Version 5010 involves significant planning and preparation. The Version 5010/4010A electronic standards upgrade deadline was January 1, 2012. However, CMS enacted an enforcement discretion period through June 30, 2012 for all HIPAA-covered entities. … Continue reading
Posted in Coding, ICD-10
Tagged Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, icd-10 5010 questions, icd-10 cms, j.a. thomas
Leave a comment
How to benefit from computer-assisted coding (CAC)
Guest Blogger: Angela Carmichael, MBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, AHIMA Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer, HIM Product Development Specialist, J.A. Thomas & Associates I just returned from an interesting Computer-Assisted Coding (CAC) Summit, with about 265 attendees. ICD-10 , not surprisingly, seems to be … Continue reading
Ready to Tackle the Third-largest Chapter in ICD-10-CM?
Our very own Angela Carmichael, MBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, wrote an insightful article on ICD-10 Monitor that we’d like to share with you. She looks at the third-largest chapter in ICD-10-CM: Chapter 20, “External Causes of Morbidity,” which also happens … Continue reading
Posted in Coding, ICD-10
Tagged coding and icd-10, icd-10 classification, icd-10 external causes of morbidity, j.a. thomas
ICD-10: AMA Decision Tries to Avoid the Inevitable – and Will Likely Fail
On November 15, 2011 the AMA House of Delegates performed a major disservice to its members and to the quality of healthcare in the United States. The delegates voted to stop the implementation of ICD-10, a concept inconsistent with quality … Continue reading
Posted in Coding, ICD-10
Tagged ama icd-10, icd-10, icd-10 postpone, icd10 delay, j.a. thomas
ICD-10 and Productivity
We talked about lost coder productivity last time, but that will not be the only impact on cash flow resulting from ICD-10. Payers are expected to take longer to pay claims, and the payment error rate is expected to rise … Continue reading
Posted in Coding, ICD-10
Tagged icd-10 and productivity, j. a. thomas & Associates, payment error and icd-10, preparation icd-10
ICD-10 and Coder Productivity – Part 1
The transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS is beginning to take shape as many scramble to prepare to be compliant with the mandate on October 1, 2013. While some are just beginning their transition, others are thinking ahead to how they … Continue reading
Posted in Coding, ICD-10
Tagged coder productivity icd-10, icd-10 transition, loss of coder productivity icd-10
ACOs – Why Should HIM Care?
The Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) encompasses approximately 2000 pages of health reform, and with this legislation comes an aggressive timeline for reimbursement and accountability initiatives. At the core of this reform is an attempt to … Continue reading
Why Replace ICD-9-CM?
The date is set and it’s a foregone conclusion that the industry is slated for a massive transition to ICD-10 in 2013. But, let’s stop a moment and remember why we are undertaking this challenging conversion: • ICD-9-CM is 35 … Continue reading
Posted in Clinical Documentation, Coding, ICD-10
Tagged icd-10, icd-10 benefits, icd-10 why needed, icd-9, jata
Hospitalization rate of those with septicemia or sepsis more than doubles
The CDC came out with a report in June 2011 describing the most recent trends in care for hospital inpatients with septicemia or sepsis diagnoses. The findings include: Hospitalizations for septicemia or sepsis (as a first-listed or principal diagnosis) increased … Continue reading
Plan Ahead ICD-10 Guide for Physician Leaders
Physician leaders have very limited time to implement a strategy, not just to introduce their medical staffs to the concept of ICD-10, but also to present the concept in a manner that will build a collaborative approach. Physician leaders will … Continue reading
