YESBLOG: HIM & CODING NEWS
The YES HIM Consulting blog provides medical coding news, updates, and resources for health information management and coding professionals. Subscribe to the YES HIM & Coding Insights Newsletter today.
The 2021 Proposed Rule for Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) was released on May 11, and will be published in the May 29, 2020, Federal Register (2020). Provisions in the rule increase the Medicare IPPS rate for hospitals that report quality data and are meaningful users of EHRs by approximately 3.1%, resulting in an increase of $2.07 billion in spending. With other adjustments, the overall payment increase for inpatient hospitals will be around 1.6%. The Proposed Rule adjusts the payment rates, MS-DRG codes, and other provisions, including new ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS codes.
The Refresh With YES: PCS Head and Neck Procedures Webinar dives into the definitions, procedures, and approaches for various head and neck operations divided into 16-18-minute modules. Learners will find out how to assign the right PCS code for head and neck procedures during the following four modules within this course: Craniotomy/Craniectomy Overview and Approach, Craniotomy/Craniectomy Procedures, Sinus Procedures, and Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Procedures.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has decided Medicare will expand its payment protocol for professional Medicare telehealth services provided to beneficiaries in all areas of the country, in all settings. “Telehealth, telemedicine, and related terms generally refer to the exchange of medical information from one site to another through electronic communication to improve a patient’s health” (CMS, 2020). Due to the current Public Health Emergency (PHE) declared for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), this expansion was considered a necessary step to assist in healthcare reimbursement and only designed to last as long as this emergency
This article offers guidelines on Coding COVID-19 suspected Infection & Symptoms. Symptoms of the Coronavirus, according to the CDC, include cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste and smell (2020). The reporting guidelines dictate: In patients with acute bronchitis that has been caused by COVID-19, use codes U07.1 and J20.8. For lower respiratory infection due to COVID-19, assign codes U07.1 and J22.
Healthcare organizations, including coders, often struggle with a true return on investment when aiming to cross-train from outpatient to inpatient coding. There are several key differences between inpatient and outpatient coding. Inpatient coding documents a patient’s diagnosis and treatment during hospitalization, while outpatient coding generates a detailed report for diagnoses treated in one visit. Coding for inpatient vs. outpatient also requires different code sets and payment systems.
Subscribe to the YES Insights Newsletter
