Spinal fusions can be performed using a variety of techniques, and selection of the correct sixth character is crucial in identifying the device/material used to perform the fusion. Understanding the different methods of spinal fusions and associated devices, along with Official Coding Guidelines and Coding Clinic, can help to alleviate spinal fusion confusion.   ...

According to various sources on the Internet, the first example of recorded history began 5000 years ago – in approximately 2600 BC. An ailment thought to be diabetes mellitus (DM) was recorded by Egyptians around 1550 BC. It’s easy to see that diabetes has been around for a long, long time. Even ancient Indians were aware of the condition, as they identified diabetes...

In the cancer registry profession, initial training is only meant to get you in the door. Training programs provide the best and most current knowledge they can, but a Cancer Registrar’s knowledge base is continually advancing. It does not take long for the initial training to become outdated, hence the requirement for annual training.   Continuing education, or CE, is...

Corrective action is an aspect of quality management that focuses on rectifying a task, process, product, service, or individual behaviors when any of these factors produce errors, deviate from the original plan or benchmarks. Corrective actions can be thought of as an improvement an organization uses to eliminate undesirable or ineffective outcomes. In this seventh, and...

Read the first part of this blog, "Coverage for Medicare Colonoscopies" here.  Average Risk Colonoscopy  Average risk colonoscopy is defined as a test ordered in the absence of signs or symptoms or other evidence of illness, the physician interpreting the diagnostic test should report the reason of the test as the primary ICD-10 CM code.  The results of the test, if any,...

In our sixth installment in this series on oncology quality studies we will look at the value, challenges, and recommendations for benchmarking oncology data.   Benchmarking is an excellent way to identify opportunities to enhance clinical practices, workflows, procedural efficiency, cost-effectiveness, utilization, and financial outcomes. There are many sources for...

With several major events including the pandemic and its domino effects (e.g., social isolation, job loss), racial strife, natural disasters, and senseless shootings the past eighteen months or so has taken its toll on humankind in the form of increased mental health distress and drug abuse. The increase in mental health challenges patients are facing provides a good...

Megaloblastic anemia is a form of anemia that occurs when the body’s bone marrow produces structurally abnormal and unusually large, immature red blood cells known as megaloblasts. A deficiency in healthy, mature red blood cells can result in fatigue, pallor, lightheadedness, aches and pains, muscle weakness, and dyspnea. Other symptoms can include gastrointestinal...

About 10% of neonates require some form of respiratory assistance at birth. To assign ICD-10-PCS ventilation codes correctly, it is important for Coding Professionals to understand the difference between invasive and noninvasive ventilation. An understanding of respiratory assistance given solely for the purposes of newborn resuscitation vs ongoing respiratory assistance...

In this fifth installment of our series on oncology quality studies we will discuss the preparation and writing of the summary analysis and study results. See links for parts 1-4 below.  Although there are no official content outlines for writing the final report, it is important to have a written document that states the project’s goals, lists the strategies used to...