October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the world and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Breast cancer can be developed at any point in someone’s life, though the risk increases with age. On average, breast cancer takes the life of an American women every 13 minutes, and another case of …
Cancer Registry Reporting Deadlines
When are your Cancer Registry Reporting Deadlines? The job of a cancer registrar is to collect and report data of cancer patients — capturing a full summary of the patient journey, from genealogical history to test results and treatment. This data is stored in hospital and healthcare facility registries and then reported to the central or state cancer registry …
Cancer Registrar to Cancer Patient
From Cancer Registrar to Cancer Patient When I graduated from Long Island University, I had earned my bachelor’s degree in Medical Records Administration and Management. Just as every other graduate with a degree, I was thinking I would be a director of HIM right out of the gate. Naturally, that did not happen. My actual first job was as a part-time unit secretary for the infusion/chemotherapy unit at a local hospital. …
New FY 2021 Coding Guideline Updates Part III
Read parts 1 and 2 of this blog for more information about ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS updates. FY 2021 Coding Guideline Updates: The past two weeks we have discussed the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS coding changes effective October 1st, 2020. This week we will be reviewing any corresponding FY 2021 Coding Guideline Updates that are new or revised because of the annual …
ICD-10-PCS : NEW FY 2021 Coding Updates Part II
ICD-10-PCS FY 2021 Updates Read Part 1, ICS-10-CM Coding Updates Here. as well as Part 3, Coding Guideline Updates, Here The ICD-10-PCS update for FY 2021 will go into effect on October 1, 2020 and will cover patient discharges occurring from October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021. This year’s updates include the addition of 544 new codes. There are …
New FY 2021 Coding Updates Part I: ICD-10-CM
Read parts 2 and 3 of this blog for more updates on ICD-10-PCS and Coding Guideline Updates. ICD-10-CM Coding Updates effective October 1, 2020 (FY 2021) It is that time of year when the ICD-10-CM and PCS changes are right around the corner. Set to take effect on October 1, 2020 there are numerous updates to Official Coding Guidelines, ICD-10-CM, …
What is a Cancer Registry and Why is it So Important
What is Cancer Registry? Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Americans. In 2019, there was an estimated total of 1,762,450 new cases of cancer in America and an estimated 606,880 deaths. Cancer registries receive and collect data about cancer patients. There are two major types of cancer registries: population-based registries and hospital-based registries. Cancer registrars are the …
MRA’s Commitment to Health and Wellness
MRA is devoting itself to the pursuit of Health and Wellness within our communities. In late June, the CDC released a study revealing that 2 in every 5 American adults are currently struggling with mental health or substance use. In fact, the study confirmed that “Overall, 40.9% of respondents reported having at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition; 31% reported …
Coding in the Time of Covid: CMS releases 12 New ICD-10-PCS
During this time of year in the coding world we are preparing for the October 1st ICD-10-CM and PCS coding updates, but we were recently surprised with an announcement on July 30th from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). Twelve new ICD-10-PCS procedure codes concerning Covid-19 therapeutics became effective August 1, 2020. Per the CMS website announcement on July …
National Cancer Registrars Association Outsourcing and Perception Survey Report
The National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) has released a 2020 report on their Outsourcing and Perception Survey which was conducted and analyzed by Association Research, Inc. Click HERE to see the survey report in totality. The study explains in greater detail industry perceptions of cancer registry outsourcing and sheds light on the ramifications of outsourcing according to 1,690 survey responses. Here are …