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 It does not take long for the initial training to become outdated, hence the requirement for annual training.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...

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...

In my estimation, we in healthcare, love initials after our last names. While I have no actual data to support my “theory”, I’d say that most of us involved in healthcare (whether practitioners or allied health professionals) have more that one credential. Professional credentials are our way of proving our expertise in a given subject such as HIM, coding, compliance,...

You’ve got an education budget for 2021 and an entire team of motivated and knowledge-thirsty coders to teach. The challenging part? Choosing the topics. You need to choose wisely. After all, you’re taking coders out of a production environment for hours or even days at a time. Ideally, the information they glean is timely, immediately actionable, and relevant to your...

The FY 2020 IPPS final rule was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) on August 2, 2019.[1] Below are five highlights to be aware of regarding changes to ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and corresponding official guidelines in FY 2020. ICD-10-CM[2] Effective October 1, 2019 there are 273 new ICD-10-CM codes, 21 deleted ICD-10-CM codes and 30...

MRA and YES HIM Consulting have partnered to delivery coding education to healthcare organizations across the United States. For over 30 years, MRA is known for delivering operational efficiency, service excellence to organizational integration to Revenue Cycle, HIM, Compliance and Cancer Registry areas in healthcare organizations. YES HIM Consulting is a premier Health...

One challenging coding area with the ICD-10 transition is the coding of venous and arterial lines and catheters. This article aims to provide greater clarity with regard to procedure coding tips for coding of venous catheters. Types of Lines: Central Lines- (CVC)- Central Venous Catheter or central lines are inserted into large veins, typically the jugular, subclavian, or...

Combat ICD-10 Information Anxiety Anxiety is always tough to combat, and with the implementation of ICD-10 quickly approaching, coders’ anxiety levels may be at an all-time high. The entire journey has been a rollercoaster, making it difficult to manage emotions and prepare mentally for a go-live date that has essentially been a moving target. Although the House of...