Talk Ten Tuesdays

There’s a renewed sense of urgency. Today’s healthcare providers must modernize their approach to patient access and financial clearance operations, according to Matt Bridge, senior vice president of AGS Health and the special guest during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays. Bridge is expected to report on the pitfalls of using outdated patient access systems. He will reveal how inefficien...

Tired of tossing and turning? You’re not alone. A Gallup poll released last Monday revealed that 57 percent of Americans said they would feel better if they could get more sleep. And that is why ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays invited Dr. Nick van Terheyden – to investigate our national sleep crisis. During the next live edition of the long-running Internet broadcast, you’ll discover why we see...

Properly managed patient identity queues are the foundation of an effective master person index that minimizes issues and facilitates streamlined care coordination. Conversely, unresolved identity queue backlogs can have costly implications for patient care, safety, and revenue integrity. It’s a growing problem with a time-consuming, resource-intensive resolution that few HIM departments have the...

World Health Day will be observed on Sunday, April 7 but on Tuesday, April 9, 10 a.m. Eastern Time, Talk Ten Tuesday will recognize World Health Day with the special guest appearance of Lorraine Fernandes, immediate past president (2019-2022) of the International Federation of Health Information Management Association (IFHIMA). Today, Fernandes serves as the Communications Chair for IFHIMA. During...

The continued onslaught of cybersecurity attacks is only getting worse. These attacks have impacted the healthcare system in dramatic fashion, starting with the Change Healthcare payment network being brought down. Hopefully, everyone – including coders – will be more vigilant and wary of potential attacks and attempts to breach security. The constant development of new approaches and innovative t...

In a move towards greater specificity, the nation’s healthcare providers have a new ICD-10-CM code category: Code W44. Having gone into effect October 2023, the new code category (foreign body entering into or through a natural orifice) is seen as enhancing specificity, although Code W45 had already existed for foreign bodies entering through the skin. During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tues...

On the horizon, looming like an ominous thunderhead, is ICD-11. But wait! There’s more: the expanding role of coding in big data, for example. The evolving healthcare IT, and how it will redefine the coding profession. All this and more is coming your way. That’s why ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays invited senior healthcare consultant Angela Comfort, assistant vice president of revenue integrit...

Code G2211 continues to be a gift disguised as something else. As many nuances surrounding the code continue to linger, there are still some areas that are not as clear-cut as many healthcare professionals would prefer. As a refresher, G2211 allows providers (primary care, as well as specialists) to bill for additional cognitive work effort that is not currently captured in the evaluation and mana...

How many hospital star ratings does your facility have? Do you know? If you don’t, you’re not alone. Apparently, many coders and clinical documentation integrity specialists (CDISs) don’t know. But you should know. That’s why ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays have invited Michelle Wieczorek, a registered nurse (RN) and a CDI authority, to explain what the hospital star rating means and how coders...

During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, award-winning author H. Steven Moffic, MD, considered to rank among the world’s most renowned psychiatrists, will report on what he calls “social psychoexemplaries” – the other side of what he reported two weeks ago on social psychopathologies. Moffic, in his popular daily column in Psychiatric Times, recently mused on the notion of positive socia...

What are the “do’s” and “don’ts” for the safe handling of HCPCS code G2211, used to report payment to physicians and other qualified healthcare providers for the additional work required to adequately care for patients with serious or complex conditions? The code is now payable for the 2024 calendar year (CY). Not only has the code quickly become enigmatic, in the lexicon of medical record coding,...

Achieving high-performing revenue cycle management (RCM) begins with understanding where your healthcare organization falls on the RCM Maturity Framework, according to Matt Bridge, senior vice president for AGS Health. Bridge, who will be the special guest during the next upcoming edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, says this four-stage framework informs a strategic roadmap designed for optimizing and d...

We are all familiar with DSM-5 and ICD-10 for the classification of various mental disorders. Both, but especially ICD, also cover some of the social conditions needing medical attention that may or may not be connected to the primary disorder or illness. ICD does that in the Z codes.  However, Z codes are used infrequently.  Moreover, many social problems harmful to individuals, groups, and count...

New Condition Code 92 is here, and it’s effective now. The code outlines the billing requirement for intensive outpatient program services for hospital outpatient departments, critical access hospitals (CAHs), and community mental health centers (CMHCs).  To explain what you need to know about correctly billing the new Condition Code 92 during the next weekly edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be R...

Shrouded in controversy, the HCPCS code G2211 was released in 2021, proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to pay physicians and other qualified healthcare providers for the additional work required to adequately care for patients with serious or complex conditions. The code is now payable for calendar year (CY) 2024.  The journey for this code to become payable has bee...

Last year, healthcare professionals saw many of the rules for evaluation and management (E&M) services that were implemented in 2021 now applied to 2023 E&M codes. This included codes representing services for hospital inpatient care (99221-99223 and 99231-99233), emergency department visits (99281-99285), nursing facility visits (99307-99210), and all consultation services. How are these...

Codes for split (or shared) evaluation and management (E&M) services for 2024 have been revised, simplified, and aligned by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  During the next live edition of the long-running Talk Ten Tuesdays broadcast, 3M Senior Consultant Colleen Deighan-Ejak will report on the revised guidelines for determining...

There’s a new code in town. It’s an add-on code, HCPCS Code G2211. And its effective date is Jan. 1, 2024. The new code is associated with the continuing focal point for all needed medical services that are part of ongoing care related to a patient’s single, serious condition, or complex condition. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be implementing this separate add-on pay...

There are substantial new changes to the minimum data set (MDS) assessment, including how functional abilities and goals are scored, the introduction of tracking of indications for medication use, and the addition of new measures for tracking communication of transfer-of-health information. The recent changes became effective Oct. 1, the start of the government’s fiscal year. The MDS assessment is...

MINOCA (myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries) and INOCA (ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries) pertain generally to coronary artery disease. During the next live edition of the long-running and popular Internet broadcast Talk Ten Tuesdays, Pam Scott will take you on a coding journey into these conditions and the microvasculature of the heart – located downstream...

With thousands of followers on social media, Dr. Robert Oubre, aka “The Doctor of Documentation,” will make his Talk Ten Tuesdays debut on Tuesday, Nov. 7, when he will be the broadcast’s special guest. Dr. Oubre will be reporting on what documentation considerations should be given when patients are reading physician notes appearing on the monitor screen of the electronic medical record (EMR). He...

Like autumn leaves, new codes and guidelines are raining down on hospitals and physician practices, impacting coders, clinical documentation integrity specialists (CDISs), and professionals managing the revenue cycle. And while there appears to be no respite, the weary can take comfort during the next live edition of the long-running and popular Talk Ten Tuesdays Internet broadcast, produced by IC...

As the demand for telehealth services has surged, the nuances of coding and documentation for virtual visits present unique challenges and opportunities. During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, Angela Comfort will delve into the specifics of coding for telehealth, including the evolving Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines, and the importance of accurate documen...

A must-have resource for any coding or clinical documentation integrity specialist (CDIS) is the American Hospital Association (AHA) Coding Clinic. Each quarterly issue provides official guidance for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS coding for all healthcare settings. The third-quarter issue covers a variety of topics, from prescribed marijuana use for chronic pain during pregnancy to subcapsular hematoma...

The nation’s healthcare spotlight will shine on the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) during the organization’s live AHIMA23 Conference, gaveling to order Oct. 8 through Oct. 10 at the Baltimore Convention Center. During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, the legendary Rose Dunn, former AHIMA president and CEO, will be the broadcast’s special guest. She will repor...