Question: I am pulling my hair out over the comorbidity documentation/secondary coding. I have been told that co-morbidities should be addressed on the plan of care in order to be coded. The problem is I can’t find the official resource…

Question: Is a debrided ulcer considered a nonhealing chronic wound or is it a nonhealing surgical wound? – Washington Subscriber Answer: You should consider a debrided ulcer to be an ulcer and code it as such. Debridement does not make the ulcer a…

Question: What’s the correct way to code a robot-assisted coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)? Should I list 17.41 along with 36.11 for the CABG? – Vermont Subscriber. Answer: You are correct in listing 36.11 (Aortocoronary bypass of one coronary artery). You should also…

Question: Is there an ICD-9 code I can use to report belching? – Arkansas Subscriber Answer: Yes. You should use 787.3 (Flatulence, eructation, and gas pain) for belching. Reasoning: Belching is also known as eructation. This involves the release of gas from the stomach…

Watch V code use with complications. Your patient’s surgical wound may be complicated, but coding for it doesn’t have to be. Follow three simple steps to make sure you’re accurately reporting all the care your agency provides. 1. Know When it’s Complicated A…

Diabetic manifestations don’t always require two codes. Knowing how to code correctly for diabetes will save you time and could earn your agency case mix points. Follow these simple steps to make sure you’re on the money. 1. Which type? Primary diabetes…

Question: Our patient has an implanted port infected with Staphylococcus aureus resistant to penicillin and bacitracin. She also has MRSA pneumonia. Our focus of care is wound care for the port. How should we code for her? – New Jersey Subscriber. Answer: List…

Use ‘Remarks’ to add helpful details. If you submit claims with diagnosis code V15.88, you should add more details on the claim to avoid hold-ups. When regional home health intermediary Cahaba GBA receives claims with a trauma diagnosis code like V15.88 (Personal…

Secondary doesn’t mean second in diagnosis coding. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says only the assessing clinician can determine the primary and secondary diagnoses and assign the severity. As a coder, you can’t assign the codes or change…

Plan today for immediate staff training. Every year, you tackle hundreds of ICD-9-CM code changes that impact home health providers – all without a grace period. Make sure you’re ready for the 2010 changes by October 1, 2009. You’ll learn which codes…