Talk Ten Tuesdays

Medical marijuana allows chronically ill patients to relieve painful, often debilitating symptoms legally instead of taking pills that many claim are mostly unhelpful. So why are there are no valid codes for submission for payment in the Current Procedural Terminology® (CPT), Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System (HCPCS), or National Drug Code (NDC) for medical marijuana?The current state of claims payments for medical marijuana clearly has yet to be defined. So, what is the answer? Reporting this timely story during this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be Terry Fletcher, a nationally recognized professional physician coding expert.Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include:News Desk: Larry Field, DO, anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk with the very latest healthcare news. Field is the treasurer of the American College of Physician Advisors.Tuesday Focus: Two new studies point to the alarming issue of physician burnout. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported th

Twenty-nine new ICD-10 codes that are expected to leverage the ability of providers to document clients who might be at risk of sex and labor exploitation go into effect Oct. 1. Reporting on this developing story during this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays is Nelly Leon-Chisen, the director of coding and classification for the American Hospital Association (AHA). The new codes will serve as the official diagnoses used to describe diseases, causes of diseases, and deaths related to human trafficking. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Larry Field, DO, anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk with the very latest healthcare news. Field is the treasurer of the American College of Physician Advisors. Dateline Washington: Leslie Krigstein, vice president of congressional affairs for the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME), reports on the latest healthcare news coming out of Washington, D.C. CDI Report: ICD10monitor contributor Glen

During this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, the fourth universal definition of myocardial infarction (MI) is reported on from two perspectives: the cardiologist and the coder. Joining the broadcast to offer the cardiologist perspective is Dr. Geoffrey Rose, division chief of adult cardiology with the Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute at Atrium Health. Nationally recognized coding authority Terry Fletcher joins the conversation to report on the new clinical concepts found in the fourth definition of MI. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: Tuesday Focus: The LGBTQ population faces a multitude of health disparities, including barriers to appropriate healthcare access, discrimination, and violations of patient rights. Reporting this story is Julie A. Dooling, a director at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). News Desk: Gloryanne Bryant, National Director Coding Quality, Education, Systems and Support; Kaiser Permanente National Revenue Cycle, anchors

In this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays Chuck Buck and Holly Louie, RN welcome special guest Dr. Emmel Golden, a physician associate and medicine lead for Enjoin. Dr. Golden, board-certified in internal medicine and pulmonary disease, will report on, among other topics, those associated with major disease category 18, including the confusing aspects of coding systemic inflammatory response syndrome, or SIRS. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Knicole Emanuel, Esq, anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk and reports on Medicare waivers in times of natural disasters. Knicole is a partner at Potomac Law Group, PLLC. Coding Changes: The American Medical Association (AMA) released its 2019 code changes last week. Continuing her reporting on this developing story is senior healthcare consultant Deborah Grider with Karen Zupko and Associates. Tuesday Focus: Sharon Easterling will report on the impact of Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, especially among area hosp

The next big milestone for ICD-10 is the 2018 Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting in Baltimore. The two-day meeting covered the latest requests for diagnosis and procedure codes. Monitoring and reporting on the meeting during this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant for Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC and an ICD10monitor contributor. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Larry Field, DO, anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk and reports on the newly released Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction. Dr. Field is the treasurer of the American College of Physician Advisors. Tuesday Focus: The American Medical Association has released its 2019 code changes. Reporting on this developing story is senior healthcare consultant Deborah Grider. Mental Health Report: Catherine Harrison-Restelli, MD, medical director for hospital services at Sheppard Pratt Health System, reports on Social Determi

Questions are overflowing about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’s) proposed changes to evaluation and management (E&M) coding and reimbursement found inside the proposed 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Returning this coming Tuesday for the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be Sally Streiber, president of Practical Coding Solutions, LLC. Sally is expected to answer some of those questions when she continues her two-part series reviewing the proposed changes. Sally will report on the “good” and the “bad” aspects of anticipated impacts. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Larry Field, DO, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk with the very latest healthcare news. Field is the treasurer of the American College of Physician Advisors. CMS, Are You Listening? In the closing days before the public comment period ends (Sept. 10) for the proposed 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and E&M changes, nationally recognize

Backlash continues over the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed changes to evaluation and management (E&M) coding and reimbursement found inside the proposed 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. But it’s not all bad news. On this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, when Sally Streiber, president of Practical Coding Solutions, LLC, returns to the broadcast and launch part one of her two-part series reviewing the proposed changes. Sally will begin the first part of her series with the “ugly,” notably a 50 percent reduction of the less-expensive service when an E&M code and a procedure are billed on the same date of service. Sally will return on Aug. 28 with part two, reporting the good and the bad of other anticipated impacts. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: Talk Tuesdays News Desk: The NFL continues to make payouts for former players who have been diagnosed not only with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, but now Parkinson’s and amyotrophic

Nearly 30 days ago, we posed the question “Are HIM Coding Professionals Qualified to Query for Clinical Validity?” leading up to the July 17 edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, and the responses continue to roll in, nearly unabated. Specifically, we asked at that time, “are seasoned coding professionals competent or trained well enough to interpret clinical terms and concepts from the medical record?” And many of you responded with an unequivocal “yes.” As a consequence, we will proceed with Part II of this series, when we continue to explore reaction to this question – which, after decades, still remains contentious. Reporting our lead story during this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be Anny Pang Yuen, author, consultant, and founder of AP Consulting Associates, LLC. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Larry Field, DO, anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk with the very latest healthcare news. Field is the treasurer of the American College of Physician Advisors

There is a lot of buzz out in the industry about ICD-11, especially since the World Health Organization (WHO) released the new code set in June as first reported by ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesday. Nevertheless, ICD-11 is a trending topic—a topic we will explore during this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays. That’s when nationally recognized coding authority Rhonda Buckholtz will report on the need to make sure all of the coding options have been refined in ICD-10-CM in order to make coding more productive in ICD-11. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: Tuesday Focus: 2019 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines: The FY2019 Official Guidelines have been released as reported by ICD10monitor. Gloryanne Bryant, past president of the California Health Information Association, reports on the new changes. E and M Coding Update: Given the potential impact of major E and M changes in the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, Deborah Grider, senior healthcare consultant for Kar

Back in February, as reported by ICD10monitor, the American Hospital Association (AHA) changed coding rules, allowing case managers and social workers to assign Z codes—one of 88 assignable ICD-10 codes to report on claims for homelessness, low income, stressful work environment, low literacy, divorce, personal history of abuse, and many more. But not all healthcare professionals—including a number of physicians—are getting the message. To help clear up the confusion, Ellen Fink-Samnick, a nationally recognized expert on social determinants of health (SDoH), will report our lead story. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: Talk Ten Tuesday News Desk: Timothy Powell, a nationally recognized expert on regulatory matters including the False Claims Act, ZPIC audits, and the OIG, will return to report on the latest healthcare news. E&M Coding Update: Given the scale and potential impact of major E&M changes in the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, Gr

Coding guidelines and advice are taking bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) to a surgical DRG. Should the body part be the bronchus or the lung? Reporting our lead story is Erica Remer, MD and Inpatient Compliance Specialist Stacey Elliott. Both will discuss their concerns. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk: Timothy Powell, a nationally recognized expert on regulatory matters including the False Claims Act, ZPIC audits, and the OIG, reports on the latest healthcare news. Dateline Washington: Talk Ten Tuesdays legislative analyst Rhonda Taller has the latest news coming out of Washington, D.C. Rhonda is a member of the HIMSS professional development committee. CDI Report: The ICD10monitor contributor Glenn Krauss, the CDI manager at University Health Systems Las Vegas, reports on how CDI supports the revenue cycle. Talk Ten Tuesdays. More than just talk.™ Click here to view handout from Ellen Fink-Samnick on SDoH

Are seasoned coding professionals competent or trained well enough to interpret clinical terms and concepts from the medical record? Although they have been doing so for decades, the question continues to remain contentious. Reporting our lead story during this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be Debra Beisel Denton, who works at Maricopa Integrated Health System as the health information management (HIM) system coding educator.  Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Dennis Jones, the patient financial services administrator at Nyack Hospital in Nyack, N.Y., will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk. Tuesday Focus: Shannon DeConda, a nationally recognized evaluation and management (E&M) coding authority, reports on the 2019 proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule released Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). DeConda is founder of the National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialists (NAMAS). RegWatch: Leading h

Fast, convenient, and cutting-edge, the new trend of text-messaging medical orders is being met with mixed results. Some favor the ease and speed, while others are concerned that it could comprise patient safety while not accurately documenting patient care. Reporting our lead story during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays  will be Rose Dunn, chief operations officer for First Class Solutions. Rose will report on findings of a survey focusing on texting of medical orders and the challenges this practice creates for the healthcare team. Finally, she’ll sum things up with what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has to say about the practice. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Larry Field, DO, anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk with the very latest healthcare news. Field is the treasurer of the American College of Physician Advisors. Tuesday Focus: Ellen Fink-Samnick, an award-winning industry expert and author, returns to report

ICD-11 codes are becoming healthcare’s new reality since the new code set was released this week by the World Health Organization (WHO) and reported on by ICD10monitor. And already important questions are emerging. Will it be possible to have a paper ICD-11 book? Will there be more electronic tools available to assist with understanding the new classification? These and other topics are covered by the WHO’s Robert Jakob, the special guest on this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays. Calling in live from Geneva, Dr. Jakob also reports on the major changes to the classification that will be formally presented at the World Health Assembly next May for adoption by member states, effective as soon as Jan. 1, 2022. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Larry Field, DO, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk with the very latest healthcare news. Field is the treasurer of the American College of Physician Advisors. Tuesday Focus: Ellen Fink-Samnick, an award-winning

In the era of #metoo, a new national study – “Sexual Harassment of Physicians Report 2018” – was published this week by Medscape, reporting that more than 10 percent of female physicians have experienced workplace sexual harassment.  Continuing its reporting on women’s health issues, and in particular gender wage disparity, Talk Ten Tuesdays will delve into this topical social issue that has until recently been an underreported in healthcare. Also weighing in on this matter is special guest Kimberly Templeton, MD, immediate past president of the American Medical Women’s Association and professor of orthopedic surgery at the University Kansas Medical Center.  Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: Larry Field, DO, anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk with the his experiences with harassment in the workplace. Field is the treasurer of the American College of Physician Advisors. CDI Report: Adele Towers, MD, associate professor of medicine and psychiatry and s

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is a world-renowned healthcare provider and insurer based in Pittsburgh, Penn. With more than 30 academic, community, and specialty hospitals, 600 doctors’ offices in outpatient sites, and more than 4,600 physicians, operating an array of rehabilitation, retirement, and long-term care facilities, UPMC relies on technology to help enhance its coding and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) program.  And the latest reiteration of its CDI program, called Hybrid CDI, constitutes a system that combines off-site as well as on-site clinical documentation integrity specialists. To learn more about this promising approach, we asked Megan Cortazzo, MD, an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at UPMC, to be our special guest on this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays. Dr. Cortazzo also serves as the medical director of CDI and health information management (HIM) for the UPMC System. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: News Desk: G

There are 78,881 ICD-10-PCS codes for fiscal year 2019. Of these there will be 392 new codes; eight revision titles; and 216 deleted codes, according to nationally recognized coding authority Gloryanne Bryant, who reports our lead story during this episode. The files, recently released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and first reported by ICD10monitor, contain information on the ICD-10-PCS updates that all hospital inpatient coding professionals are to use for discharges occurring from Oct. 1, 2018, through Sept. 30, 2019. National Spotlight: Nonaccidental trauma (NAT): ICD10monitor contributor and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host Erica Remer, MD, reports on a coding-clinical disconnect when documenting child abuse—a serious problem on many levels and a particular focus during this episode. Joining the discussion is Laura Hayman, RN, a clinical documentation integrity specialist with a Midwestern teaching facility which is a level 1 pediatric trauma center. Tuesday Focus – SDo

Smoldering below the surface is burnout, and it’s taking a toll on physicians. With increasingly high rates of reported physician suicides and an alarming decline in the volume of medical school applications, this situation could be the nation’s next healthcare crisis. The good news: A study published in April’s World Journal of Urology reported that using scribes in a urology practice significantly increased physician efficiency, work satisfaction, and revenue. Enter Talk Ten Tuesdays special guest Dr. Suzette Sutherland, associate professor in the department of urology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Sutherland reported on her facility’s training program and how using scribes is improving efficiency but also improving physician-patient relationships, patient satisfaction, and provider satisfaction, leading to less physician burnout.  Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: Tuesday Focus - Risk Adjustment: We had two reports on this trending topic: S

Whether it’s discussing equal pay for women healthcare professionals, uncovering #MeToo narratives in the medical profession, or examining studies comparing women physicians’ and surgeons’ outcomes favorably to men’s, there has never been a more important time for crucial conversations to take place about women’s health. And that is why National Women’s Health Week will be the subject of this special Talk Ten Tuesdays broadcast. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: Tuesday Focus: Lisa Banker, chief physician advisor and vice president for case management at McLeod Health in South Carolina, reported on her perspective on women’s health issues. Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant for Revenue Cycle Solutions LLC and ICD10monitor contributor, reported on the latest proposed codes for women’s health. CDI Report: Kathy Murchland, manager of CDI for Kettering Health Network in Dayton, Ohio, reported on her career tran

If there is no chief complaint, or no acute or chronic condition, auditors may not even continue with the record and negate its value altogether, according to nationally recognized coding and documentation authority Terry Fletcher, who is currently uncovering errors in an ongoing review of more than 1,000 records. During the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, she will share her findings in the second of a four-part series on auditing issues in physician documentation. Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include: Tuesday Focus: There’s a strong emphasis to collect data about the opioid epidemic, specifically from individuals at risk or already addicted. But what are healthcare organizations doing with this information? Lesley Kadlec with the data analytics practice council at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) reports on how the data can be used to respond to this crisis.  Coder Burnout: Confessions of a formerly burned-out coder will come from Kr