by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P I gave up trying to be like Martha Stewart many years ago, but I still enjoy reading her magazine and adoring all of the beautiful photos of homes, food, and gardens. The Christmas edition is always my favorite. This month, celebrating 30 years, the magazine included a special […]
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by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P Go to the web and search for a procedure, any procedure will do but type the phrase CPT code in the search box. Chances are you will receive advice from a variety of sources. You may think to yourself, that was so easy. The question becomes, can you trust […]
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CPT: TLIF Spinal Surgery Join nationally recognized coding authority Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P, for this discussion of CPT coding of the Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF) spinal procedure. Short bursts of learning to illuminate current challenges in medical record coding. Shining a light, where and when you need it. E/M Coding: […]
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by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P Changes are coming on January 1, 2021 for Evaluation and Management (E/M) Office and Outpatient codes. This is the first major change since the documentation requirements were introduced in 1995 and 1997. I see two significant changes that coders would be wise to get a handle on now […]
read more »by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P As coding professionals, we listen to news stories with a “clinical ear.” COVID-19 has many mysteries but the most recent involves children and what is described as Kawasaki-like inflammatory disease that has a link to COVID-19. Kawasaki disease is characterized by inflammation of blood vessels that could potentially […]
read more »by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P As our country faces the COVID-19 pandemic, coding professionals have an important role to play capturing critical health data. Guidelines from the National Center for Health Statistics and CMS provide strict instruction to ensure consistent data collection. Coders take this responsibility seriously and both internal and external auditors […]
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by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P A Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet was released by CMS on March 17, 2020. Link: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet CMS is expanding telemedicine benefits with a 1135 waiver that will pay for office, hospital and other visits furnished via telehealth starting with March 6, 2020 and lasting for the […]
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Hear nationally recognized ICD-10 expert and Libman Education course author Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P, discuss Changes to CPT for FY2020: What’s New? in this free, brief presentation, an excerpt from Gail’s CPT® Code Updates for FY2020. Master the Code Changes in the 2020 CPT Code Set CPT Code Updates offers detailed explanations of complex […]
read more »by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P I recently heard from a CPT coder who asked: “I am having trouble coding an appendectomy converted to open appendectomy with partial cecectomy. I am thinking you would use 44950-22. The 22 modifier captures the partial cecectomy. Am I correct?” We need to know more about the patient’s […]
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by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P I am fan of old movies. Every Christmas, I watch The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) that stars Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. This little-known movie with a thin plot introduced the classic Christmas song “Silver Bells.” There is another song in the movie that reminds me of CPT. […]
read more »by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P CPT was first published in 1966. In 1966, healthcare was less complex and so was CPT. Let’s fast forward to 2019, we communicate faster and differently than 50 years ago. We now consume lots of information in short bites. Twitter expanded the limit of a tweet to 280 […]
read more »by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P Like many coding professionals, I work with CPT every day. I have accepted the fact that as a code set it is a bit messy and frustrating at times. The updates are often controlled by the individual medical societies and I am not sure any coding professionals are […]
read more »by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P I was leisurely reading my April edition of Real Simple magazine and came across an article called “Don’t Pay a Medical Bill Until You Do These 5 Things.” As a HIM practitioner and a coder of long-standing this, of course, sparked an interest. The article summarized a list […]
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by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P When fall is in the air, the anticipation of new/revised CPT codes awaits. When I first opened the CPT 2019 code book, I glanced at the expansion of fine needle biopsy codes and then went on to peruse the range of skin biopsy codes based on technique. The […]
read more »by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P Let’s go back to the early years….1973 to be exact. I began my HIM career that year and discovered a love of coding. This was before encoding software, DRGs, HIPAA, APCs, or Official Coding Guidance. There were two coders in the department of a 273-bed hospital in Cincinnati, […]
read more »by Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P When I was the director of a HIM program at the University of Cincinnati, I was often asked: “If coding is part of the content outline for the RHIA and RHIT examinations, why would I, as a new graduate, take AHIMA’s Certified Coding Associate (CCA) certification examination?” Let […]
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(Running time: 2:19) Nationally recognized ICD-10 expert and Libman Education course author Gail I. Smith MA, RHIA, CCS-P, discusses Nervous System: Nerve Grafts in CPT for 2018.
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(Running time: 6:34) Nationally recognized ICD-10 expert and Libman Education course author Gail I. Smith MA, RHIA, CCS-P, discusses Cardiovascular System: Treatment for Incompetent Veins in CPT for 2018.
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(Running time: 7:42) Nationally recognized ICD-10 expert and Libman Education course author Gail I. Smith MA, RHIA, CCS-P, discusses Cardiovascular System: Repairing Aneurysms in CPT for 2018.
read more »(Running time: 7:49) Nationally recognized ICD-10 expert and Libman Education course author Gail I. Smith MA, RHIA, CCS-P, discusses Respiratory System in CPT for 2018.
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