Cracking the Code

Per FY 2021 ICD-10-CM Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, there is updated information in the section pertaining to the chapter specific guidelines

There is confusion about when to assign the seventh character for diagnosis codes S00-T88 with “A” for initial encounter or “D” for subsequent encounter

In the medical coding field, there is often confusion about when to report the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and Glasgow Coma Scale Score

Patients are commonly ordered for observation services when they present to the emergency department

Typically, SSS is treated with an implanted pacemaker. A pacemaker consists of a small, battery-powered generator and one or more leads.

Interventional radiology (IVR) uses minimally invasive image-guided procedures (such as x-ray fluoroscopy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging

For FY2021 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, CMS revised the guideline for the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).

If main objective is to establish a diagnosis for the patient prior to starting any kind of treatment, then it is considered to be a diagnostic procedure

Cirrhosis is the most common type of liver disease. Most of the patients who have cirrhosis develop esophageal varices due to scarring throughout the liver

When an obstetric patient is admitted to a hospital for complications of pregnancy during one trimester, remains in hospital into a subsequent trimester