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General Surgery Coding Alert

Diagnosis Coding:

Turn Words into Numbers for Accurate ICD-9 Coding -- Here's How

Published on Fri May 28, 2010

Extract code from surgeon's narrative description.If your surgeon fails to indicate the ICD-9 code for the condition he treated, you don't always have to talk to him before you file a claim. Sometimes you can read the documentation yourself and urn a verbal report into code.Crack the Notes to Pick the CodeSuppose your surgeon hands you a superbill with the procedures circled and the diagnosis left blank. You could ask the physician which diagnosis to report, or you could examine the documentation yourself. If your office has a policy that includes "coding by abstraction" by certified/qualified coders, then submitting charges based on what is supported (documented) in the note is appropriate, says Barbara J. Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPCH,CPC-P, CENTC, CHCC, with CRN Healthcare Solutions in Tinton Falls, N.J. The physician should be signing off on these charges as part of your internal policy.Some practices choose to review the documentation and [...]
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