Home Health & Hospice Week

Late effect of CVA turns guidelines upside down. Think there's a time cap on reporting a late effect? Think again -- but make sure your sequencing backs up your claims. Good news: You'll report late effects accurately and without headaches if you keep one rule of thumb and two exceptions in mind. Here's When To Report Late Effects A late effect is the condition produced after the acute phase of an illness or injury has run its course, according to the ICD-9-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. There is no time limit on when you can report a late effect, according to the guidelines. The residual effect of your patient's illness or injury may be apparent early, such as when he's had a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Or a residual may occur months or years later, such as when your patient has had a previous injury. Dig deeper: Frequently the original [...]