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Your Asthma Documentation Has to Get More Specific in 2013

Published on Sat Jan 01, 2011

Here's how to avoid that note in your report that says 'I need more information.'Are you simply documenting "asthma?" That's not enough for ICD-10-CM. Find out how you need to brush up on your asthma lingo to maximize your coder's choice and increase your bottom line. Danger: Remember, if you don't document asthma severity, then your coder has to choose J45.998 (Other asthma). Submitting this multiple times could red flag your practice for an audit. Use These Key Terms for Asthma SeverityThe ICD-10-CM codes will include the following terminology:"Intermittent""Mild persistent""Moderate persistent""Severe persistent"You can break down what these terms really mean by examining this chart: (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Accessed: May 20, 2010. Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. URL: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/asthgdln.htm) Documentation advancement: You can state "the patient experiences asthma symptoms daily and uses his rescue inhaler daily," which would direct [...]
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