OASIS Alert

Help is available to build your coding knowledge.

Whether you're looking for a specific answer or for general coding information, these resources can help you:

1. The Center for Disease Control's Web site at www.cdc.gov/az.do provides extensive information about most diseases.
 
2. Find the Official ICD-9 Coding Guidelines online at www.ahacentraloffice.com/ahacentraloffice/pdf_docs/OfficialGuidelines.pdf.

3. For information about Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM, the American Hospital Association's quarterly journal for coding professionals, go to www.ahaonlinestore.com.

4. Access the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee minutes at www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/icd9/maint/maint.html for information about coding changes.
 
5. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides a number of coding re-sources. Go to www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn and click on "Provider pages" and "home health" for the newest diagnosis code changes and the latest invalid diagnosis codes. And a free one-hour Web-based training course, Diagnosis Coding: Using the ICD-9-CM, is available at www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/icd9code.asp: click on "Web Based Training Modules" and scroll down to "Office Management Information." 

Editor's Note: For more diagnosis coding help, subscribe to Eli's Home Health ICD-9 Coding Alert at 800-874-9180 or at www.elihealthcare.com. And order the tape of the Feb. 25 teleconference "Savvy Solutions to Complex HHA Coding Cases," by coding expert Lisa Selman-Holman at http://codinginstitute.com/conference/conference.cgi?detail=214.