As Medicare Advantage plans continue to come under the microscope, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that legislators recently launched plans to improve patient care and cut costs. Details: On March 27, Senators Bill Cassidy, MD, (R-Louisiana) and Jeff Merkley [...]
Question: In the July 2004 Pediatric Coding Alert reader question "Include Tube Check in Office Visit," why did the coder choose 388.70 for the diagnosis when the scenario didn't mention that the 3-year-old child had ear pain? I used V65.5 for [...]
Question: Based on a mother's complaint that her 3-year-old son who has tubes is pulling on his ears, my otolaryngologist checks the child's tubes. How should I code the tube check? The tubes are intact, and the tympanostomy's postoperative period [...]
Often a patient with only a complaint of blurry vision will visit an ophthalmologist. However, no diagnosis code exists for blurred vision; furthermore, similar diagnoses that relate to refractive errors are not covered. A possible solution is to use 368.8 [...]
Question: We are not getting paid for V codes when they are used for ear and hearing exams. What diagnosis should we use after the tubes are removed and the patient no longer has otitis?Gael DerouinEffingham, Ill. Answer: If the [...]
Talking with a patient (or his or her surrogate) with undiagnosed, early-stage Alzheimers disease or dementia about the risks and benefits of a hip replacement might take extra physician time. And the physician carefully must document the amount of time [...]
