mitchellde said:
Once again I am not going to get into a public debate with you. However I taught according to the DoD manual which was revised in March of 2009. In the past they did have their own guidelines however when a question is asked for present times the answer must be placed in present times not the past. They follow the same coding guidelines as everyone else and this is stated in the DoD policy. Again I am asking that you be more respectful in your replies I do not insult you so please.
First of all, I did not insult you. Once again, I stated a fact. Guidelines are updated yearly at MINIMUM. Here is the most current guideline version 3.2 which is effective 1 Aug 2009 and effective for audit use 1 Oct 2009. You can read the whole document at
http://www.tricare.mil/ocfo/bea/ubu/coding_guidelines.cfm. To reach the specific guideline, click Professional Services and Outpatient Coding Guidelines located under Guidelines for coding professional and specialty services.
"1.1. Purpose
In the simplest sense, coding is the numeric or alphanumeric representation of written descriptions. It allows standardized, efficient data gathering for a variety of purposes. This document provides MHS-specific guidance for coding ambulatory and professional service encounters. These guidelines are derived from the following source documents, but take precedence over them:
International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM);
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), 4th Edition;
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Documentation Guidelines for Evaluation and Management (E&M) Services;
Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS);
The American Hospital Association (AHA) Coding Clinic;
The American Medical Association (AMA) CPT Assistant;
The Coding Clinic for HCPCS.
This document is not intended to be an all inclusive reference for MHS coding guidance. In absence of specific MHS coding guidance, refer to the appropriate industry standard coding conventions. For specific workload issues not covered in this document, refer to service specific workload guidance.
Coding serves a variety of purposes. While it can provide a detailed clinical picture of a patient population, it can also be useful in overseeing population health, anticipating demand, assessing quality outcomes and standards of care, managing business activities, and receiving reimbursements for services."
Please read the above. It states SPECIFICALLY, as did I, "These guidelines are derived from the following source documents, but take
precedence over them:"
Additionally it states, again as did I, This document is not intended to be an all inclusive reference for MHS coding guidance. In absence of specific MHS coding guidance, refer to the appropriate industry standard coding conventions. For specific workload issues not covered in this document, refer to service specific workload guidance.
Once again, you are giving out INCORRECT information and once again, when you are called out on it, you take it as an insult. Please do not send me anymore private messages.