tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2010 Issue 6

Diagnosis Coding: Turn Words into Numbers for Accurate ICD-9 Coding -- Here's How

Extract code from surgeon's narrative description.If your surgeon fails to indicate the ICD-9 code for the condition he treated, you don't always have to talk to him before you file a claim. Sometimes you can read the documentation yourself and urn a verbal report into code.Crack the Notes to Pick the CodeSuppose your surgeon hands you a superbill with the procedures circled and the diagnosis left blank. You could ask the physician which diagnosis to report, or you could examine the documentation yourself. If your office has a policy that includes "coding by abstraction" by certified/qualified coders...

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