Podcasts about healthcare information managment

 2022 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic Update, Spinal Fusion ICD-10-PCS Coding, 2022 Telehealth Tune-up are discussed by Dr. John Zelem and Chuck Buck who analyze these two essential webcasts produced by ICD10monitor. 

“Clinical Validation Denials: Queries and Strategies for Defending Claims,” and “Critical Care Services: 2022 Coding Update and Major Policy Changes” are discussed by Dr. John Zelem and Chuck Buck who analyze these two essential webcasts produced by ICD10monitor. Use code FRONTANDCENTER  for 15% off your ICD10monitor webcast purchase.

With Medicare audits looming and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan items now relating to telehealth services performed during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), it is time to make certain that your organization is accurately reporting services and claims within the requirements of the 1135 waivers relevant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.  Remember, too, that in the world of healthcare auditing, it's not “if” you get audited, but “when.”Because of the immediacy of these Medicare telehealth audits, we asked nationally recognized professional auditor, coder, author, and consultant Terry Fletcher to share with you the top 10 regulatory rules for Medicare telehealth.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Tuesday Focus: Outpatient CDI Update: The Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program evaluates the regularity of treatment known to provide the best results for certain conditions. Colleen Deighan, a consultant with 3M, will return to provide details on quality measure 40, which reports the percentage of emergency department patients with a diagnosis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who received appropriate treatment within specific time frames upon arrival to the emergency department.Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the latest coding news.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington, D.C.News Desk: John Zelem, MD, FACS, founder and CEO for Streamline Solutions Consulting, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.Sitting in for Dr. Erica Remer will be Susan Gatehouse, founder and CEO for Axea Solutions.

Brain disorders and the accurate selection of the principal diagnosis are two crucially important ICD10monitor webcast topics analyzed by Dr. John Zelem during his conversation with Chuck Buck.  Great topics. Great analysis. More great educational opportunities now await you. So now get everyone on your team Front and Center.

These complimentary special edition podcast from ICD10monitor features Chuck Buck and John Zelem, MD as they review on-demand webcasts as well as preview upcoming webcasts. Dr. Zelem offers a unique physician perspective as he explains to listeners key learning objectives from these educational webcasts.

The billing rules for shared/split evaluation and management (E&M) visits are changing, as they will again in 2023. But although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) considers 2022 a transition year, controversy surrounding the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) is creating contagious confusion. If you and your team are suffering from such chronic consternation, relief will be within reach when you log on next Tuesday for another live edition of the Talk Ten Tuesdays Internet broadcast. Because that's when National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialists (NAMA) Founder Shannon DeConda will report on how best to implement the new rule.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the latest coding news.Tuesday Focus: What Was Medicare Thinking? Nationally recognized professional coder and auditor Terry Fletcher will join the broadcast to report how best to implement CMS rules when dealing with patients, noting that in 2022, there are some new rules to the Medicare Manual that make little sense to the healthcare professional trying to adhere to best practices when applying the rules.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment. 

To improve care and create transparency, Medicare mandated a pay-for-quality reporting program for hospital outpatient services in 2009. The measures can impact hospital payment if not met, thus creating financial incentives for hospitals to achieve them. The measures are intended to evaluate the regularity of outpatient treatments known to provide the best results for the most patients with a particular condition. During the next live edition of Talk-Ten-Tuesdays, Colleen Deighan, senior consultant with 3M, will outline the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting program and the three new measures adopted as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2022 Outpatient Prospective Payment System/Ambulatory Surgical Center (OPPS/ASC) Final Rule.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the latest coding news.Tuesday Focus: Susan Gatehouse, founder and CEO for Axea Solutions, will report on the practice of single-use endoscopies as an alternative for non-emergent care procedures.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer,MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Principal care management is a service that focuses on the medical and/or psychological needs manifested by a single, complex chronic condition that is expected to last at least three months in duration. During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, Colleen Deighan, senior healthcare consultant for 3M HIS Consulting Services, will return to the weekly Internet radio broadcast to report on principal care management and the new CPT® codes for 2022.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the latest coding news.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer,MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

In today's supercharged general lexicon, words have enhanced meaning. So as more and more hospitals admit patients, the words “for” and “with” are garnering great significance.With hospitals filling up with patients who have a COVID-19 diagnosis linked to their stay, what is the actual admission for? During next week's Talk Ten Tuesdays broadcast, we have asked nationally recognized professional coding expert, educator, and author Terry A. Fletcher to report on the ever-evolving COVID-19 diagnosis capture. Fletcher, in her reporting, is expected to discuss new information from New York and New Jersey, where  there is now a distinction that not all COVID-19 hospitalizations are the same. Listen in to find out now how COVID-19 is being reported in many states for added accuracy. The live broadcast will also feature these other segments: Coronavirus Report: Former frontline physician Dr. John Foggle will return to the broadcast with an update on the deadly COVID-19 virus and its newest variant, Omicron. Currently, coronavirus cases and deaths in the United States are soaring.    The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news that has appeared on her radar screen.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk-Ten-Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment. 

ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays continue reporting on the social determinants of health (SDoH), as they relate to health equity. On Tuesday, Jan. 18, the day after the national observance of the life of slain civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sharon Easterling, an African-American senior healthcare consultant, will return to the broadcast to report on this timely and crucially important subject.Many Americans no doubt recall seeing the grainy black-and-white TV news footage of the Rev. King delivering his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Fast forward to the present, and Easterling will note that the speech was profoundly rooted in healthcare, with King opining that healthcare is for all, and good healthcare begins with the patient experience in the eyes of many, especially minorities. Easterling is also expected to report on the need for improving the patient care experience, noting that distrust in healthcare is deep-seated, especially in the Black community, but it all begins with the initial patient interaction. Providers can directly impact outcomes with an aim to prevent widening health inequities by tailoring  strategies targeted at overcoming mistrust and refocusing on improving the patient experience within minority populations.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:CDI Report: Senior healthcare consultant Cheryl Ericson will report on the latest documentation issues facing clinical documentation integrity specialists (CDISs).The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news that has appeared on her radar screen.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.SPECIAL ADDED FEATURE:Immediately following the broadcast, Sharon Easterling will report on her newest software application (app), CDIWis.

Public schools and facilities will be closed. Church bells will chime, while a number of flags will fly at half-mast.  Because in 1983, former Republican President Ronald Reagan proclaimed that the third Monday of January would forever be observed as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.This coming Monday, Jan. 17, Monitor Mondays will honor the slain civil rights leader with a special report recognizing efforts by various stakeholders to advance a variety of initiatives designed to improve health equity in America.Reporting on how communities of color can benefit from regulatory efforts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and related federal agencies will be Lenel James, a business lead for Health Information Exchange & Innovation for the BlueCross and BlueShield Association (BCBSA). Mr. James was formerly associated with the Region V Regional Health Equity Council of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health. In addition, he previously served on the Board of the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce in Chicago, the second largest African American Chamber of Commerce in the US.Other segments to be featured during the live broadcast include the following:Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Bryon, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds with another installment of his popular segment.RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, a partner at the law firm of Practus, will file the Monitor Mondays RAC Report. Legislative Update: Former CMS official Matthew Albright, now chief legislative affairs officer for Zelis, will report on the status of healthcare legislation associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic.SDoH Report: Tiffany Ferguson, a subject matter expert on the social determinants of health (SDoH), will report on the news that's happening at the intersection of the healthcare regulations and the SDoH.

The health of all Americans is on the line – particularly among the nation's communities of color, where maternal health issues, behavioral health issues, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions have a disproportionate impact.Recognizing this national concern, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association has devised a national health equity strategy to confront such health disparities. All this follows the release by the National Center for Health Statistics of 2022 ICD-10-CM codes, both new and updated, for education, food insecurity, and housing, with implementation effective beginning Oct. 1, 2021.During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, Lenel James, MBA, an Health Level 7 (HL7) “fellow” and the business lead for Health Information Exchange and Innovation at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), will report on the massive effort underway. Lenel has been with BCBSA and has served as its voting representative to HL7 for almost 20 years, and has extensive experience in healthcare and technology strategy. He also serves as payor advisor for for the HL7 Da Vinci Project, and was elected to the HL7 Board in 2020.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Tuesday Focus: Patient Safety Indicators (PSI): Christel Kemble with Covenant Health will report on the vexing issue of patient safety indicators.Mental Health Report: Internationally renowned psychiatrist and award-winning author Dr. H. Steven Moffic will report on the “good, bad, and ugly” of America's collective mental health. The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news that has appeared on her radar screen.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.

There's never enough time to keep up with the myriad of changes confronting clinical documentation integrity specialists (CDISs). And that is why Talk Ten Tuesdays will reveal important content about a new white paper developed by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist (ACDIS), as part of a featured segment during the next edition of the weekly Internet radio broadcast.“Compliant Clinical Documentation Integrity Technology Standards,” includes information about the clinical documentation integrity (CDI) technology landscape, recognizing documentation integrity practices, evaluating compliant CDI technology vendors, developing compliant policies and procedures, and the application of technology. It's just in time for CDI preparation, and just what the doctor ordered. Reporting on the white paper will be Tammy Combs, AHIMA's Practice Director of CDI and Clinical Foundations.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:News Update: Malnutrition: Ronald Hirsch, MD, a familiar voice on Monitor Mondays, will report on the latest wrinkle in the clinical data world: “severe malnutrition” has been added to the Program for Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER).  Hirsch will report on why this is crucially important for CDISs.Tuesday Focus: 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: Nationally recognized professional auditor, coder, and educator Terry Fletcher will report on financial impacts for physician practices.The Dunn Report: Denial Prevention: Legendary health information management (HIM) icon Rose Dunn will return to the broadcast with her exclusive report on how to prevent coding denials.The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news that has appeared on her radar screen.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Clinical documentation integrity (CDI) programs can have a broad impact in outpatient settings. One key area for outpatient CDI to consider is denials reduction, which begins with understanding what's contributing to denial risk.Denial reduction is really about denial prevention. It's about analyzing denials by category, by payer, and by reason to uncover trends for high-volume or high-dollar denials, then using that discovery to provide education about clinical documentation issues or gaps.In the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, outpatient CDI expert Colleen Deighan will return with the final segment of her popular series on a subject that continues to generate listener interest and questions. Deighan will also conduct a listener's survey during the weekly Internet radio broadcast.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Tuesday Focus: Susan Gatehouse will report on the potential impacts of the new Edit 20 (Unspecified Code Edit) for inpatient claims opens up an opportunity for enhanced CDI with targeted education. The list of unspecified diagnosis codes, subject to the new edit, will require targeted training for your billing staff to avoid reimbursement issues, and provides a platform for improving CDI.News Update: Mary H. Stanfill, a new ICD10monitor correspondent focusing on ICD-11, will provide the latest update on the new code set looming on the horizon.The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news that has appeared on her radar screen.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Are you facing a problem with your physcians? They find themselves with patients who have not just one but two or more chronic conditions that need managing? Not just for in-person encounters, but from an ongoing, non-face-to-face perspective?Many practices have this patient population, but are not capturing care management services correctly, or at all, for work that is already being done.It's a huge problem with potentially serious financial impacts. But the answer is close at hand. Listen to the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays for the 411 on care management services, along with the 2022 update, and discover how this is a revenue stream you don't want to miss out on. That's when nationally recognized physician auditor, coder, and educator Terry Fletcher will return to the broadcast with advice on this ever-daunting challenge.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the most recent regulatory news coming out of Washington, D.C.  The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news that has appeared on her radar screen.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Like the inevitable approach of a slow-moving freight train, ICD-11 is on the horizon, heading this way. It's coming.That's why we asked Margaret Skurka to join us for the next upcoming edition of Talk-Ten-Tuesdays: to give you an exclusive update on the new code set for America's health system. Skurka, a member of the National Committee of Vital Health Statistics (NCVHS), participated in describing for the Honorable Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), recommendations regarding adoption of ICD-11 in the United States. Skurka, having served in healthcare for more than 40 years, will be make her farewell appearance during the next live edition of the weekly Internet radio broadcast.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Special Report: Outpatient CDI and E&M: Outpatient clinical documention integrity (CDI) expert Colleen Deighan will return to continue her popular series on a subject that continues to generate listener interest and questions. Deighan will also conduct a listener's survey and report on revised documentation requirements related to office-visit evaluation and management (E&M) services.Tuesday Focus: Former HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) Special Agent Eric Rubenstein will report on the constellation of new claims audits. Rubenstein is now director of litigation for Advize Health, LLC.The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news that has appeared on her radar screen.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

The Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Mandates are out! What entities are included under the regulations, and which are excluded?Facilities and physician practices have been doing everything they can to get staff and providers vaccinated, in fear of losing their provider status with Medicare and their funds being interrupted. But what organizations really must abide by these requirements under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoPs)? Hospitals? Physician Offices? Skilled nursing facilites (SNFs)? Home health agencies? Assisted living facilities?To highlight the correct information on where your organization stands and the impact it will have, please join us for the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays on Nov. 16, during which nationally recognized physician coder, auditor, and educator Terry Fletcher will update us on all this and more. The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Mental Health Report: Internationally renowned psychiatrist and author Dr. H. Steven Moffic will return to the broadcast to report on workplace burnout – especially in the healthcare workplace, and in particular among caregivers, in the light of new final rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news that has appeared on her radar screen.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Is the emergency department (ED) an outpatient CDI priority for your organization? The emergency department is the main source of admissions to a hospital – and the first location patients typically receive care. What should you consider when determining how an outpatient CDI program could support quality patient care, proper payment, and complete and accurate data?   During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, outpatient CDI expert Colleen Deighan will return with another installment in her popular series on a subject that continues to generate listener interest and questions. Deighan will also conduct a listener's survey during the weekly Internet radio broadcast.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Special Series: Maternal Morbidity and Mortality: Senior healthcare consultant Kristi Pollard, Director of Coding Quality and Education for the Haugen Consulting Group, wraps up her four-part series on the impact of coding on severe maternal morbidity with a discussion about the intersection of coding and clinical indicators. Conditions specifically in the crossfire are sepsis, acute kidney injury, and coagulation disorders. Pollard will address which data the maternal collaboratives want to track and how you can incorporate these initiatives into existing CDI programs. The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the outcome of the recent ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting.  RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the most recent final payment rules released by CMS on Tuesday.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

What can a medical assistant do – and not do?Medical assistants have a narrow list of tasks they can perform for patients or for a doctor in a doctor's office. It's often difficult to know what's allowed, because there are not strong laws or regulations in place regarding medical assistants.Since no one really “regulates” them, and they are frighteningly under-monitored by any sort of government agency, what rules should they follow?In the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, Terry Fletcher, a nationally recognized professional coder, auditor, and educator, will return to the broadcast with an exclusive report on best practices for medical assistants, but also the imperative admonition: they should not be mistakenly used as nurses.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Special Series: Maternal Morbidity and Mortality: Senior healthcare consultant Kristi Pollard, Director of Coding Quality and Education for the Haugen Consulting Group, will continue her four-part series, reporting how coded data is being used by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) to improve maternal outcomes.The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the on the outcome of the recent ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington, D.C.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Outpatient CDI expert Colleen Deighan will return to the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays to continue her popular series on a subject that continues to generate listener interest and questions.Deighan will also conduct a listener's survey during the weekly Internet radio broadcast. When healthcare organizations are considering, planning, or beginning efforts directed toward documentation integrity in the outpatient setting, Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs) are a key focus. Deighan will also discuss what to consider when determining the timing of your HCC review, top HCC category specifics, and best practices for compliant HCC reporting.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Special Series: Maternal Morbidity and Mortality: Senior healthcare consultant Kristi Pollard, Director of Coding Quality and Education for the Haugen Consulting Group, will continue her four-part series, reporting how coded data is being used by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) to improve maternal outcomes.The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news.The Dunn Report: Rose T. Dunn, a past president and former CEO of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), will report that ED-level denials are mounting everywhere, and payers are using AI and applying their own criteria.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.Point of View: Susan Gatehouse, founder and CEO of Axea Solutions, will be substituting for Erica Remer, MD. Gatehouse will provide context and commentary on a subject that has caught her attention during a recent edition of the segment.

We're taking AIM at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality during an exclusive four-part series on ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays. The series will be led by senior healthcare consultant Kristi Pollard, Director of Coding Quality and Education for the Haugen Consulting Group. During her series, Kristi will discuss how coded data is being used by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) to improve maternal outcomes. The live broadcast will also feature these other segments: Special Report: American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) 2021 President and Chair Katherine Lusk will discuss accomplishments from her term and how the Association continues to advance and advocate for the creation and use of trusted information. The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news. Tuesday Focus: Telemedicine or Telemarketing: Former special agent for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Eric Rubenstein will report on how fraud, currently being perpetuated against the Medicare population, is best defined as “telemarketing” fraud. Rubenstein is now director of litigation for Advize Health, LLC.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment. 

Outpatient CDI programs can have real impact with risk adjustment and Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs). An important component of the HCC risk adjustment model is accurate and appropriate HCC capture, representing a patient's disease burden year over year.HCCs reflect hierarchies within related disease categories. A patient can have multiple HCC categories assigned, and each category, along with patient demographics, is factored into the patient's overall risk adjustment factor (RAF) score.The higher the RAF score, the sicker the patient. On the upcoming edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, we'll will cover the basics of HCCs and what steps to take in order to begin your outpatient CDI program with a focus on these factors. Broadcast Special Guest Colleen Deighan will also conduct a Talk Ten Tuesdays Listener Survey on this topic.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:The Coding Report: In keeping with the broadcast's theme, Laurie Johnson will report on the new psychiatric codes for fiscal year 2022.Tuesday Focus: CMS Resumes Targeted Probe-and-Educate Program: Nationally recognized professional, coder, auditor, and educator Terry A. Fletcher will return to the broadcast to report on the resumption of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Targeted Probe-and-Educate (TPE) program, which was delayed in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) in March 2020. CMS has given the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) the go-ahead to resume paused TPE reviews and initiate new reviews.Special Report: CMS One-Year Extension: Susan Gatehouse, founder and president of Axea Solutions, will report on the CMS one-year extension of New Technology Add-on Payments (NTAPs) for 13 technologies for which the payments otherwise would have discontinued beginning in 2022.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

The COVID-19 pandemic rages on, exposing huge gaps in America's vulnerable healthcare system, posing life-or-death questions that tear at our collective subconsciousness.There's also the constant drumbeat of headline news: vaccination mandates versus personal freedom, for example. Are two shots sufficient, or are three better? Should young children be vaccinated or not? With staff shortages and the rationing of care, who gets an inpatient bed and who doesn't?Today, as never before, mental stress is the new norm. And with the pandemic pandemonium comes the annual National Mental Health Awareness Week, sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). At this intersection is the tragic reality that millions of Americans are living with some form of mental health condition.Reporting on mental health during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be Dr. H. Steven Moffic, an award-winning author who is considered by many to be among America's most prominent psychiatrists.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:The Coding Report: In keeping with the broadcast's theme, Laurie Johnson will report on the new psychiatric codes for fiscal year 2022.Tuesday Focus: Author and consultant Ellen Fink-Samnick will return to the broadcast to report on workplace trauma, noting how trauma has gripped the national workforce, with an intense collective induced stress felt by professionals, patients, and then experienced by frontline practitioners.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington, D.C.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Physician engagement, query productivity, and revenue integrity are some but not all of the activities that encompass today's outpatient clinical documentation integrity (OP CDI) arena, which continues to gain traction among America's hospitals and health systems.During an exclusive broadcast report, CDI expert Colleen Deighan will unveil a Talk Ten Tuesdays listener's survey on this topic, in which listeners are encouraged to participate. Delving into the survey responses, Colleen will join us on a biweekly basis through the end of the year, and share her knowledge and experience on how hospitals and health systems can determine where and how to focus their efforts to have the biggest impact.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the latest coding news.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.Tuesday Focus: Root operation control guidelines have changed during the last five years, and a new update will take place on Oct. 1, 2021. Senior healthcare consultant Kristi Pollard, director of coding quality and education with Haugen Consulting Group, will report on this topic while providing examples for reporting the control of bleeding.Special Report: The No Surprises Act, or the "balance billing rule" for emergent out-of-network services, saw a provider reprieve as it pertains to the Jan. 1, 2022 effective date,  as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will delay certain provisions of the Act to allow for better infrastructure, interoperability, and communication between payors, facilities, and providers. Nationally recognized professional coder, auditor, and consultant Terry Fletcher will report the good news.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is awarding $470 million to New York University to perform a national study on “tens of thousands of people, to research the long-term effects of COVID-19.”One such individual who might be included in the study will be the special guest during the next live edition of Talk-Ten-Tuesdays: Deborah Grider, longtime ICD10monitor national correspondent and senior healthcare consultant for Karen Zupko & Associates. Grider will return to the broadcast with an update on her status as a “long hauler,” having contracted the deadly coronavirus more than a year ago.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson will report on the outcome of last week's Coordination and Maintenance Committee.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.2021 E&M Update: It's about time: Nearly everyone thought that time reporting for evaluation and management (E&M) services would be eased through the American Medical Association (AMA) 2021 guidelines. Yet there are controversial areas and discrepancies in interpretation of the published guidance, according to Shannon DeConda, who will report on those issues. DeConda is the founder of the National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialists (NAMAS) and a partner of DoctorsManagement.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.Town Hall: Your questions will be answered live during this special interactive broadcast.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage throughout the U.S., fueled by the Delta variant that is driving a new surge of infections of the deadly coronavirus – all this amid growing antagonism about mask mandates and vaccine hesitancy. The U.S. death toll now stands at more than 650,000, with projections indicating more than 750,000 deaths being likely by Dec. 1.In fact, Idaho, reported to have the nation's lowest vaccination rate – only 45 percent of its population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine – is on the verge on rationing care due to a scarcity of beds and equipment.For the latest update on COVID-19, the next Talk TenTuesdays broadcast will feature Dr. John Foggle, a former consultant with the World Health Organization (WHO) who designed a course for Project Hope, bringing COVID-19 education to healthcare workers in 23 countries.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.Mental Health Report: The death on Monday of actor Michael K. Williams of “The Wire” fame, currently being investigated as a possible drug overdose, suggests several mental health issues – which is why Dr. H. Steven Moffic, award-winning author, and internationally renowned psychiatrist, will be on the broadcast. Dr. Moffic, whom we call the Talk Ten Tuesdays resident psychiatrist, will provide context and perspective on this tragedy.Tuesday Special Report: Ivermectin: Julia K. Brodt, PhD, an educator, and former epidemiologist, will report on the use of ivermectin, a medication used to treat parasite infections in livestock, now being clandestinely used to treat and prevent COVID-19 in humans, although there is no credible scientific evidence to support its efficacy. Moreover, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) reports that ivermectin is not approved for the treatment of any viral infection.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.Town Hall: Your questions will be answered live during this special interactive broadcast.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) – which factor greatly into provider success with the Medicare Inpatient Quality Reporting, Leapfrog, and Maryland quality initiatives – were recently significantly updated for the 2021 fiscal year (FY).During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, you'll learn why PSI 8, Hospital-acquired hip fracture; PSI 11, Postoperative respiratory failure; and PSI 14, Wound dehiscence rates are likely to increase at all facilities. What can you and your quality committees can do to mitigate these increases? What role will ICD-10-CM code Z66, Do not resuscitate, have with PSI 4, Death among surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications?To be featured during the weekly Internet radio broadcast will be how preoperative documentation workflows that address the newly revised FY 2021 Elixhauser model can go beyond accurately risk-adjusting the PSIs, but also compliantly add net revenue to your facility. Invite your quality teams to listen as Dr. James Kennedy analyzes this explosive topic.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.Town Hall: Your questions will be answered live during this special interactive broadcast.

The rapidly expanding surge of COVID-19 infections is triggering a renewed look at the impact the virus is having on long-haulers. The pressing challenge is to understand the findings on the sequelae after recovery from COVID-19 – and what variations are expected to evolve.Meanwhile, research reveals that about 14 percent of adults who had been infected with the virus developed at least one new clinical sequela requiring medical attention after recovery from COVID-19, although many specifics have yet to be quantified. Reporting our lead story during the next live edition of Talk-Ten-Tuesdays will be Axea Solutions founder and CEO Susan Gatehouse.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Tuesday Focus: Fixing Healthcare, Part II: Rose Dunn, former American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) CEO, and current COO for First Class Solutions, will return to the broadcast with the final installment in her exclusive two-part series in which she offers ideas aimed at fixing healthcare.Coding Report: Senior healthcare consultant and well-known national coding and health information management (HIM) leader Gloryanne Bryant will substitute for Laurie Johnson to report the latest coding news.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.Town Hall: Your questions will be answered live during this special interactive broadcast.

Let's start with a basic question: are you affiliated with a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) covered entity? If so, remember, such entities must comply with standards for electronic transactions, not just privacy. When you're asked about your vaccine status, do you claim a HIPAA violation? Is your vaccine status only your business, and no one else's? If not, whose business is it, really? Is it your employers' business, or that of the airline or cruise ship company through which you're booking a trip? With the recent surge in the coronavirus pandemic, brought about by the new Delta variant, as odd as it may seem to some, more and more people are claiming a HIPAA violation when asked about their vaccine status. Reporting on this latest coronavirus conundrum during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be Terry Fletcher, a nationally recognized professional physician coder and auditor. The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.Town Hall: Your questions will be answered live during this special interactive broadcast.

Surgery doesn't have to be complicated; it  shouldn't automatically translate into a misadventure.Recent American Hospital Association (AHA) advice has the potential to result in artificially elevated complication rates for surgery, however, jeopardizing your safety and performance profiles. Clinical accuracy of diagnoses is king, even in the operating room.Reporting on this developing story during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be senior healthcare executive Allen Frady, who will reveal important information and provide tips on how to approach this conversation without accidentally veering into forbidden territory.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.Tuesday Focus: Fixing Healthcare, Part I: Bureaucratic, redundant, labor-intensive, wasteful, costly things appear to characterize some healthcare operations. What are some solutions? Rose Dunn, former American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) CEO, and COO for First Class Solutions, will return to the broadcast with an exclusive two-part series in which she offers ideas aimed at fixing healthcare. News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk-Ten-Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

 "Where did all the money go?"  It's a valid question. Join us for the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, when nationally-recognized professional coder, educator, and auditor Terry Fletcher will provide an answer by discussing a topic not addressed often enough: physician under-coding. The bad habit leads to not getting paid for services provided. Multiply those issues by 20 to 30 patient encounters daily, and it's little wonder that physicians are missing a ton of money – important and well-earned revenue.During the pandemic, many physicians just tried to stay afloat with various programs from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): survival programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), PPP loans, and the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). But now, the focus is on recovery. During the broadcast, Fletcher will offer examples of those missed revenue opportunities, along with the reasons why under-coding occurs.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.Tuesday Focus: Change Coping: Keeping your coding department up-to-date and current on changes and guidelines is always a challenge. Fortunately, there are easy lessons to learn as you'll discover when Shannon DeConda, founder of the National Association of Medical Auditing Specialists (NAMAS) shares come very practical advice.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Lawmakers are lining up to decide what Medicare will pay for after the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is over – and they are looking confident that they have the votes to include it in a must-pass piece of legislation this year.Congress also seems to be on board with a plan to allow millions of Medicare patients to continue to video-chat with their physicians once the PHE is over. The Medicare advisory committee, MedPAC, has recommended a cautious approach, however, that would temporarily cover some telehealth services for all beneficiaries, but revert to lower reimbursement rates post-crisis for virtual appointments compared to in-person. There's also concern that a rapid expansion could prompt more fraudulent billings: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) estimates that $4.5 billion in telehealth-related fraud was lost last year, which is why Part B evaluation and management (E&M) services provided during the PHE is on the current OIG 2021 Work Plan.Nationally recognized physician auditor, educator, and coder Terry Fletcher will report on this developing story during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc., and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

“Querying is the lifeline of clinical documentation integrity (CDI) professionals and many coding professionals,” wrote Cheryl Ericson in a recent edition of ICD10monitor. And yet the query process can be a time-consuming and sometimes arduous activity that often contributes to an inefficient CDI workflow.One of the biggest hindrances to an efficient query process appears to hinge on misinformation regarding what is considered a leading or non-compliant query, specifically as it pertains to the timing of a query. Ericson, a senior healthcare consultant, will report on this lead story during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, sorting through the confusion of the query process while helping you ensure that queries at your facility are compliant and non-leading.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.Mental Health Report: To mask or not to mask, that is the question. Recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that fully vaccinated adults need not wear masks. That announcement, however, is creating confusion – and, among some individuals, a level of anxiety. Reporting on what is making folks anxious as the nation transitions from the pandemic and into summer will be H. Steven Moffic, MD: an award-winning psychiatrist who has specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry, a prolific writer and speaker, and the Talk Ten Tuesdays resident psychiatrist.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Are you monitoring the 2021 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan? The watchdog agency is watching you. They're auditing claims for evaluation and management (E&M) services performed on the same day as minor surgical procedures that have been documented with Modifier 25. The backstory: in 2019, about 56 percent of dermatologists' claims with an E&M service also included minor surgical procedures (such as lesion removals, destructions, and biopsies) on the same day. This may indicate abuse, wherein the provider used Modifier 25 to bill Medicare for a significant and separately identifiable E&M service when only a minor surgical procedure and related preoperative and postoperative services were supported by the beneficiary's medical record. Nationally recognized professional coder, educator, and auditor Terry Fletcher will return to the Talk Ten Tuesdays broadcast for its next edition to report the lead story. The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey. Tuesday Focus: Homework: Many auditors and coders are working from home these days, and home has raised new obstacles and some new advantages to our daily routines. How to bring the home practicality into the coding and auditing work world will be Shannon DeConda, founder of the National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialist (NAMAS). News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.Point of View: Dennis Jones, Patient Financial Services Administrator at Montefiore Nyack Hospital, will substitute for co-host Erica Remer, MD.

The ongoing quest to improve quality includes the auditing of low-value services. During the next episode of Talk Ten Tuesdays, Susan Gatehouse, founder and CEO for Axea Solutions, will report on areas to reduce wasteful spending on services with little to no clinical benefit – all in the name of improving quality of care.According to most industry definitions, low-value care involves those services that are medically unnecessary and provide no health benefits to patients.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.Tuesday Focus: HIM Professionals Engaging Physicians (Part IV): Rose Dunn will continue with her series on how health information management (HIM) professionals, using their existing skill sets, can enhance physician practices in the outpatient environment.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.Developing Story: Nationally recognized professional coder, educator, and auditor Terry Fletcher will return to the broadcast to report on the continuing saga of the American Medical Association (AMA) versus the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), concerning the use of the prolonged care code 99417.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Outsourcing versus offshoring – a debate long representing a tacit acknowledgment of how many U.S. facilities and physician practices approach coding and billing – has resurfaced as providers grapple with which to choose as the customary way to submit medical claims. Although once considered verboten, today this is more or less becoming mainstream, or the "new normal," with globalization on the horizon.But should your facility consider outsourcing medical coding and billing – and if you do, how much is actually "off-shored," even if you contract with a U.S.-based company? Do you know who's working for you?Nationally recognized professional coder, educator, and auditor Terry Fletcher will discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of outsourcing and offshoring as she busts myths and re-examines the reality of contracting rather than keeping coding and billing in-house during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast's weekly Listeners Survey.Tuesday Focus: HIM Professionals Engaging Physicians (Part III): Rose Dunn will continue with her series on how health information management (HIM) professionals, using their existing skill sets, can enhance physician practices in the outpatient environment. News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

The American Medical Association (AMA) CPT® Errata and Technical Corrections have clarified some grey areas found in the 2021 Evaluation and Management (E&M) Guidelines. But did the updates really help coders and physicians in better understanding how to apply the latest corrections?Apparently, there’s still confusion, according to Terry Fletcher, a nationally recognized physician auditor and coder. Fletcher will return to the Talk Ten Tuesdays weekly broadcast to offer some working examples, as well as answer listener questions, in an effort to clear up the perplexities while providing insight on how to submit a clean office visit claim.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast’s weekly Listeners Survey.Tuesday Focus: Hospital at Home versus Hospital to Home: Are they not one in the same? Clearing up any confusion on this issue will be Tiffany Ferguson, CEO at Phoenix Medical Management, Inc.  Developing Story: Sepsis and New York: The Empire State Strikes Back: Dennis Jones, patient financial services administrator at Montefiore, Nyack, will report on why New York said “no way” to UnitedHealthcare.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began down the path of change that the American Medical Association (AMA) delivered in 2021 for the purpose of administrative burden relief, it was expected that there would be some initial investments of time necessary to create models of efficiency in a new era of documentation.But most providers have chosen to avoid it. The totality is the patient story. And hasn’t that been the problem since the inception of templates, and one of the other reasons many rallied for changes to the guidelines?Templates and stern requirements regarding how the patient encounter is documented tend to change – and at times, strangle – the story of the patient. But we must remember that the pen is mightier than the electronic medical record (EMR) – and that the author of the note is, in fact, the ultimate authority of it, and the controller of its destiny. Reporting our lead story during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be Shannon DeConda, who will return to the broadcast to take a deeper dive into a subject that has continued to generate buzz since her last appearance several weeks ago..The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast’s weekly Listeners Survey.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.Mental Health Report: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, noting that 50 percent of all lifetime mental illness begins by the age of 15. Offering comment and context on the state of mental health in the United States will be Dr. H. Steven Moffic, award-winning author and internationally renowned psychiatrist.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

It’s vitally important to remember that updates to the American Medical Association (AMA) CPT® code book might not be there when you need them.But since January of this year, the AMA has been receiving provider feedback: essential information that now been incorporated in the AMA 2021 CPT® Errata and Technical Corrections. Navigating these changes during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be nationally recognized physician auditor and coder Terry Fletcher, who will report on significant clarifications – including some evaluation and management (E&M) 2021 Office and Other Outpatient visit clarifications – designed to help practices square their visits with medical decision-making (MDM).The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Tuesday Focus: HIM Professionals Engaging Physicians (Part II): Rose Dunn will continue with her series on how health information management (HIM) professionals, using their existing skill sets, can enhance physician practices in the outpatient environment.  News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment. 

There’s a new segment of the healthcare population that represents yet another opportunity for health information management (HIM) professionals to leverage existing staff and processes to improve their organization’s bottom line. That new segment: physicians employed by healthcare systems.During the next live edition of Talk-Ten-Tuesdays, nationally acclaimed HIM professional Rose T. Dunn, two-term president of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and chief operations officer for First Class Solutions, will return to the broadcast to report on important strategies to engage physicians – this being the first of a two-part series. Of particular relevance is the fact that now, according to the 21st Century Cures Act, consumers have been empowered to read notes that recap doctor office visits, as well as look at test results electronically. As such, now is the time for everyone at your facility to get on the same page.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast’s weekly Listeners Survey.Tuesday Focus: Shannon DeConda, founder of the National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialists (NAMAS), will return to the broadcast with an update on evaluation and management (E&M) codes.Mental Health Report: Sexism: Sexism, like racism, causes all sorts of psychiatric problems and diagnoses. Though sexism towards females is more obvious, we in healthcare shouldn’t ignore its occurrence in men, too, according to Dr. H. Steven Moffic, award-winning author and internationally renowned psychiatrist, who will return to the broadcast to report on this hot-button topic – and also comment on the Derek Chauvin verdict that captured the world’s attention.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

A key (and occasionally overlooked) role of the physician advisor is advocacy: advocacy for physician partners, advocacy for quality patient outcomes, and advocacy for clinical medicine represented on committees, in board rooms, and to agencies defining national standards.During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, Dr. Drew Updike, medical director of coding at UCHealth, and Dr. Debra Anoff, senior medical director of clinical documentation improvement (CDI) for UCHealth, will offer a blueprint on how they solved a local problem on a national level.They identified a blind spot in Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) criteria that was negatively impacting their organization's PSI-06 Quality ranking, as a result of their being a regional referral center for a highly specialized congenital corrective surgery (the “Nuss” procedure).After collaborating cross-sectionally within their organization, they engaged in advocacy to AHRQ; the result was successful modification of PSI-06 criteria, based in sound clinical reasoning.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast’s weekly Listeners Survey.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.This episode is sponsored by:AHIMA, MRA and AHDAM

ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays will continue their reporting on the advent of ICD-11 – particularly during April, when attention turns to the World Health Organization (WHO).A key question that needs answering: where does the United States fall among the countries that are either preparing or even implementing the new update for the standard code set?For a global perspective on ICD-11 and the nation’s position on the new code set, Margaret Skurka, a member of the International Federation of Health Information Management Associations (IFHIMA) and past president of the American Health Information Management (AHIMA),will share perspective on ICD-11 planning during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays. The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will have the Talk Ten Tuesdays Coding Report, along with the broadcast’s weekly Listeners Survey.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on two proposal rules posted by CMS.Mental Health Report: Anti-Asian Discrimination: Nearly 3,800 incidents have been reported by the Stop Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate reporting center from March 2020 through February 2021. There is an ICD-10 code to specify a diagnosis of being a victim of crime and terrorism. Reporting this troubling issue will be Dr. H. Steven Moffic, award-winning author and internationally renowned psychiatrist.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

President Joe Biden’s roughly $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, called the “American Job Plan,” includes approximately $400 billion to expand access to home care and community-based services, including access to long-term care provided under Medicaid.Reporting on the impact of this possible new fusion of funding during the next edition of Monitor Mondays will be William Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice. No stranger to broadast listeners, Dombi’s appearance comes at a time when the nation continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, which in turn has illuminated the need for keeping those with the greatest risk potential for the deadly virus in a home-care environment.Other segments to be featured during the live broadcast include the following:RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, a partner at the law firm of Practus, will file the Monitor Mondays RAC Report.Legislative Update: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on two proposal rules posted by CMS.Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Bryon, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment, reporting on legal implications facing healthcare providers.Social Determinants of Health: Ellen Fink-Samnick, a nationally recognized expert on the social determinants of health (SDoH), will report on the latest news that’s occurring at the intersection of healthcare and socioeconomics. Ellen will also conduct the Monitor Mondays Listeners Survey.Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds with another installment of his popular segment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) gave us the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), including several updates over the years, more recently versions 9 and 10.And now on the horizon is version 11.Thus, it is only fitting that Talk Ten Tuesdays would focus on the global accomplishments of the WHO this week, with the lead story for this upcoming edition focusing on the looming implementation of the new update for the standard code set. Leading off the reporting will be the broadcast’s special guest, Lorraine Fernandes, president of the International Federation of Health Information Management Associations (IFHIMA). Lorraine will report on the efforts by the organization to further advance the implementation of ICD-11.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:CDI Report: Senior healthcare consultant and physician Alba Kuqi will make her Talk Ten Tuesdays debut with her report on clinical documentation integrity (CDI).Coding Report: Gloryanne Bryant, senior healthcare consultant, will report on First Quarter Coding Clinic.Tuesday Focus: Shannon DeConda, founder of the National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialists (NAMAS), will return to the broadcast with an update on evaluation and management (E&M) codes.RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.Attorney and physician John K. Hall will be substituting as guest host for the vacationing Dr. Erica Remer.

Implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act is set for Monday, April 5. In a nutshell, the legislation directs providers to cease all efforts of information blocking with respect to their electronic health records (EHRs), and to encourage and promote interoperability, allowing for communication and cooperation with third-party application program interfaces.With respect to portions of clinical notes, there appear to be certain exceptions where physicians can block access, including psychotherapy notes, HIV testing results, and any notes that, in a physician’s judgement, could cause harm to an individual. Reporting our lead story on this topic during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be nationally recognized professional auditor and coder Terry Fletcher.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Outpatient CDI Report:  Colleen Deighan, senior consultant with 3M, will conclude her exclusive three-part series for ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays on outpatient clinical documentation improvement (CDI), reporting on measures that require abstracting.Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the latest coding news and will also conduct the Talk Ten Tuesdays Listeners Survey.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS) have announced a proposal for biannual ICD-10-CM and PCS updates.The impact on business processes would be far-reaching – much of it good, and some possibly not so good, according to Susan Gatehouse, who will report this development as the lead story during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays. Gatehouse, the founder and CEO for Axea Solutions, will encourage listeners to respond during the public comment period being afforded by both agencies.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Outpatient CDI Report: Colleen Deighan, senior consultant with 3M, will continue with Part II in her three-part series on outpatient clinical documentation improvement (CDI), reporting on measures that require abstracting.Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the newly proposed codes presented during last week’s Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting. Johnson will also conduct the Talk Ten Tuesdays Listener Survey.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

To improve patient care and create transparency, Medicare mandated a pay-for-quality reporting program for hospital outpatient services in 2009. The related measures can impact hospital payment if not met, thus creating financial incentives for hospitals to report them. The measures are intended to evaluate the regularity of outpatient treatments known to provide the best results for most patients with a particular condition.  During the next three broadcasts of Talk-Ten-Tuesdays, listeners will be introduced to these measures and learn how coding and documentation integrity professionals can get involved in reporting and analyzing the data. The exclusive three-part series will include the following:Part 1: Hospital outpatient quality reporting programPart 2: Measures that require abstractingPart 3: Outcome-based measuresThe live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the newly proposed codes presented during last week’s Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting. Johnson will also conduct the Talk Ten Tuesdays Listener Survey.Mental Health Report: Residual Rage: Vaccine shortages, folks cutting in line to get vaccinated, and on-again, off-again guidance concerning opening schools, businesses, and even mask-wearing have all been major COVID-19-related issues. So it’s little wonder there’s pent-up pandemic anger and frustration. There is an ICD-10 code for irritability and anger, and Dr. H. Steven Moffic, award-winning author and internationally renowned psychiatrist, will discuss it – and how and why many of us feel today.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Whether you work for a full-scale enterprise or a smaller healthcare facility, the importance of revenue integrity programs is gaining increased importance, especially in the light of renewed auditing activities anticipated under the Biden Administration. Beyond ensuring accurate billing and collection, revenue integrity should strengthen reimbursement performance and provide sound financial practices, according to Susan Gatehouse, founder and CEO for Axea Solutions, who will report on our lead story during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will continue her reporting on proposed codes expected to be discussed during the Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting, which begins on Tuesday, March 9 and concludes Wednesday, March 10. Johnson will also conduct the Talk Ten Tuesdays Listener Survey.Tuesday Focus: Congress passed the "No Surprises Act" at the end of 2020, but what does that mean for providers, exactly? Nationally recognized professional coder and auditor Terry Fletcher will share what the Act requires medical providers to do when seeing an out-of-network patient under a non-government payor, and how this will impact your practice revenue and patients. This new law is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022, so time is of the essence to work on compliance strategy.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.

Will there be an ICD-10 code for post-traumatic visual disturbance? Or for an encounter for PPD test reading and medication review? Or prolonged grief disorder?In light of COVID-19, the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee (C&M) meeting will be online-only, as was the case last spring, at the outset of the pandemic. This year, the two-day meeting begins next Tuesday, March 9, continuing through March 10, bringing together representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC’s) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), various medical societies, medical device vendors, and the general public.Senior healthcare consultant Laurie Johnson will have an exclusive preview of Day 1 during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays. Joining her will be nationally prominent psychiatrist H. Steven Moffic, MD, who will report on prolonged grief: an ICD-10-CM diagnostic topic expected to be discussed during the Coordination and Maintenance meeting, and a marker of America’s grim milestone of more than 500,000 souls lost to the deadly coronavirus.The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former CMS career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington.News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert and ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on coding the consequences of COVID-19 vaccination

Changes to the nation’s Medicaid program, which reportedly covers some 70 million people, are expected soon. According to news reports, among the looming changes is the elimination of the work requirement for Medicaid recipients.This will mark the featured topic during the next live edition of Monitor Mondays, when healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, a partner at the law firm of Practus, will report on this change and others that will affect providers.Other segments to be featured during the live broadcast include the following:Social Determinants of Health: Ellen Fink-Samnick, a nationally recognized expert on the social determinants of health (SDoH), will report on the latest news that’s occurring at the intersection of healthcare and socioeconomics. Ellen will also conduct the Monitor Mondays Listeners Survey. Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Bryon, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment, reporting on legal implications facing healthcare providers.Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds with another installment of his popular segment.RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, a partner at the law firm of Practus, will report the Monitor Mondays lead story.