CMS Hospital Compare is a public reporting...

Premier benchmarking is widely used by hospitals...

PEPPER reports help U.S. hospitals identify...

CMS has released the updates to the ICD-10-PCS...

Medical coding productivity standards require...

Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) continue to...

CMS and the CDC have released the updates to the...

Every year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...

Understanding when and how to use CPT modifiers...

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Respiratory Syncytial...

Ex utero intrapartum (EXIT) procedures present...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

Facial feminization surgery includes a range of...

Complex coding scenarios often lead to delays,...

Provider documentation is the foundation of...

Accuracy is the foundation of quality coding....

The 2026 updates to CPT and the Hospital...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

The holidays may be merry and bright, but even...

Interventions for endovascular revascularization...

Accurate diagnosis coding relies on recognizing...

Halloween brings fun, fright—and a rise in...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

Accurate coding depends on precise, complete...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

What Is a Postoperative Complication?

A...

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has...

Providing patients with access to new...

New Technology Add-on Payments or NTAPs can...

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has...

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

This blog explores swing bed coding in ICD-10-CM,...

When coding demands shift, knowing your staffing...

The Resource Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS)...

The FY 2026 updates to ICD-10-PCS have been...

Diabetes Mellitus, also known as diabetes, is a...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

What is Sepsis?

Sepsis is a serious, potentially...

When reporting codes for percutaneous...

Anemia is a common, treatable condition that is...

A comprehensive checklist for creating effective,...

How to identify hidden gaps in your coding...

Acute respiratory failure occurs when the lungs...

Pneumonia is a medical condition that can vary...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

Malnutrition is a significant health concern for...

Struggling with unresolved claims edits and...

Vizient scores are a key benchmarking tool for...

The LeFort I osteotomy procedure is a type of...

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

This Coding Tip is intended to provide guidance...

Correct selection of ICD-10-CM codes for...

In the complex landscape of healthcare revenue...

The question asked in a physician query may be...

Fluctuations in patient volumes, coder...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

CMS’ first quarter update to HCPCS Level II codes...

Assigning diagnosis codes for diagnostic...

The recent update to the Hierarchical Condition...

Capturing the implantation and insertion of...

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serve...

The 5th character of an ICD-10-PCS code reports...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

Are Clinical Indicators Present to Support a...

Procedure code assignment for excisional...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

Medical coding audits ensure the accuracy,...

ICD-10-PCS codes are used to report procedure...

When coding for an obstetric patient, the...

Diabetes is a systemic condition, meaning its...

Cerebral Anatomy

When selecting ICD-10-PCS body...

This is a series of blogs about the importance of...

Paravertebral facet/facet joints (also known as...

Navigating the complexities of medical billing...

Part 2 of this blog series focused on how ChatGPT...

The first piece in this blog series examined...

ICD-10-CM has codes to report a patient’s...

The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI)...

Clinical validation is an integral part of coding...

In the world of medical coding audits, choosing...

Recrudescence of stroke, also called stroke...

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently ...

ICD-10-PCS coding for the insertion, replacement...

Professional fee (profee) coding is essential for...

CMS strives to provide its beneficiaries with...

In medical coding, Diagnosis-Related Groups...

Hypercoagulable states are blood clotting ...

What Exactly is a Pseudoseizure?

Pseudoseizures...

Recent updates to ICD-10-CM, effective October 1,...

Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) review...

Health Information Associates (HIA) is excited to...

Current treatment for traumatic arterial injury...

When coding a spinal fusion record, the operative...

After a mastectomy, breast implants are the most...

Alzheimer’s is a progressive, irreversible...

There are approximately 6.3 million fractures...

What is COPD?

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary...

In the ICD-10-CM Alphabetic Index under the main...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by...

CPT code +69990 Microsurgical techniques...

Sepsis Sequencing

Sepsis can occur in combination...

Coding for treatment of cerebral aneurysms may...

With the implementation of ICD-10-CM came more...

It is difficult for coders to know when to report...

Health Information Associates (HIA), known for...

Fetal positioning within the uterus is not of...

ICD-10-CM Code Z95.0 and Z45.018

A common misconception among coders is that...

Medicare Advantage Plans (Medicare part C) use...

This coding tip provides an overview of coding...

Queries written in a multiple-choice format...

Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs) which is...

For FY 2024, the Official Guidelines for Coding...

Many coders who are coding obstetric cases are...

Anticoagulants and antiplatelets are used for the...

With the implementation of ICD-10-CM came...

In recent audit cases, HIA has seen coders...

One of the issues addressed in AHA Coding Clinic®...

The focus of this coding tip is on the excision...

HIM and coding professionals may remember way...

HIA has found on Quality reviews that coders may...

This week’s coding tip focuses on the root...

This week our focus is on the sequencing of the...

One of the most common mistakes that medical...

When coding abdominal aortography and angiography...

Coding colonoscopies with multiple biopsies and...

Each year, CMS updates the National Correct...

Some of our clients have received denials on...

In the healthcare industry, quality measures are...

As a coder, you may wonder why it is so important...

During some of our recent coding reviews, we have...

As coders, we see physicians document “elevated...

In the world of medical coding, experience...

Medical coding errors are not just simple typos;...

Tissue findings interpreted by a pathologist are...

Medical coding audits are essential for...

Let's look at the different types of abuse,...

Medical coding audits are crucial to ensuring...

It is that time of year again where the new codes...

August marks Ambulatory Surgery Center Month, a...

Drug and alcohol use continues to rise in the...

Medical coders are constantly reading—physician...

As more patients are being treated at home and as...

Most coders have probably noticed a rise in the...

How do coders report uncontrolled DM in ICD-10-CM?

The latest edition of AHA, Coding Clinic for...

Avoiding common mistakes during medical coding...

How can HIAlearn help close skills gaps across...

Several factors can contribute to the struggle of...

When Coding Departments are not running smoothly,...

Denial mismanagement can lead to financial loss,...

There are several reasons why you might want to...

Patients being admitted for acute renal failure...

If you're looking to move away from spreadsheets...

To make your medical coding audit budget go...

Partnering with a quality coding consulting...

So you failed your last medical coding audit, now...

HIA recently announced its internal Learning...

On December 21, CMS released the following...

HIA presents The 12 Pains of Christmas in ICD-10...

Health Information Associates (HIA) is proud to...

Coding audits can help target and address...

When Coding Departments are not running smoothly,...

Can cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock be coded...

New Technology Add-On Payments (NTAP) for 2023

In...

IPPS Changes for FY2023

In the previous two parts...

ICD-10-PCS Procedure Code Changes

This is Part 2...

This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on the 2023...

Selecting the Appropriate Root Operation –...

What is Pulmonary Hypertension?

Pulmonary...

How do coders report diabetic ketoacidosis in...

Reporting Endarterectomy in addition to the...

What is Clostridium Difficile Enterocolitis?

...

Cerebral Infarction Definition

Primary Diagnosis for Colonoscopy Records

Coding...

Below are some definitions for clarification:

...

Diagnoses in the Outpatient Setting 

What is the Impella® external heart assist device?

In ICD-10-CM when comparative/contrasting...

When is it appropriate to report pleural effusion...

Pulmonary emboli are blood clots within the...

Wow, have you seen the proposed rule for FY2023...

Hospitals are receiving more inpatient denials...

As of April 1, 2022 discharges, the following...

Coders are instructed, at this time, to follow...

Encephalopathy is a general term and means brain...

Spinal procedure coding can be daunting for...

It is that time of year! CMS released the IPPS...

With the proliferation of COVID-19 cases, we...

Updates as of 1/01/21:

As you may know, assigning...

Updates from 1/19/21 in green font.

We have seen many updates and changes to COVID-19...

Reading the latest coding advice from AHA Coding...

Is the diagnosis clearly documented without...

Common Clinical Indicators for Acute Kidney...

What is Acute Kidney Injury?

The terminology...

Revision surgery on a reconstructed breast is...

There are two ways reconstruction with a tissue...

Changes in Cardiac Catheterization Code...

What is Severe Sepsis?

Severe sepsis occurs when...

Spinal Fusion Series Summary

Most common...

Harvesting of the autograft for spinal fusion—is...

What is intra-operative peripheral neuro...

Computer assisted navigation is often used during...

Coders should be able to determine if a previous...

What does decompression mean when performed in...

Spinal fusion coding is a tough job for coders....