Don't Bank on Proposed Rule as Full Preview of ICD-9-CM

DOL Says Certified Coders Are in High Demand

Vaccine Allowance Adjustments for Providers

Get Our Legal Advisory Board's Take on RAC

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Michelle Dick EdgeBlast Editor

Many people in health care review the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule for inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS), published this April in the Federal Register. Included in the proposed rule are tables showing recommended newly created or changed ICD-9-CM codes, as well as a table that shows all valid codes for the previous year but are invalid for the new year.

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According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment for medical records and health information technicians is expected to rise; particularly, technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in high demand. Employment is expected to rise by 18 percent through 2016. This rapid growth is due to the rising number of medical tests, procedures, and treatments that are increasingly scrutinized by health insurance companies, regulators, courts, and consumers. Soon technicians will be vital in entering patient information into computer databases to comply with Federal legislation mandating the use of electronic medical records.

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On March 7,  change request (CR) 5910 clarified CR 5744 “Payment Allowances for the Influenza Virus Vaccine and the Pneumococcal Vaccine When Payment is Based on 95 Percent of the Average Wholesale Price (AWP),” released Oct. 26, 2007. CR 5910 deletes the reference to “institutional providers” on page 2 in the first bullet regarding the use of HCPCS code G0009 Administration of pneumococcal vaccine. The sentence with code G0009 now begins with “providers” rather than “institutional providers,” as stated here:

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For the Record magazine published a great article that features Timothy P. Blanchard, JD and Julie E. Chicoine, JD, RN, CPC of our Legal Advisory Board. Find out what our experts have to say about the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program in relation to the health care community at: http://www.fortherecordmag.com/archives/ftr_03032008p14.shtml

By answering the following questions, you can earn 0.5 continuing education units to apply toward your annual AAPC CEU renewal every two years. Simply answer the questions and list this as one of your itemized CEUs on your CEU form. If you are chosen for verification, we will then ask you to send in a copy of your work. Please put the number of each EdgeBlast included in your submission. The number is available at the top of the page.

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