Archive for The Month of October, 2004
Archive for the Month of October, 2004
Welcome to the medical billing blog archive for the month of October, 2004.
Here you will find links to every article added to the Outsource Management Group web site during the month of October, 2004.
You can browse this month's archives by clicking the "More" button from any of the excerpts below.
Abbreviations – Do They Really Save Time?
“In this day and age of accelerated documentation and compliance requirements and pressure to reduce risk exposure, multiple abbreviations and acronyms are used to expedite the required written processes and still provide time for patient care. Unfortunately, clear, correct, concise communication as well as patient safety suffers because of the habitual use of these shortcuts.” As the federal Department of Health and Human Services moves forward with proposed changes in coding systems using SNOMED (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine by the College of American Pathologists) as a standard, habits of abbreviation must change to comply. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and other accreditation bodies are starting to …
HIPAA Civil Monetary Penalty Extended…
Regulations establishing procedures for the imposition of civil monetary penalties for violations of the privacy, electronic transactions and security rules of HIPAA will remain in place for another year, according to an interim final rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The procedural rule was slated to expire, but HHS opted to extend it until Sept. 16, 2005, to “avoid disruption of ongoing enforcement actions” while the agency continues to develop a “more comprehensive enforcement rule,” AHA News Now reported. The interim final rule did not address the 19 comments submitted to HHS in response to the original procedural rule, including those of the American Hospital …
New Diagnosis Codes Effective 10/1/2004
The new ICD-9 diagnosis codes went into effect on October 1st, 2004. In the past years, we had a three month grace period to use the new and revised codes. This year in 2004, CMS eliminated the grace period. Which means claims are going to be denied if you have not updated your diagnosis codes. If you have not already, you can view or download the 2004 code updates by visiting http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/icd9code.asp. Those interested in the proposed new diagnosis coding sytem, ICD-10-CM, being developed as a replacement for ICD-9-CM, volumes 1 and 2, should visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd9.htm
