August 2011

Medical Coding Certification

What and Why
Obtaining certification signifies and distinguishes that the individual tested is competent and knowledgeable in a particular field. While coding certification is not always a requirement for employment, it will often improve chances of hire and enhance opportunities for advancement in the field. It can also translate into the ability to obtain a higher salary.

Requirements
Various certifications are available from various certifiers (no particular requirements for consistency of nomenclature is currently established). Some require work experience varying from 2 to 3 years. All certifications everywhere may be achieved through a combination of education and experience. Here are some of the designations:

• CCA (Certified Coding Associate) ¡V apprentice/beginner/or in some cases “official certification”
• CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) ¡V usually attached to some level of experience (hospital coding)
• CCS-P (Certified Coding Specialist Physician office coding)
• CPC (Physician Office Coding)
• CPC-H (Hospital in and outpatient coding)
• CIRCC ¡V (Interventional radiology and cardiovascular coding)
• CPMA (medical coding auditor or consultant)
• Other specialty coding: Attached to the particular specialty of medicine in which a
• coder has expertise, e.g., emergency, cardiology, GI surgery, etc.)

ICD-10 CODES – History and Horizon
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the international standard diagnostic classification for all general epidemiological, other health management purposes, and for clinical use, including analysis of the general health situation of population groups and monitoring of the incidence and prevalence of diseases and other health problems in relation to other variables such as the characteristics and circumstances of the individuals affected, including but not limited to reimbursement, resource allocation, quality and guidelines. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) was endorsed by the Forty-third World Health Assembly in 1990 and came into use in World Health Organization (WHO) member states in 1994. The classification is the latest in a series which has its origins in the 1850s. The first edition, known as the International List of Causes of Death, was adopted by the International Statistical Institute in 1893. WHO took over the responsibility for ICD at its creation in 1948 when the Sixth Revision was published, which included causes of morbidity for the first time. The World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Nomenclature Regulations that stipulate use of ICD in its most current revision for mortality and morbidity statistics by all member states in 1967.

The earlier ICD-9-CM contains more than 17,000 codes; the new ICD-10 contains more than 141,000 codes (over 10 times more codes), a huge expansion of diagnoses and procedures. The department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has mandated the replacement of the ICD-9-CM code sets currently in use to switch to report health care diagnoses and procedures with ICD-10 code sets effective Oct. 1, 2013. Only a handful of countries, including the United States and Italy, have not adopted ICD-10 as their standard for reporting.
The switch to the new coding system has most providers scrambling for training programs for their existing coders as well as the substantial requirements for development of the software used in the coding capture process. http://www.aapc.com/ICD-10/icd-10.aspx

The ICD-10 consists of:

• Tabular lists containing cause-of-death titles and codes (Volume 1)
• Inclusion and exclusion terms for cause-of-death titles (Volume 1)
• An alphabetical index to diseases and nature of injury, external causes of injury, table of drugs and chemicals (Volume 3)
• Descriptions, guidelines, and coding resources (Volume 2)

Example: The chapter that lists Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases A00-B99 is found in Chapter 1. As our example, we are going to look for a specific type of cholera. Under Block A00 to A00.9 are the following possibilities (intestinal infectious diseases, by organism)
A00 – Cholera
A00.0 – Cholera due to Vibrio cholera, biovar cholerae
A00.1 – Cholera due to Vibrio cholera, biovar eltor
A00.9 – Cholera, unspecified

So, if the patient¡¦s chart showed cholera due to Vibrio cholera, biovar eltor, it would be coded from Chapter 1 (the A00 series denoting cholera), where you would find the Vibrio biovareltor, and the code would be A00.1
Experienced coders will adapt easily to the new coding process, but it will take much longer than it formerly did because so much more information is required and provided in the codes themselves. Stay tuned to Meditec to keep you updated on new requirements.

Student Spotlight
Hi Dawn,
How are you? Just wanted to let you know how I’m doing with the Meditec internship. It’s been 2 weeks and I’mloving it. Based on my calculations I have a 98% for the 2 weeks.
Thank You Meditec!
I have a girlfriend who is interested in medical billing and coding. She asked about Meditec and of course I totally recommended Meditec. I sent her an email yesterday (she lives in Phili) and asked her if she’s made a decision yet. I think their figuring out finances. She also has a girlfriend who’s interested in coding and billing. So, there’s a great possibility 2 more students might be coming aboard.
Do you know when Meditec’s student forum will be reopened?
Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.
Mary
Dear Mary, the Meditec staff is very proud of your accomplishment. We knew you’d do well in the internship. Having a 98% accuracy rate this quickly is something to be very proud of.
Thank you for referring your friends to Meditec. Sincerely, Dawn Moreno, Instructor

Tip Of The Day
Home remedies:
BOILS:
Hunt’s Tomato Paste boil cure… Cover the boil with Hunt’s Tomato Paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.
BLISTERS:
Balm for broken blisters. To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic.
BRUISING
Vinegar to heal bruises. Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process..

Monthly Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 an eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick slices
several sweet peppers of different colors, cut lengthwise and de-seeded
optional: other vegetables such as Portobello mushroom slices, onions (quartered), or sweet
potato slices
MARINADE:
6 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. dark soy sauce (or 1 Tbsp. wheat-free tamari for gluten-free diets)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (or substitute lemon juice)
1/2 loose cup fresh coriander, including the stems, chopped
GARNISH:
handful of fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
Preparation:
1. Place all marinade ingredients in a small chopper or food processor. Process to a fine paste-like sauce.
2. Place prepared vegetables in a long and flat dish or pan. Pour the marinade over.
3. Distribute the marinade over both sides of the vegetables. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes (while you prepare the barbecue), or up to several hours in the refrigerator.
4. Grill on your barbecue (or on an indoor countertop grill), turning several times. Vegetables are done when browned slightly and flesh has softened – about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill.

Vegetable Grilling Tips: If you want to grill cherry tomatoes and onions (these are marvelous on the barbecue!), try marinating them first, them skewering them. Wooden skewers can be easily purchased in grocery stores or gourmet food shops.
5. Serve the vegetables as is, or garnish with a handful of fresh coriander leaves sprinkled over. Makes a perfect side dish to barbecued meat, burgers, poultry, fish, or other barbecue delights. ENJOY!!

Words/Phrases and Origins
…raining cats and dogs?? Dirt poor?? Threshold?? Where did they come from? These are from the 1500s in England. Houses had thatched roofs, thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof.
Hence the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
The floor of the house was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, “Dirt poor.” The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of woodwas placed in the entrance-way – a thresh hold. Jari D.

Don’t Forget Student Referrals
How would you like to help a friend and earn $100 in the process?
With our unique referral program, the person you refer gets 10% off ANY of our training programs and you receive $100 when they enroll. Refer as many people as you like, there is no limit on the reward dollars you can earn.
Read all about it: http://www.meditec.com/student-referral-program/

Positive Thoughts
“”If your work is becoming uninteresting, so are you.
Work is an inanimate thing and can be made lively and interesting only by injecting yourself into it. Your job is only as big as you are.” -George C Hubbs

The Funnies
From the doctors:
I was caring for a woman from Kentucky and asked, “So, how’s your breakfast this morning?” “It’s very good, except for the Kentucky Jelly. I can’t seem to get used to the taste,” the patient replied. I then asked to see the jelly and the woman produced a foil packet labeled.
“KY Jelly.”

From a medical student currently doing a rotation in toxicology at the poison control center: Today, this woman called in very upset because she caught her little daughter eating ants. I quickly reassured her that the ants are not harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the hospital. She calmed down and at the end of the conversation happened to mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to kill the ants. I told her that she better bring her daughter into the emergency room right away.

I was performing a complete physical, including the visual acuity test. I placed the patient twenty feet from the chart and began, “Cover your right eye with your hand.” He read the 20/20 line perfectly. Now cover your left.” Again, a flawless read. “Now both,” I requested. There was silence. He couldn’t even read the large letter on the top line. I turned and discovered that he had done exactly what I had asked; he was standing there with both his eyes covered. I was laughing too hard to finish the exam.

And last, the monthly specials feature…
AUGUST MONTHLY SPECIAL

It’s going to be a Hot Summer… Checkout this deal: For August, we’re offering our Medical Office Manager Combo, which includes Office Mgt., Medical Terminology,
ICD/CPT Coding, Billing and Heath Insurance, all in a single bundled enrollment and we’re offering it for only $2,419.00!!
This Special Price is over $600 off list price and you can even select a payment plan of 6, 12, 18 or 24 months using the discounted pricing as the basis.

As an added BONUS, when you order the August Special and pay in full, you will also receive a FREE iPod shuffle.

Go to: http://www.meditec.com/specials/