How Do We Code Outpatient Surgeries-Turned-Hospitalizations?
Last week I wrote about when surgery should be performed as an inpatient, when it can be outpatient, and how to utilize observation services in
Last week I wrote about when surgery should be performed as an inpatient, when it can be outpatient, and how to utilize observation services in
I appeared on Talk Ten Tuesdays recently and briefly discussed some topics from the American Hospital Association (AHA) Coding Clinic for the third quarter of
The new federal fiscal year (FY) begins on Oct. 1, this coming Sunday. In preparation, I thought that I would review my top 10 activities
Today, I’d like to briefly discuss the continuing practice of insurance payers denying specific diagnoses that a coding professional assigned as valid to report. We
The next Coordination and Maintenance (C&M) Committee meeting will be held on Sept. 12 and 13 . This meeting will be virtual, and you must
Healthcare professionals seeking to get ahead of the curve before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have released the new ICD-10-PCS codes and guidelines for the 2024 fiscal year (FY). There is a
The next big thing in the coding world is the release of the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS codes for the 2024 fiscal year (FY). These codes
Denials have been on my mind for the last few weeks – specifically, how do we prevent them? According to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS),
Action taken by payers is seen as increasing. Having been on the receiving end of audits, and also having been an individual who has conducted
The naming of drugs is a curious matter. My husband had an unconventional friend who let his cat pick his first kid’s name. He wrote
Over the years, computer-assisted coding (CAC) has proven its ability to boost revenue team productivity and accelerate critical decision-making while reducing denials, missed charges, and

Stay ahead of the 2026-2027 audit surge with “Top 10 Audit Targets for 2026-2027 for Hospitals & Physicians: Protect Your Revenue,” a high-impact webcast led by Michael Calahan, PA, MBA. This concise session gives hospitals and physicians clear insight into the most likely federal audit targets, such as E/M services, split/shared and critical care, observation and admissions, device credits, and Two-Midnight Rule changes, and shows how to tighten documentation, coding, and internal processes to reduce denials, recoupments, and penalties. Attendees walk away with practical best practices to protect revenue, strengthen compliance, and better prepare their teams for inevitable audits.

As AI reshapes healthcare compliance, the risk of biased outputs and opaque decision-making grows. This webcast, led by Frank Cohen, delivers a practical Four-Pillar Governance Framework—Transparency, Accountability, Fairness, and Explainability—to help you govern AI-driven claim auditing with confidence. Learn how to identify and mitigate bias, implement robust human oversight, and document defensible AI review processes that regulators and auditors will accept. Discover concrete remedies, from rotation protocols to uncertainty scoring, and actionable steps to evaluate vendors before contracts are signed. In a regulatory landscape that moves faster than ever, gain the tools to stay compliant, defend your processes, and reduce liability while maintaining operational effectiveness.

Get clear, practical answers to Medicare’s most confusing regulations. Join Dr. Ronald Hirsch as he breaks down real-world compliance challenges and shares guidance your team can apply right away.

Federal auditors are zeroing in on Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) and hospital rehab unit services, with OIG and CERT audits leading to millions in penalties—often due to documentation and administrative errors, not quality of care. Join compliance expert Michael Calahan, PA, MBA, to learn the five clinical “pillars” of IRF-PPS admissions, key documentation requirements, and real-life case lessons to help protect your revenue.

Accurately determining the principal diagnosis is critical for compliant billing, appropriate reimbursement, and valid quality reporting — yet it remains one of the most subjective and error-prone areas in inpatient coding. In this expert-led session, Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, demystifies the complexities of principal diagnosis assignment, bridging the gap between coding rules and clinical reality. Learn how to strengthen your organization’s coding accuracy, reduce denials, and ensure your documentation supports true medical necessity.

Denials continue to delay reimbursement, increase administrative burden, and threaten financial stability across healthcare organizations. This essential webcast tackles the root causes—rising payer scrutiny, fragmented workflows, inconsistent documentation, and underused analytics—and offers proven, data-driven strategies to prevent and overturn denials. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen documentation and coding accuracy, engage clinicians effectively, and leverage predictive analytics and AI to identify risks before they impact revenue. Through real-world case examples and actionable guidance, this session empowers coding, CDI, and revenue cycle professionals to shift from reactive appeals to proactive denial prevention and revenue protection.

Sepsis remains one of the most frequently denied and contested diagnoses, creating costly revenue loss and compliance risks. In this webcast, Angela Comfort, DBA, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, provides practical, real-world strategies to align documentation with coding guidelines, reconcile Sepsis-2 and Sepsis-3 definitions, and apply compliant queries. You’ll learn how to identify and address documentation gaps, strengthen provider engagement, and defend diagnoses against payer scrutiny—equipping you to protect reimbursement, improve SOI/ROM capture, and reduce audit vulnerability in this high-risk area.

Only ICD10monitor delivers what you need: updates on must-know changes associated with the FY26 IPPS, including new ICD-10-CM/PCS codes, CCs/MCCs, and MS-DRGs, plus insights, analysis and answers to your questions from two of the country’s most respected subject matter experts.
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