Much was covered during the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee (C&M) meeting last week at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) headquarters in Baltimore.
The first striking item was that there were no procedure proposals made during this meeting. There was discussion about three root operations – creation, control, and extraction. The definition of the root operation of creation was changed for the 2017 fiscal year, to include the heart and great vessels body system for the creation of new cardiac valves with current tissue due to congenital deformities.
It was suggested that the change in the root operation was inappropriate, and thereafter it was proposed that this definition should be returned to its original form. The recent changes to the root operation of control have led to a public request of adding the root operation to the ear/nose/sinus body system.
This comment suggested that “control” was meant to apply to general body parts, and the appropriate body system to add the root operation to would be anatomical regions, general. The index addendum was discussed with regard to aspiration biopsies, which now have an entry for extraction, diagnostic. This discussion centered on the confusion of using “extraction” for bone marrow, with the fluid extracted coded to the drainage root operation. There was also the thought that the proposed entries might create confusion for coders. Comments were suggested before the addendum was finalized.
Another discussion that was meaningful for coders focused on the root operation of fusion. It was stated during the meeting that the fusion tables were being updated, and the “no device value” was being removed from the fusion tables. The use of this root operation requires a device to be considered a fusion. The removal of this value should make the choices more straightforward for coders.
The ICD-10-PCS Index and Table were also reviewed with internal and public suggestions. The table suggestions focused on expanding qualifiers and adding brand names for the devices. Many of the updates included typographical corrections as well.
There is a YouTube video of the meeting that can be found online at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD9ProviderDiagnosticCodes/ICD-9-CM-C-and-M-Meeting-Materials-Items/2017-09-12-MeetingMaterials.html?DLPage=1&DLEntries=10&DLSort=0&DLSortDir=descending. The ICD-10-PCS materials can be found at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD9ProviderDiagnosticCodes/Downloads/2017-09-12-Agenda.pdf.
Comments are due to CMS regarding procedures by Nov. 13, 2017. There will be no procedures added to the code set in April 2018, based on there being no requests for this status.
The diagnosis portion of this meeting encompassed one and a half days. The diagnosis portion of the meeting was more substantial and will be covered in Part 2 of this series.
PROGRAM NOTE: Listen to Laurie Johnson live tomorrow, Sept. 19, 10-10:30 a.m. ET on Talk Ten Tuesdays as she reports live on the outcome of last week’s C&M meeting.
As the federal government shutdown drags on, an alarming message began circulating across the healthcare community: “physicians won’t get paid until the government reopens.” The
October is National Dental Hygiene Month, a great time to take a look at dental coding. For coders who assign ICD-10 codes, our first thought
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
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.
This third session in our 2026 IPPS Masterclass will feature a review of FY26 changes to the MS-DRG methodology and new technology add-on payments (NTAPs), presented by nationally recognized ICD-10 coding expert Christine Geiger, MA, RHIA, CCS, CRC, with bonus insights and analysis from Dr. James Kennedy.
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.
During this essential RACmonitor webcast Michael Calahan, PA, MBA Certified Compliance Officer, will clarify the rules, dispel common misconceptions, and equip you with practical strategies to code, document, and bill high-risk split/shared, incident-to & critical care E/M services with confidence. Don’t let audit risks or revenue losses catch your organization off guard — learn exactly what federal auditors are looking for and how to ensure your documentation and reporting stand up to scrutiny.
Learn how to navigate the proposed elimination of the Inpatient-Only list. Gain strategies to assess admission status, avoid denials, protect compliance, and address impacts across Medicare and non-Medicare payors. Essential insights for hospitals.
RACmonitor is proud to welcome back Dr. Ronald Hirsch, one of his most requested webcasts. In this highly anticipated session, Dr. Hirsch will break down the complex Two Midnight Rule Medicare regulations, translating them into clear, actionable guidance. He’ll walk you through the basics of the rule, offer expert interpretation, and apply the rule to real-world clinical scenarios—so you leave with greater clarity, confidence, and the tools to ensure compliance.
Prepare for the 2025 CMS IPPS Final Rule with ICD10monitor’s IPPSPalooza! Click HERE to learn more
Get 15% OFF on all educational webcasts at ICD10monitor with code JULYFOURTH24 until July 4, 2024—start learning today!
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24
