The Continuous Challenge to Code and Document COPD Compliantly

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to be a challenge to code and document – its coding in particular, and its sequencing, can be difficult. As a medical diagnosis, COPD is one of the most frequently searched terms on the Internet.

Shedding light on this subject during this episode of Talk Ten Tuesdays is Nelly Leon-Chisen, the director of coding and classification for the American Hospital Association (AHA).

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the federal ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee (C&M) met to hear from proposals for new code topics. During this episode we will also have two reports on this major healthcare event, which was held at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) headquarters in Baltimore. Reporting on the proposals are Linda Holtzman, the founder of Clarity Coding, and coding educator and consultant Laurie Johnson.

Other segments featured in this episode include:

• News Desk: The aforementioned Laurie Johnson anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays news desk.
   
  
  
• Mental Health Report: Talk Ten Tuesdays resident psychiatrist H. Steven Moffic, MD, reports on major sports story involving the self-disclosure of NBA basketball star Kevin Love that he suffers from panic attacks. Yes, there is a code for panic disorder. 
   
  
  
• TalkBack:Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host Erica Remer, MD, discusses a coding-clinical disconnect in the Official Guidelines regarding poisoning versus adverse effects. 

Talk Ten Tuesdays. More than just talk.™