Tag: Social Determinants of Health

ICD-10-CM and PCS code

ICD-10-CM & PCS Code Changes Every Medical Coder Needs to Know

The recent ICD-10-CM and PCS code updates, let’s delve into a mixed bag of relevant topics. One significant change allows us to assign severity levels for certain eating disorder diagnoses. For anorexia nervosa (both restricting and binge eating/purging types), bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, we can now specify the following severity levels: Mild Moderate […]
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 2025 CMS Proposed Rule

Proposed Rule for inpatient and LTCHs for FY 2025

2025 CMS Proposed Rule: Announcing this week a proposed rule for inpatient and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) for the fiscal year of 2025 (FY), federal officials cited an increasing focus on social determinants of health (SDoH). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also prioritized improving maternal health and strengthening emergency preparedness, which noted […]
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ICD-10-2024-Most-Significant-Changes

ICD-10 2024: A Deep Dive into the Most Significant Changes

Greetings and welcome to the latest edition of our healthcare coding newsletter! In order for us to remain abreast of the ever-evolving landscape of medical documentation, we must stay up-to-date with updates to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) from time to time. In this article, we will take a closer look at […]
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Use-of-Z-Codes-to-Document-Social-Determinants-of-Health

Underutilization of Z-Codes: Impact on Documenting Social Determinants of Health

The utilization of Z-codes for recording social determinants of health is notably low, as indicated by two distinct studies. Although these codes were integrated into ICD-10 to aid healthcare establishments in documenting and monitoring social determinants of health, recent findings published in Health Affairs Scholar highlight their underutilization. The initial study, conducted by University researchers, […]
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Darker side of AI in healthcare

AI in Healthcare: Revealing the Risks and Challenges Ahead

AI represents a promising frontier, especially in healthcare, where leveraging vast information could revolutionize problem-solving. However, a shadow looms over AI, as anticipated by many. In the realm of health insurance and patient care denials, AI has already stirred controversy, leading to a notable class action lawsuit. According to reports from healthcare News, Health Insurance […]
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2022-medicare-advantage-plan-overview-part-three-social-determinants

2022 Medicare Advantage Plan Overview, Part Three: Social Determinants

  “Medicare Advantage plans have a unique and growing opportunity to address the needs of socioeconomically vulnerable populations and improve their health,” reports America’s Health Insurance Plans. More plans for individuals with low incomes, as well as targeted SDOH investments and initiatives, round out carrier approaches. On the benefits side, offerings such as meals, transportation, […]
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Biden’s Administration on COVID-19 Testing & Treatment

Biden Administration Invests in Expanding COVID-19 Testing and Treatments

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is releasing new funding aimed at helping schools reopen and to expand access to COVID-19 testing and treatments among underserved populations. On Wednesday, HHS made two funding announcements – to invest more than $12 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, as well as $150 million to increase access to monoclonal antibody therapeutic treatments […]
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COVID-19 Testing Guidance

HHS Issues Requirements for Additional Data and Timely Submission of COVID-19 Testing

With concerns of COVID-19 having a disproportionate impact on certain individuals, such as minorities and the elderly, public health experts are requiring more detailed data, provided on a real-time basis – further supporting the reliability and integrity of data being central to healthcare. Though rates of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have somewhat stabilized, […]
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