Capturing the Spirit of Coding

Coordination and Maintenance committee takes place Sept. 11 and 12 at CMS.

The Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting takes place twice per year, in March and September. These meetings develop the spirit of coding. In other words, the meetings center on the philosophy or the intent of the codes.
One example is the development of the external cause status codes. Many coders have wondered why these codes exist, but the reason they were created was to determine which injuries occurred to military personnel or civilians working military jobs. That philosophy was first discussed at the Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting in March 2008, and was finalized in September 2008.

The ICD-10-CM topics for this September include the following:

• Alcohol use, unspecified with withdrawal
• Cocaine use, unspecified with withdrawal
• Breast mass/lump in overlapping quadrants
• Congenital deformities of the feet
• Cyclical vomiting
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Dravet syndrome
• Drowning/submersion occurring in natural bodies of water
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• Electronic nicotine delivery systems
• Latent tuberculosis infection
• Orbital roof fracture and wall
• Osteopenia of hip
• Polyps and angiodysplasia of jejunum and ileum
• Pressure ulcer of mucosal membrane by site
• Sjogren syndrome
• Slipped upper femoral epiphysis

A number of these topics have been previously discussed at Coordination and Maintenance Committee meetings. The agenda has been posted. 

The ICD-10-PCS topics for the upcoming meeting include:

• Lymphatic mapping in gynecological cancers
• Administration of Vabomere
• Cell suspension autografting
• Intramedullary limb lengthening system
• Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator
• Administration of Erdafitinib
• Administration of Esketamine
• Administration of ERLEADA Apalutamide
• Angioplasty with sustained release drug eluting stent
• T-Cell depleted stem cell transplantation
• Fluorescence-guided brain tumor surgery using Gleolan ™

Discussion of the procedure codes typically marks a precursor to their being classified as a new technology add-on payment under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS). This agenda has been posted as well.

If you are interested in attending in person, you must register by Sept. 4, 2018. The registration form can be completed online at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/events/. You only have to register if you are attending in person. If you are interested in listening in, dial 1-877-267-1577 with meeting ID 908-381-636 for Sept. 11, 2018, and 1-877-267-1577 with meeting ID 909-444-644 for Sept. 12, 2018. Use http://www.cms.gov/live/ to watch the live webcast. Virtual attendees are able to provide comments to the proposals.   

The procedure proposals will be presented first, followed by the diagnosis topics. The procedure information can be found online at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD9ProviderDiagnosticCodes/ICD-9-CM-C-and-M-Meeting-Materials.html. The diagnosis information/agenda can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd9cm_maintenance.htm. 

If you want to understand the background and “spirit” of the ICD-10-CM/PCS codes, it is recommended to attend these important meetings. If the timing does not work, the recordings will be available approximately one week after the meeting.

Program Note

Listen to Laurie Johnson report this developing story during today’s Talk Ten Tuesdays.

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