Diagnosis coding for possible malignancy When coding for a suspected or possible condition in the outpatient setting, follow the guidelines in Section IV. Diagnostic Coding and Reporting Guidelines for Outpatient Services. “H. Uncertain Diagnosis Do not code diagnoses documented as “probable,” “suspected,” “questionable,” “rule out,” “compatible with,” or “working diagnosis” or other similar terms indicating […]
Top Denied High-Value Inpatient ICD-10-CM categories of 2025 | Webinar
Event date: February 19th, 2026
1 CEU Expires 2-28-2027
Guest presenter Dr. Amarin “Ty” Alexander
This presentation will cover frequently denied ICD-10-CM codes in Inpatient Hospital claims from 2025. Clinical validation considerations and relevant ICD-10-CM Guidelines will be highlighted from the payer perspective.
ICD-10-CM Update | Webinar
Recorded September 25th, 2025
1 CEU expires 9/30/26
Guest Presenter Shannon McCall of HCPro
ICD-10-CM updates are here and effective starting October 1, 2025. This webinar will describe changes to the all-important ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting.
Aftercare and Follow-Up: ICD-10-CM Coding
Aftercare visit codes are assigned in situations in which the initial treatment of a disease has been performed but the patient requires continued care during the healing or recovery phase, or for the long-term consequences of the disease. ICD-10-CM makes two important points about the use of aftercare codes in the final chapter. The aftercare […]
Diagnosis Coding for Intentional Self-Harm
Another discussion of codes that use placeholder xxxA (or xxx with another 7th character) One of the most searched terms on CodingIntel is xxxA. Experienced diagnosis coders recognize the placeholder digits “xxx” and the 7th character extender A. When we pulled the list of ICD-10-CM codes that have xxxA in them, some relate to self-harm […]
Diagnosis Coding For a Fall (or Other Injury)
When a patient presents for an injury after a fall, practitioners may be tempted to search for the word “fall” and select the first diagnosis that they find. Perhaps, they find the code W06.xxxA “fall from a bed” or even W19.xxxA “unspecified fall”. They select the code, close the encounter, and move on to the […]
ICD-10-CM Chapter Specific Guidelines – Chapters 17–20
The ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting sets the precedent of rules that all diagnostic coders must abide by. Section I.C. covers the chapter-specific guidelines. These offer detailed information about various conditions that require more thorough reporting guidance than the general guidelines provide. Reading the guidelines in their entirety is incredibly important, but this […]
ICD-10-CM Chapter Specific Guidelines – Chapters 14–16
The ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting sets the precedent of rules that all diagnostic coders must abide by. Section I.C. covers the chapter-specific guidelines. These offer detailed information about various conditions that require more thorough reporting guidance than the general guidelines provide. Reading the guidelines in their entirety is incredibly important, but this […]
ICD-10-CM Chapter Specific Guidelines – Chapters 11–13
The ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting sets the precedent of rules that all diagnostic coders must abide by. Section I.C. covers the chapter-specific guidelines. These offer detailed information about various conditions that require more thorough reporting guidance than the general guidelines provide. Reading the guidelines in their entirety is incredibly important, but this […]
DRG Red Flags: A Payor Perspective | Webinar
Recorded November 21st, 2024
Guest Presenter Dr. Amarin “Ty” Alexander
Inpatient DRG coding is based on diagnosis coding. Learn how payers use coding summaries. This webinar describes Present on Admission (POA) conditions that invite scrutiny and why short Length of Stay (LOS) with one Major Complication and Comorbidity (MCC) might raise red flags.
ICD-10-CM Chapter Specific Guidelines – Chapters 7–10
Section I.C of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, titled “Chapter Specific Guidelines,” contains 22 chapters. These chapters offer detailed guidance on specific codes and code ranges in the ICD-10-CM manual. This article is part of a series that will delve into each of the chapters in Section I.C to delineate coding protocols […]
ICD-10-CM Chapter Specific Guidelines – Chapters 4–6
Section I.C of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, titled “Chapter Specific Guidelines,” contains 22 chapters. These chapters offer detailed guidance on specific codes and code ranges in the ICD-10-CM manual. This article is part of a series that will delve into each of the chapters in Section I.C to delineate coding protocols […]
ICD-10-CM Chapter Specific Guidelines – Chapters 1–3
Section I.C of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, titled “Chapter Specific Guidelines,” contains 22 chapters. These chapters offer detailed guidance on specific codes and code ranges in the ICD-10-CM manual. This article is part of a series that will delve into each of the chapters in Section I.C to delineate coding protocols […]
ICD-10-CM Conventions, Structure, and Format: Section I.B
The first step to finding the most accurate code is to confirm that you are working with the correct version of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. The correct version may be the most recent update, or – in the context of retrospective coding– it may need to be a previous version that […]
“xxxA” – ICD-10-CM Placeholder Code X and 7th Character Extension
When I was reviewing terms people use to find CodingIntel I was surprised to find that people were searching for “xxxA.” At first, I was afraid searchers were looking for a different kind of site….or sight. I hope some searchers were looking for information about placeholder code X and 7th character extension A. These are […]
ICD-10-CM Conventions, Structure, and Format: Section I.A
As you read this article, it will be helpful if you have the ICD-10-CM book in front of you. You can download a pdf copy here. And even if you don’t download the entire book, download the Official Guidelines instead. There are four cooperating parties to ICD-10-CM. They publish and update the official guidelines for […]
IRE Inpatient Determinations: Case Studies | Webinar
Recorded August 13th, 2024
Guest Presenter Dr. Amarin “Ty” Alexander
Independent Review Entities review inpatient records for diagnostic accuracy and DRG determinations. This case-study focused webinar will describe important ICD-10-CM Guidelines that establish the rules for these decisions.
Diagnosis Coding for Biopsy Sent for Pathology
Question: What diagnosis code should you use when sending a skin biopsy to pathology? a) D48.5 Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of skin, or b) D49.2 Neoplasm of unspecified behavior of bone, soft tissue, and skin
Diagnosis Coding for Screening Colonoscopy
Some of you have read CodingIntel’s article on coding for screening colonoscopy. The questions we get about that article are almost all related to diagnosis coding. The CPT®/HCPCS coding and the modifiers don’t raise many questions, but clinicians, coders, and patients frequently ask about correct diagnosis coding and sequencing of those codes. We posed these […]
Can you Screen for an Existing Condition? | Diagnosis Coding for Lab Services
Sometimes, the hardest thing about coding for preventive services isn’t the visit at all. It’s the labs. Patients come in for an annual physical and believe that all of the lab work done that day or in preparation for that day will be covered as part of their preventive service. And we know what that […]
Diagnosis Coding for Tick Bites
Question: Why is it so hard to have correct diagnosis coding for tick bites? And, how is it coded? Answer: The search function in electronic health records leads clinicians astray. And, diagnosis coding for tick bites requires two diagnosis codes, because it is an injury. It requires a code from the injury chapter in the […]