The Medical Minute – MMI Medical Blog
2020 CPT Code Updates
In September 2019, the American Medical Association (AMA) announced the release of the 2020 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set. This code set contains identifiers and descriptors assigned to each surgical, medical, and diagnostic service available to...
Helpful Tips to Begin Your Medical Coding Career: Part Two
Please refer to part one of this blog post here. Once you have a credential, you’ll want to jump right in to searching for a job. To do that, you’ll need to make a resume! Be sure to mention your new credential on your resume as well. If you obtain your RMC...
Helpful Tips to Begin Your Medical Coding Career: Part One
So you’re thinking of beginning a career in medical coding, but have no idea where to begin or what the process of starting a coding career may even look like. Here are some tips to help you begin your medical coding career: The first thing you should do is some...
How to Code Mammogram Screenings
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In light of increased mammograms during this month, it is important to know and understand how to code these services. Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) now recognizes the CPT mammogram codes, since the G codes CMS...
Hepatitis C Screening Codes
Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver. Hepatitis C is the most common bloodborne pathogen and is the most common cause of death from an infectious disease. The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) can cause chronic liver disease, liver cancer, cirrhosis, and death....
Risk Adjustment Coding for Pediatric Chronic Conditions
A pediatric chronic condition is a health problem that lasts over three months while also affecting the child's normal activities and requires medical care and/or hospitalization(s). Approximately 15 to 18 percent of children in the United States live with a chronic...
Top 5 Soft Skills Needed in a Healthcare Position
Healthcare's central principle is moving away from patient volume and toward patient value. With rising costs in medical care, especially out-of-pocket expenses on the patient's end, patients are looking for and expecting a greater quality of service and positive...
Waiving Patient Copays
So you may be thinking you're doing a patients a huge favor when you write off their copays for your provider's services, but in reality you could be hurting your practice or yourself badly from this process. If your practice waives a patient's financial...
The Potential Impact of ICD-10 Excludes1 Notes
Many years ago, problem lists started appearing at the beginning of an Evaluation and Management note, the notes were dictated and transcribed, and the list was recreated for each new visit. Coders that have been around before the switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 know the...
Tips For Communicating With Patients About Medical Coding
Communicating with patients can be a bit difficult at times. You are trained to code and bill as seen fit from the provider’s documentation and maybe even how to communicate with the provider, but not the communication with the patient aspect. With patients’...