 As of March 27, 2020, there have been more than a half a milion confirmed cases of COVID-19, including nearly 90,000 in the U.S. alone. As numbers of new cases continue to grow, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expands their recommendations of social distancing for containment measures, increasingly disrupting daily life, and ultimately the livelihood of many individuals.
The situation has now reached the point where public health officials are encouraging and in some regions requiring people to stay home. As a result, Telehealth Services have dramatically increased, becoming critical in caring for patients as the COVID-19 pandemic swiftly evolves.
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 Hierarchical Coding Categories (HCC) is becoming a common term as healthcare continues to move toward an “outcomes” based model. Understanding the acronym T.O.A.D is of utmost importance.
 The healthcare industry is facing many obstacles in the coming year that pose new challenges to healthcare organizations. With new government regulations, advancements in technology, and savvier, well-informed patients, the landscape for 2020 looks to bring many changes.
Axea Solutions examined recent rulings and emerging issues and spoke with clients to determine areas that healthcare facilities will be focusing efforts in 2020. While there are far greater than five areas of focus, these are the top five significant concerns we determined to pose the most challenges and to have the highest impact on the healthcare industry in the coming year.  It is important to understand the requirements for Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Advanced Diagnostic Imaging as well as the impact to expect on the various aspects of operations upon implementation.
Advanced diagnostic imaging is considered MRI, CT, PET, and Nuclear Medicine (X-rays, Ultrasound, and Fluoroscopy services are not included under the definition of advanced imaging). AUC links a specific clinical condition on presentation, services, and an assessment of the appropriateness of services. AUC’s evidence-based criteria for imaging is meant to assist clinicians in selecting the imaging study that is most likely to improve health care outcomes.  The October issue of the NAHRI Journal features Axea Solutions CEO Susan Gatehouse in the article, “Better together: Creating synergies between CDI and coding”
The article discusses how CDI and coding professionals both bring a high level of expertise and value throughout the revenue cycle and billing process; and how each group of individuals approach documentation from two very distinctly different perspectives. “Both perspectives are critical, says Susan Gatehouse, RHIA, CPC, CCS, CEO of Axea Solutions, Inc ., particularly with the rise of clinical validation denials. “However, mutual respect and understanding is required. “The endgame is your quality reporting should improve, and also the days in A/R should decrease,” she adds. Gatehouse affirms that finding a way to bridge the gap and shift processes so that CDI and coding work as a team is critical to ensure accurate and complete documentation, coding, and reimbursement. NAHRI members can view the article online.  Apart from the 244 new, 72 revised and 68 deleted codes in next year’s CPT manual, there have been recent updates on additional code set changes that warrant a mention!
One notable addition to the updates is the new dry needling codes, also known as trigger point dry needling. Linked, yet separate is Trigger point injections, with established codes that have often been problematic for coders – so when you’re adding dry needling it may create additional confusion – be sure to prepare and be proactive. It is also important to pay particular attention to the new musculoskeletal add-on codes for drug delivery device implant and removal.  There is much chatter out there about “Artificial Intelligence” and “Machine Learning.” We’ve been hearing these terms for years, but in the past primarily just in the movies with stories about AI robots taking over the world and such. However, recently, these terms have emerged as commonplace and are actually being applied in a wide variety of ways making astonishing advances throughout various industries, in particular healthcare.
From medical devices to clinical research, the impact this technology has already made in healthcare sectors is significant. It is apparent that healthcare is moving in the direction of AI and machine learning, but do you ever find yourself asking the question, what exactly do these terms mean and what’s the difference between the two?  BY SUSAN GATEHOUSE, CEO, AXEA SOLUTIONS HIMA held this years’ CDI Summit in the Windy City (aka Chicago, which is a bit more humid than windy this time of year), on July 14-15, 2019. The theme of the conference was Advancing the Documentation Journey, and as promised, it provided many insights on the topic through practical workshops, informative presentations, and several keynote addresses from well-respected industry experts. Here are some highlights from the event -
 As organizations continue to move through various implementation models of quality vs. quality payment, it is imperative that no stone is left unturned.
At a macro level, the details of an ICD-10 code assignment may not seem impactful to some departments. So in many cases, the 2020 FY IPPS changes do not pose any significant alterations, certainly not from a surface level. However, taking a closer look into the details, Axea Solutions explored the various changes, and as a result, some areas stood out.  Congratulations to Emory Healthcare on two of their hospitals being named in the Becker's Healthcare 2019 list of "100 Great Hospitals in America." Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital and Emory University Hospital, both selected as industry leaders among the nation’s top health care organizations that have achieved advanced accreditation and certification in several specialties.
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