The Coding Dilemma: Reporting Deep-Tissue Pressure Injuries

The release of the fiscal year (FY) 2020 Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (OCG) has resulted in confusion and apprehension surrounding the intent of the new guideline related to the new ICD-10-CM codes for pressure-induced deep-tissue damage or deep-tissue pressure injury (L89.-6).

The ambiguity stems from what appears to be conflicting advice found within the coding guidelines (I.C.12.a) regarding pressure ulcer stage codes, as you’ll learn when Lisa Baris, Director of Health Information Management (HIM) and Healthcare Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) for Nuance Communications reports our lead story during this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays.

The podcast will also feature these other segments:

• CDI Report: In order to effectively challenge DRG reassignments, facilities should retain a team of physicians that can review the cases and generate clinically robust appeal letters that adhere to the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting for ICD-10-CM/PCS and Coding Clinic. Dr. Wilbur Lo, chief medical and CDI officer for cdiWorks, returns to the broadcast to report on a successful appeal case involving physician CDI input and clinical validation of a pelvic abscess.
  
  
• The Coding Report: Laurie Johnson reports on the World Health Organization’s decision to declare the deadly virus that has resulted in 170 deaths in China, a global emergency. The first person-to-person spread of the virus was reported in the U.S. this week.
  
  
• RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) career professional turned well-known healthcare IT authority, reports on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington, D.C.
  
  
• News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert, and ICD10monitor national correspondent anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.
   
• TalkBack: Holly Louie, RN joins the podcast to cover the results from the National Coding Contest and how coding is getting worse.