Outpatient Facility Coding Alert - 2011 Issue 2
Reader Questions: Cancer Surgery Could Impact Patient Diagnosis
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This article addresses a common post-surgical coding question involving cancer care follow-up, chemotherapy planning, and pre-treatment evaluation during a postoperative period. It is relevant to coders, billers, and physicians who need to understand how visit purpose, postoperative status, and diagnosis selection are discussed in the context of evaluation and management coding and diagnosis coding changes.
Why This Topic Matters
Postoperative cancer-related visits can affect whether an E/M service is separately reportable and which diagnosis category is used. The article helps coding professionals understand the general documentation and diagnosis-coding considerations surrounding chemotherapy planning and pre-procedure clearance.
What You Will Learn
- How postoperative visits related to cancer treatment planning are discussed in coding practice
- How diagnosis selection may differ between chemotherapy-related encounters, counseling, and pre-treatment examinations
- How the article frames the transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM for certain diagnosis categories
- Why postoperative status matters when considering office visit reporting
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Physicians
- Oncology practice managers
- Coding educators
Codes Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.


Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com