Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

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Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions and answers with full rationale

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CPC Practice Exam and Study Guide Package

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What makes a good CPC Practice Exam? Questions and Answers with Full Rationale

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2018 CPC Practice Exam Answer Key 150 Questions With Full Rationale (HCPCS, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10, CPT Codes) Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

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Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions and answers with full rationale

Capture the Most Specific Diagnosis Codes for Pregnancy

When coding, consider all documented factors such as current and pre-existing conditions, trimester, and age. To capture pregnancy diagnosis codes correctly, documentation must specify the type and trimester of the pregnancy, as well as all related, present co-conditions in the mother. It’s not appropriate to use Z34.00 Encounter for supervision of normal first pregnancy, unspecified […]
AAPC Knowledge Center

Electronic Medical Records – Most Doctors Say No

The Obama administration will be devoting billions of dollars to promote electronic medical records (EMR) for doctors. Today, EMR vendors run in and out of doctors’ offices trying to hawk their software. Each one claims to be the holy grail of electronic records. I admit that the concept seems intoxicating.

The promise of a paperless office is certainly seductive. The notion of physicians and patients having access to their medical records from any computer would improve medical quality and efficiency. Every doctor knows how frustrating it is to see a patient in the emergency room when the relevant medical records are sitting in the primary doctor’s office or in a hospital across town. Conversely, EMR permits the primary physician, who may not have been the hospital treating physician, to be easily updated after hospital discharge when the patient returns to his office. Many patients I see today in my office don’t know their medications and can’t recall prior illnesses or even operations. EMR solves this issue.

EMR also permits easy analysis of patient data to track important medical benchmarks including colon cancer screening, Pap smears, immunizations, mammograms and other preventative tests. Doctors like me who still use paper, rely on old fashioned methods to track who is due for a screening colonoscopy. EMR technology could permit our office to contact all patients who reach the milestone age of 50 alerting them that their colon cancer screening experience is beckoning. This would be superior to our current manual mail & call technique. EMR also eliminates the frustration of a missing medical chart. Electronic files are also more current, since data is entered much faster than paper reports. Sending medical records to other physicians’ offices could be accomplished with a keystroke, which traditionally can take weeks. EMR also eliminates the inscrutable penmanship of physicians, which at times needed CIA code breakers to decipher.

With EMR, patients could have their complete medical data, including EKGs and actual x-ray images on a personal flash key. With this technology, a doctor on a cruise ship could see your chest x-ray from 2 weeks ago.

Over time, EMR saves money by improving office efficiency, reducing repeating medical tests and reducing postage expenses.

If this system promises physicians a medical utopia, then why doesn’t every doctor sign up? The New England Journal of Medicine reported in their April 16, 2009 issue only 17% of physicians is using some degree of EMR in their offices. Hospitals are much further behind in acquiring these systems. Chances are that your physician hasn’t pulled the EMR trigger yet either.

Michael Kirsch, MD is a full time practicing physician and freelance author. He writes about the joys and challenges of medical practice including controversies in the doctor-patient relationship, medical ethics and measuring medical quality. When he is not writing, he is performing colonoscopies. For more articles on this subject, visit: http://mdwhistleblower.blogspot.com/

The Most Important Benefits Of A Medical Weight Loss Clinic

There are major consequences to being heavy. For example, Diabetes Gall Bladder and Gallstones problems, Stroke, Hypertension or high blood pressure, Knee and back pain, Sleep Apnea, Heart Disease, and even Depression could be caused or made worse by being overweight or obesity . Most people who will begin on a diet might not get the long term success they want. That is why having a physician and their staff at the center can be a good thing if you are honestly commit to dropping the pounds.

When you phone the weight loss place , you will set up a appointment with a medical doctor and their people. The doctor will start taking different tests

like body fat index, weight , blood pressure, EKG, and a comprehensive blood work panel. You will make a choice for a diet that is correct for you from the medical choices. These might include bariatric surgery, r a program that is low calorie with shots or drugs, low calorie program or just plain injections.

You will get personal attention from them right away when you start or chose to use them A lot of the other choices of diet programs will have non medical people whose duties are not as important as their sales. Your doctor can be able chart your progress to ensure you have effective weight loss and are safe. They will can say how much is from loss is from muscle loss, water loss, and fat loss and make corrections accordingly.

Your health professionals and doctors at the weight loss place can also help to set accurate and realistic goals using your measurements and body compositions and the program you have. You will get personal attention from your team including the doctor at the weight loss center. A lot of the centers say they get almost 100 percent success with the people who stay with their choice program.

Once you get your goal reached, your relationship for support does not go away. You will have a smaller different kind of contact with the center -like coming in one time per week so they can help you keep your new weight. ninety percent of typical people who can lose weight on a diet plan can add it back on in 6 months, there can also a long running healthy phase at most weight loss clinics.

A lot of clinics have a special plans for particular groups of people such as teens or new moms. As soon you get serious about dropping the pounds off and not about doing the latest and newest fad diet, get in touch with the closest medical weight loss clinic.

Mark Hall reveals ways to lose weight fast and easy to help you reach your goals. You can read his special report disclosing things they don’t tell you about QuickTrim Cleanse.

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Making The Most Of Medical Tourisms

Medical Tourism in India, or Health Tourism in India, is a quickly rising notion, whereby, patients from all over the place visit the country for surgical, medical, and dental care. Up to date infrastructure, highly developed technological support, best of breed equipment, and greater quality of health care and facilities makes India a chosen and preferred medical tourism destination.
With large decrease of 30% in the price of medical treatments, India has crushed the proceedings of Thailand which was one time thought to be the best care spots. Medical tourism in India is taken as one of the cheapest health tourism spots all over the world, in particular in all of Southeast Asia.

Medical tourism in India itself attracts great amounts of foreign tourists every year; it is ranked amid the top 5 desired destinations between the 134 countries surveyed by world renowned Lonely Planet. Therefore, medical tourism not only guarantees a health bound travel but, it in addition offers a complete package coupled with a break, wellness and recuperation.

The uncontainable increase in the incidence of diabetes amongst a large section of the population has led to a great deal of kidney failure cases. The standard cost for a kidney transfer surgery in the US and other international places may range around $ 25,000 to $ 38,000 while the cost of kidney Transplant India or other such sensitive treatments may be just half.
Medical tourism in India is also supported by the fact that most hospitals in India take up those who can converse at ease in English. As a result, you will never experience any language difficulty while talking to doctors, nurses or any other support staff of the hospital.

The doctors from the hospitals /specialty centers in our network keep abreast of the latest technologies accepted worldwide by attending refresher courses from time to time.

Medanta is one of the leading Super Specialty Hospitals catering to Medical Tourism in India. Have a look at their offerings online to see how they can help you.

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Most Common Types of Medical Malpractice

When a medical professional such as a nurse, doctor or hospital provides medical treatment at a lower level than the accepted standard, resulting in the patient’s personal injury or wrongful death, medical malpractice likely occurred.  Medical malpractice, also termed medical negligence, is a serious issue which affects many Americans every year.  These are a few of the situations which may warrant a medical malpractice lawyer.

Pharmaceutical Negligence. When a doctor prescribes medication which has a negative effect on a patient, it may warrant a personal injury lawsuit.  If the patient has a previously disclosed allergy against the medication, for example, a claim may be in order.  If the medication mixes with other current medication in a harmful manner, personal injury or even wrongful death may occur.  Pharmacists may be at fault, as well, if they dispensed a medication incorrectly.
Hospital Negligence. On occasion, the individual physician may not be the one at fault; the establishment is.  When the hospital does not offer the procedures, equipment or policies necessary to serve the patient and that patient’s health is compromised because of it, a medical negligence lawyer can help.
Anesthesia Negligence.  Just like prescriptions, anesthesia can be dangerous when administered incorrectly.  If your anesthesiologist allows you to be harmed by the anesthesia, whether it occurs before, during or after the surgery, call an Austin personal injury law firm.
Delayed Diagnosis. A delayed diagnosis can be disastrous to a patient’s recovery process, particularly in cancer patients.  A delayed diagnosis can worsen a person’s condition beyond repair, resulting in brain damage, head injury or spinal cord injury.
Misdiagnosis. When an incorrect diagnosis is made, a patient often receives inappropriate treatment, exacerbating the condition.
Surgical Error. Whether the surgeon accidentally cut an organ or left a piece of equipment inside the body, a surgical error can result in extensive damage and further procedures.  If you’ve been the victim of surgical error, consider contacting your Austin attorney-at-law.
Birth Injuries.  Medical negligence can cause oxygen deprivation to occur during a child’s birth.  Not even considering all the other reasons for birth injury lawsuits, oxygen deprivation in-and-of itself can cause cerebral palsy, erb’s palsy and brain damage in your child.

If you believe you’re the victim of medical malpractice, contact your Austin medical negligence lawyers immediately.  The statute of limitations in Texas is two years, meaning you may file a personal injury claim for up to two years after the incident occurs.

McMinn Law Firm stands up for your rights.  In Austin, TX, this personal injury law firm has extensive experience fighting for clients in a variety of medical negligence cases.  Call McMinn Law Firm today to schedule your free initial consultation.

Meredi is a writer in Austin, TX interested in protecting her rights. For more thorough information on Austin personal injury law, consult with your local attorneys.

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HIMSS 2017’s Most Discussed Topic: Data Aggregation & Healthcare Technology Integration

HIMSS - Healthcare Technology

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

Data aggregation and healthcare technology integration dominated the conversation at HIMSS 2017 amongst both the attendees and the presenters.  Although many sessions focused on other topics, speakers were often steered into discussing health tech integration and data utilization.

The findings during HIMSS 2017 show that, although providers are committed to value-based healthcare, many hospital CIOs and CMOs acknowledge that their current systems are not prepared to handle the shift to value-based payment models.

In particular, existing hospital technologies often do not have the capability to aggregate the vast amounts of disparate data (from varied locations and systems) required for reporting.

In recent news, “Accenture researchers project that healthcare organizations can save a collective $ 60 billion by making strategic investments in digital technologies.” These technologies, whether provided by an EHR system or a separate vendor, allow organizations to extract the information needed to both accurately report for pay-for-performance programs and improve overall quality and performance.

Specific examples include using actionable analytics to proactively manage population health and value-based care initiatives and the ability to share this information among all participating entities.

The SpectraMedix eMeasures360™ Platform has the capability and flexibility to integrate with multiple, disparate systems to seamlessly aggregate data. The platform is optimized to gather, structure and analyze large amounts of data.

This data feeds downstream measures reporting, hospital analytics and operational improvement solutions which deliver critical insights for health systems, provider organizations and payers to utilize in implementing both standard and unique value-based care initiatives.

 

Did you attend HIMSS 2017? Let me know what you found interesting in the comments below.

 

— This post HIMSS 2017’s Most Discussed Topic: Data Aggregation & Healthcare Technology Integration was written by Jocelyn Wallace and first appeared on Capture Billing. Capture Billing is a medical billing company helping medical practices get their insurance claims paid faster, easier and with less stress allowing doctors to focus on their patients.

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How to Make the Most of Physician Referrals

Any provider who receives referrals from other medical professionals must pay close attention to, and should do their best to nurture, these relationships. Most referrals originate in a primary care physicians office (family practice, pediatrician, internal medicine), but there are also referrals from specialist to specialist. Here are some tips to strengthen your referral patterns. […]
AAPC Knowledge Center