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Staying Healthy While Traveling

It’s finally time to take that important business trip or long-anticipated vacation. You’ve packed the essentials, planned your itinerary, and made your travel arrangements. But are you completely prepared? Whether you are traveling domestically or internationally, don’t forget to plan for your health, too. 5 Tips for Everyday Disease Prevention Before the first leg of […]

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AAPC Knowledge Center

ICD 10 code for patient traveling abroad

Hello,

Can anyone tell me what code would be most appropriate for a provider to use if patient is presenting because they are traveling abroad and may need immunizations?

Provider selected counseling code Z71.89, and they did provide counseling about drinking water, food etc., but I was thinking more like Z76.89 "persons encountering health services in other specified circumstances, or NOS.

Please let me know your thoughts?

Thanks,

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

E/M level for patient presenting due to traveling abroad

Hello,

Can anyone share their experience with billing (or not billing out) and E/M level for an established patient coming in due to traveling abroad?

There is no "Chief Complain" (person is healthy)
ROS = 8
PSFH = 3
PE = 9

Assessment & Plan: Provider selected Z71.89 (which I don’t agree with…I would use Z76.89)
Provider selected Z23 (which I agree with because patient received Men B shot)

Any information greatly appreciated!!:confused:

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Traveling To Ecuador for Medical Services

A relative small country located in South America, bordered in the north with Colombia, in the South and east with Peru and to the west with the Pacific Ocean, has a population of 14 million people and 256.000 square kilometers. The local currency since 2000 is the US Dollar, which gives travelers coming from the United States a convenience way to pay and manage local prices. The official language is Spanish. English is widely understood in mayor cities and tourist areas.

 

Ecuador is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, the home of the Galapagos Islands, pristine, white, sandy virgin beaches and national parks scattered along her Pacific coastline.  Visitors to Ecuador may enjoy swimming in warm sea waters year round, or venture into the higher mountain ranges for hiking, backpacking, bicycle riding, or just to enjoy the vistas.

 

Visitors to Ecuador also have a wealth of opportunities to explore the Amazon jungle, its beauties, dangers and unique culinary opportunities. The people of Ecuador are extremely friendly and welcoming to tourists and foreigners, regardless of their origin.

 

Medical Tourism in Ecuador
People don’t just come to Ecuador to see beautiful sights, but also for their burgeoning medical tourism industry. Facilities like Med Travel Ecuador make traveling to Ecuador for fun and health care easy and enjoyable. “We promote the most competitive medical procedures and technologies not only in Ecuador but South America,” says Pablo Calisto, Director of Med Travel Ecuador. “We’ve partnered with outstanding medical providers and facilities and the largest corporate travel agency in Ecuador to provide the best of both to individuals seeking quality and affordable medical services.”

 

Tours of Quito Old Town are offered by a variety of tour and travel agents and operators, offering visitors to chance to take a horse-drawn carriage ride through some of the oldest and most beautiful architecture in South America. Travelers can also walk portions of Old Town, discovering and admiring centuries old churches covered with gold dust in their altars, streets still lined with colonial houses and popular plazas where visitors can sit and watch locals. From the Plaza de la Independencia to the Government Palace, Quito Old Colonial City offers visitors a variety of sights, sounds, and exciting opportunities to taste diverse street or restaurant food throughout the city.

 

Feast your eyes and your imagination on ancient Incan ruins. A country with a rich and diverse history and culture, Ecuador offers a variety of adventures, landmarks, and scenic delights to please individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

 

When traveling in Ecuador, don’t forget to visit the Chimborazo volcano, with 6.268 meters above see level, the highest summit in Ecuador and the closest point to the sun on earth, nor the spectacular vistas of driving the Quilotoa Loop through the Andes Mountains. The more adventuresome will find a wealth of horseback riding, surfing, hiking and mountaineering opportunities, while city lovers will certainly enjoy the architecture and culture in Ecuador’s museums, restaurants, and hotel facilities and accommodations.

 

Getting There
It’s easy to travel to Ecuador. All you need is a passport and a ticket. No visa is necessary for American citizens, and there are plenty of direct daily flights from Atlanta, Houston, Miami and New York to Quito (capital) or Guayaquil (port) you can enter Ecuador from her neighboring countries of Peru and Colombia or via international routes to her airports as long as your passport documents are in order. You can also enter by foot or bicycle if you wish. To see dozens of animal, insects, or avian wildlife as you never have before, or to hike the Galapagos Islands, climb a volcano, or go swimming in crystal clear waters, a visit to Ecuador offers travelers what they’re looking for. Friendly, warm, and always exciting, Ecuador is a place you will enjoy and never forget.

 

“Ecuador is a warm, friendly country that offers more than beautiful landscapes and beach getaways,” says Pramod Goel, CEO and Founder of PlacidWay, an international medical resource for international travelers. “We’re happy to join our efforts with Med Travel to offer medical travelers around the world the best in medical services, procedures and technologies for optimal health and wellness.”

MEDTRAVEL Ecuador is your medical travel partner to obtain top quality surgical or dental care while you enjoy Quito or travel within Ecuador (South America). We assure you excellent medical services offered by our healthcare providers during your medical vacation.

Traveling to Thailand For Medical Tourism

In the United States and Europe, specialized medical procedures tend to be very expensive. For this reason, medical tourism has become an increasingly popular trend in the western world. Medical tourism refers to the practice of traveling abroad in search of cheaper and usually better specialized medical treatments. In Asia, Thailand is one of the premier destinations for medical tourism. The medical tourism industry is starting to become one of the fastest growing sectors of Thailand’s economy. A single hospital in Bangkok, for example, received over 150,000 foreigners seeking specialized medical treatment in 2005. Medical tourism brought into the Thai economy an estimated 36.4 billion baht in 2006 alone.

People going to Thailand for medical tourism can find a wide range of medical procedures available at a drastically lower price than they would find in any western hospital. Everything from plastic surgery to heart transplants can be had for a mere fraction of what it would cost in the United States or Europe. A coronary bypass surgery, for example, goes for at least $ 100,000 in the United States. In Thailand, the same exact procedure costs only a mere $ 12,000. But it is not only high-risk medical surgeries that people go for. Spa therapy and physical therapy facilities are also popular medical tourism attraction, especially in large cities like Bangkok and Thai resort towns. Thai hospitals and clinics have a reputation for providing excellent patient care at a much higher level than what people are used to in western hospitals.

But it’s not only to westerners that Thai hospitals cater to. They also attract a vast number of wealthy Asian foreigners. One hospital in Bangkok has an entire section of the hospital dedicated solely to the care of Japanese patients. Interpreters at Phyathai Hospitals Group speak over 22 languages (this is in addition to the English, which is spoken by all working staff).

Most physicians in Thailand are highly skilled and accredited. Many attended U.S. and European medical schools for their certificates. Doctors and medical staff at the Bumrungard International Hospital in Thailand, for example, were for the most part educated in the United States or Europe. The U.S. Consular information sheet recently ranked Thailand as having one of the best health care systems in Asia. 

To learn more about medical travel and health tourism please visit http://www.wellnesstravel.com

What are the Best Places to Find Traveling Medical Coding and Billing Jobs?

Top Medical Coding Schools

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Being stagnant in a desk job can be dull and tiresome for many. Having the flexibility to travel and see the world while earning a steady income isn’t feasible in most careers, except medical coding and billing. Travel coders are certified, experienced professionals who receive short-term assignments in different health facilities. Traveling medical coding and billing jobs allow you to visit various medical offices for collecting, analyzing, monitoring, and recording diagnosis codes. According to AAPC, the job outlook for medical coding and billing is bright as the field grows by 21 percent. If you’re looking for the freedom to flutter around the country, here are some great places to find traveling medical coding and billing jobs.

Maxim Health Information Services

Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Maxim Health Information Services is a privately held, healthcare staffing company founded in 2001. Employing over 60,000 health professionals nationwide, Maxim is a fast-growing service offering on-site and remote coding support to licensed clinical practices, including VA medical centers. Committed to quality, Maxim won the 2014 Best Practice Award for compliance training from Health Ethics Trust. Current listings for Maxim include travel medical coding and billing jobs. Maxim hires credentialed HIM specialists with at least one year of clinical documentation experience. While visiting cities across the United States, MHIS employees receive competitive salaries and free ICD-10 training.

Randstad Healthcare

Established in 2012, Randstad Healthcare is a medical staffing firm located in Woburn, Massachusetts, with over 600 U.S. branches. As part of the $ 22.9 billion Randstad Holding NV, the company matches qualified health professionals with over 1,400 facilities nationwide. In 2015, Randstad won Inavero’s “Best of Staffing” Award for talent satisfaction. Certified by the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations (NATHO), Randstad offers travel positions from four to 26 weeks. Travel coders receive competitive benefits packages with housing subsidies, travel reimbursement, 401(k) plans, insurance, and bonuses. Getting hired by Randstad will require CPC certification and at least one year of experience.

M*Modal

With over 10,000 employees, M*Modal is a public clinical documentation company serving healthcare providers nationwide from its headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee. Since 2001, M*Modal has grown to transcribe and code more than 400 million dictation minutes yearly. Last year, M*Modal was among the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Top Tech 50 finalists. The website reports that M*Modal is presently hiring remote and traveling coders. M*Modal has in-house training to prepare employees for applying ICD-10 codes for its 3,800+ clients. Sign-on bonuses, paid holidays, mentoring, and travel reimbursement are included. Holding CCS or CPC credentials and two years of experience is expected.

These are among the best places to find traveling medical coding and billing jobs. Other great companies include Aviacode, SourceMed, and Healthcare Resource Group. For more opportunities, consider joining the AAPC and searching the job board. LinkedIn groups are also available for recruiting talented coding and billing specialists. Being determined in your research can help you leave your cubicle and land a traveling job.

Want to earn the qualifications for the above jobs? Check out The 10 Best Online Medical Coding Programs and The Top 10 Medical Billing and Coding Schools

Top Medical Coding Schools