Achieving Health Goals Through Positive Thinking - The Healing Code

Positive thinking has been unfairly criticised at times for claiming to achieve more than it can deliver. It can't accomplish everything but then what else can?

An Irish banker, Dermot O'Connor, has recently demonstrated clearly the power of positive thinking. I listened to him talking to Gloria Hunniford, the host of the 'Heaven and Earth' Show, on BBC1 on July 30th, 2006.

8 years ago, Dermot had been a high flying banker working out of Dublin. He was used to travelling all over the world and, literally, had the world at his feet.

However, one morning he went to work and made an urgent business call. He started talking with slurred speech on the phone like a drunken man.

Everyone in the office started laughing. They thought that he had been drinking the night before.

Over the next few weeks he discovered that he had an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis. He had experienced two attacks in two months. His life fell apart.

He nearly died at the time of the diagnosis according to a lot of people. Doctors told him he could not be cured and that his quality of life would change dramatically and immediately.

He continued to take what he could from conventional medicine but sought help from other sources as well.

"What made you think you must do something as well as accepting the conventional medicine which you believe in?" asked Gloria Hunniford.

"The time of diagnosis was a very grim time for me," replied Dermot.

"The Chinese say: 'Where the mind goes the body eventually follows.' I was told about all these terrible things that potentially would happen to me and, initially, I felt worse every single day.

"I turned to positive mental techniques including NLP and mental techniques from the East just because I wanted to survive this condition mentally but instead of just coping mentally I was surprised to find some of my symptoms started to dissipate.

"Because my mind was thinking my legs are going to get weaker and my bladder is going to get weaker, I had this kind of ritual everyday where I would stand up and test the strength of my legs and check my eyesight to see if my vision was going to change.

"Everyday I would feel I was getting worse but, because of the techniques I was using, I was now feeling that I was getting stronger physically in every way.

"After about 8 months my symptoms had disappeared!"

Dermot knew of course that remission is possible with MS but believes:

"You must actively participate in bringing yourself into remission."

Gloria Hunniford's beautiful daughter, Caron Keating, had cancer for 7 years before she died aged 41. Gloria believed that positive thinking helped extend her life:

Caron lived by the book 'The Power of Now' i.e. living in the moment and being really positive all the time.

Gloria described what they spoke about: "We never talked about death - only about life and I believe positive thinking can extend life.... but everyone's cellular make up is different and everybody reacts differently. It can't be a pattern for everybody

Dermot continued: "I don't believe positive thinking can cure all ills but, with a multi-dimensional approach, you can help your doctors to treat your illness.

"There is lot of skill involved. Just like an Olympic athlete, you don't rely on your coach to win the gold medal for you. You have optimum nutrition and exercise plans and a sports psychologist to support you.

"You don't just go to the coach and say 'I'd like to win the gold medal. I'll check back in next month to see how I am doing.' You'd go through a whole process and one aspect of that would be a positive mental attitude.

"Saying 'positive mental attitude' is a bit like saying football is about kicking a ball. It is an acquired skill and there a lot of techniques we go through in the book."

Dermot has written a book about his experiences called 'The Healing Code'

"MS opened my consciousness to many different things. Much of the stuff in the book - all of the stuff - is scientifically verified."

Dr Mark Hamilton took part in the interview representing at least one viewpoint from orthodox medicine. He agreed with all of Dermot O'Connor's views:

"I can't see any clash. Positive thinking seems to work alongside conventional medicine. The NHS or the doctor is the coach but it is up to you to take your training forward. Whatever the diagnosis is, happy people have been proved to live longer. Doctors would be foolish to ignore this.

Gloria commented: "I like the word 'complementary' rather than 'alternative' medicine."

She did feel, however, that Dermot O'Connor had made some sweeping claims on the first page of his book which might not apply to everyone.

Dermot admitted: "It's not the immortality code - no book can tell you how to survive all illnesses - if you look at people like Lance Armstrong who have recovered when the odds are stacked against them rarely is it simply just a miracle.

"There are more things taking place and more responsibility being taken by the person. Of course, when people try all these things they can still fail."

Dr Mark Hamilton gave his view again: "Conventional doctors are advocating looking into other areas and adding on to what conventional medicine can provide.

"I don't think any doctor worth their degree is going to say that what we know is going to cure everything. What we can do has limitations. I think complementary medicine is in addition to conventional medicine. I can't see any clash."

Gloria finished the interview with a question for viewers:

"Do you agree with Dermot that we all have the power within us and the positive thinking to change our lives and help us recover from illness or should we just stick with conventional medicine and let the doctors do their job?"

Several years after his diagnosis, Dermot is in the best health of his life. He has moved from grim despair to being a bright and energetic proponent of positive thinking and multi-dimensional healing. He believes that what helped him can help others as well. .

It was refreshing to hear the views of an open minded doctor like Dr. Mark Hamilton. There is no need for 'either, or'. There is every need for 'both, and'.

Conventional and complementary medicine can give us two strings to our bow and enhance our chances of both mental and physical survival.

When we add positive thinking to the mix, we are not guaranteed final success but surely have a much better chance of achieving our health goals.

There is second key lesson, apart from positive thinking, which emerges from Dermot's story. He took responsibility for his own health. He did not rely solely on the doctor to cure him.

Taking responsibility for our own health is not a burden but a relief. There is something we can do apart from sitting in waiting rooms and consulting a doctor for the average ten minutes. We might even enjoy the experience of finding out more about what produces good health.

We can test out several systems for ourselves and decide, for ourselves, which works best for us.

I found the whole interview to be a refreshing change from the usual clash between conventional and complementary medicine and am relieved to think that I can take responsibility for my own health.

John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith.
Check out http://www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php

Ezine editors / Site owners

Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include the resource box above

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Home Health Coding - Complicated Surgical Wounds

If a patient's surgical wound may be complicated, but the coding need not be. Heed these three simple steps to ensure the accurately reporting all the care your agency provides.

1. Know when it is complicated:

A complication is a problem that takes place during the healing process of the initial surgical procedure which impacts healing negatively, says Judy Adams, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C, president and CEO of Adams Home Care Consulting in Chapel Hill, N.C. For instance, an infected surgical wound is thought of as complicated.

Tip: According to Adam, there is no time limit to coding a surgical wound as complicated. Even if the complication takes place sometime after surgery, you can still code for the wound as complicated.

2. Get to the right code

See under "complication" in the alphabetic index of your coding manual to start your search, says Adams. After this, verify the code in the tabular list, and follow the directions for any additional codes. Adam points out, there're many complication codes for wounds of all types in chapter 17 at 996.xx (Complications peculiar to certain specified procedures), 997.6x (Amputation stump complication), 998.3x (Disruption of wound), and 998.5x (Postoperative infection) for postoperative wound complications. Moreover, look to 998.83 (Non-healing surgical wound) and 997.xx (Complications affecting specified body systems, not elsewhere classified).

3. Do not turn to aftercare:

Although your agency is providing care post-surgery, you should not use an aftercare V code when the surgical wound is complicated. In this case, the complication code trumps the aftercare V code in this case. As per coding guidelines, "The aftercare V code shouldn't be used if treatment is directed at a present, acute disease or injury. The diagnosis code should be used in these cases."

But you may once in a while find an exception to this rule. For instance, if your agency is caring for an infected surgical wound which requires IV care, you would make use of the right complication codes to report the wound, but you could still list V58.81 (Fitting and adjustment of vascular catheter) and V58.62 (Long-term (current use of antibiotics).

Another instance: Adams says that instructional notes at 996.4x (Mechanical complication of internal orthopedic device, implant, and graft) and 996.66 (Infection and inflammatory reaction due to internal joint prosthesis) counsels coders to "use additional code to identify the prosthetic joint with mechanical complication or infection (V43.60-V43.69)."

Take a look at these two coding scenarios

A patient of yours has come home after a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for coronary atherosclerosis (CAD) of his native artery. He needs constant observation and assessment of the surgical incision on his leg with three areas of incisional separation but with no signs of infection. He's a bit weak but does not have chest pain anymore. The patient has diabetes with fasting blood sugar of 109 and diabetic peripheral angiopathy. He also has benign prostatic hyperplasia with urinary retention and frequent urinary tract infections and will be planned for a transurethral resection of the prostrate pretty soon. Your orders are meant for skilled nursing and physical therapy coding.

Jan Mater-Cavagnero MA, HCS-D, specializes in diagnosis coding for home health agencies, as well as the wide variety of issues that impact the hospice industry. Jan is an editor-in-chief for Eli Healthcare, where she has written Home Health ICD-9 Alert for five years.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bone Up on OASIS C to Enhance Your Home Health Coding

For maximum payoff, combine correct coding with OASIS C accuracy.

With all the attention on OASIS C process measures and communications requirements, correct coding can get lost in the shuffle. So now more than ever it is important to correctly document all the factors and co-morbidities that can have an effect on the care you provided on the OASIS. However precise diagnosis coding is just one part of the riddle.

Prior to OASIS C, it was somewhat easier to see how the diagnosis codes you select would have an effect on your agency's reimbursement. Now, coding by itself does not often make the difference in dollars, according to Jan McLain, RN, BS, LNC, HCS-D, COS-C with Adventist Health System Home Care in Port Charlotte, Fla. In its place, code selection and correct OASIS scoring - both supported by clinical documentation merge to present a solid picture of the care you provide.

Interaction: McLain says, "What I see very often is that the OASIS scoring makes the difference in dollars - and it is the OASIS scoring and the clinical documentation that help me aware of the codes listed by the clinician are not the most specific or appropriate." Watch closely at the information gathered in these three areas combined to ensure accuracy, right reimbursements, and a decrease in additional documentation requests (ADRs). With OASIS C, the common sense and integration of all the information provided is what ensures correct payments, she adds.

Medical coders must do more than coding

As an experienced hand, you should ensure that your agency is in compliance with all of the coding regulations and that each episode is fully coded up front to best describe the patient's actual health status, according to Judy Adams, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C, president and CEO of Adams Home Care Consulting in Chapel Hill, N.C. You should try to capture all of the payment your agency is entitled to receive and see to it that the coding matches the OASIS, plan of care, and bill.

However you will need to do more than coding. You should keep a tab and corroborate the OASIS responses against the clinical record and plan of care to be sure everything is consistent and justified, says Adams. The added review ensures the accuracy of the OASIS information which is used to figure out outcomes.

Taking a more comprehensive approach that combines looking at the codes and OASIS scores along with the medical record prevents ADR's, and prevents the added costs of canceling requests for anticipated payment (RAPs) and rebilling episodes.

Jan Mater-Cavagnero MA, HCS-D, specializes in diagnosis coding for home health agencies, as well as the wide variety of issues that impact the hospice industry. Jan is an editor-in-chief for Eli Healthcare, where she has written Home Health ICD-9 Alert for five years.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bone Up Your OASIS C to Boost Your Home Health Coding Career

With so much attention on OASIS C process measures and communication requirements, spot on coding can be a tough story. It is no more than ever important to accurately document all the factors that you can provide on the OASIS. However, precise diagnosis coding is just one part of the maze.

Prior to OASIS C, it was slightly easier to see how the diagnosis codes you chose would affect your agency's reimbursement. These days, coding by itself does not often make the difference in dollars; in its place, code selection and proper OASIS scoring combine to present a solid picture of the care you give.

As an experienced player, you should see to it that your agency is in compliance with all of the coding regulations and that each episode is coded up front to best describe the patient's real health status. You should make an effort to capture all of the payment your agency is entitled to get and see to it that the coding matches the OASIS, plan of care, and bill.

You will have to do more than coding; you should check and validate the OASIS responses against the clinical record and plan of care to ensure everything is consistent and justified.

For more tips and tricks as far as home health coding is concerned, tune in to audio conferences. Such a conference will certainly ensure that you are up to speed with OASIS C, staging pressure ulcers correctly or for that matter handling any compliance issue properly. Even if you fail to attend one on the appointed date, CDs and PDF files are always there for your picking. And if that's not enough, you even stand to acquire CEUs on attending such a home health coding conference.

Audioeducator offers medicare services and provides advanced Learning Opportunities about OASIS C process through audio conferences through all types of audio conferences and exceptional series of training CD's, DVD's & Tapes.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Achieving Health Goals Through Positive Thinking - The Healing Code

Positive thinking has been unfairly criticised at times for claiming to achieve more than it can deliver. It can't accomplish everything but then what else can?

An Irish banker, Dermot O'Connor, has recently demonstrated clearly the power of positive thinking. I listened to him talking to Gloria Hunniford, the host of the 'Heaven and Earth' Show, on BBC1 on July 30th, 2006.

8 years ago, Dermot had been a high flying banker working out of Dublin. He was used to travelling all over the world and, literally, had the world at his feet.

However, one morning he went to work and made an urgent business call. He started talking with slurred speech on the phone like a drunken man.

Everyone in the office started laughing. They thought that he had been drinking the night before.

Over the next few weeks he discovered that he had an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis. He had experienced two attacks in two months. His life fell apart.

He nearly died at the time of the diagnosis according to a lot of people. Doctors told him he could not be cured and that his quality of life would change dramatically and immediately.

He continued to take what he could from conventional medicine but sought help from other sources as well.

"What made you think you must do something as well as accepting the conventional medicine which you believe in?" asked Gloria Hunniford.

"The time of diagnosis was a very grim time for me," replied Dermot.

"The Chinese say: 'Where the mind goes the body eventually follows.' I was told about all these terrible things that potentially would happen to me and, initially, I felt worse every single day.

"I turned to positive mental techniques including NLP and mental techniques from the East just because I wanted to survive this condition mentally but instead of just coping mentally I was surprised to find some of my symptoms started to dissipate.

"Because my mind was thinking my legs are going to get weaker and my bladder is going to get weaker, I had this kind of ritual everyday where I would stand up and test the strength of my legs and check my eyesight to see if my vision was going to change.

"Everyday I would feel I was getting worse but, because of the techniques I was using, I was now feeling that I was getting stronger physically in every way.

"After about 8 months my symptoms had disappeared!"

Dermot knew of course that remission is possible with MS but believes:

"You must actively participate in bringing yourself into remission."

Gloria Hunniford's beautiful daughter, Caron Keating, had cancer for 7 years before she died aged 41. Gloria believed that positive thinking helped extend her life:

Caron lived by the book 'The Power of Now' i.e. living in the moment and being really positive all the time.

Gloria described what they spoke about: "We never talked about death - only about life and I believe positive thinking can extend life.... but everyone's cellular make up is different and everybody reacts differently. It can't be a pattern for everybody

Dermot continued: "I don't believe positive thinking can cure all ills but, with a multi-dimensional approach, you can help your doctors to treat your illness.

"There is lot of skill involved. Just like an Olympic athlete, you don't rely on your coach to win the gold medal for you. You have optimum nutrition and exercise plans and a sports psychologist to support you.

"You don't just go to the coach and say 'I'd like to win the gold medal. I'll check back in next month to see how I am doing.' You'd go through a whole process and one aspect of that would be a positive mental attitude.

"Saying 'positive mental attitude' is a bit like saying football is about kicking a ball. It is an acquired skill and there a lot of techniques we go through in the book."

Dermot has written a book about his experiences called 'The Healing Code'

"MS opened my consciousness to many different things. Much of the stuff in the book - all of the stuff - is scientifically verified."

Dr Mark Hamilton took part in the interview representing at least one viewpoint from orthodox medicine. He agreed with all of Dermot O'Connor's views:

"I can't see any clash. Positive thinking seems to work alongside conventional medicine. The NHS or the doctor is the coach but it is up to you to take your training forward. Whatever the diagnosis is, happy people have been proved to live longer. Doctors would be foolish to ignore this.

Gloria commented: "I like the word 'complementary' rather than 'alternative' medicine."

She did feel, however, that Dermot O'Connor had made some sweeping claims on the first page of his book which might not apply to everyone.

Dermot admitted: "It's not the immortality code - no book can tell you how to survive all illnesses - if you look at people like Lance Armstrong who have recovered when the odds are stacked against them rarely is it simply just a miracle.

"There are more things taking place and more responsibility being taken by the person. Of course, when people try all these things they can still fail."

Dr Mark Hamilton gave his view again: "Conventional doctors are advocating looking into other areas and adding on to what conventional medicine can provide.

"I don't think any doctor worth their degree is going to say that what we know is going to cure everything. What we can do has limitations. I think complementary medicine is in addition to conventional medicine. I can't see any clash."

Gloria finished the interview with a question for viewers:

"Do you agree with Dermot that we all have the power within us and the positive thinking to change our lives and help us recover from illness or should we just stick with conventional medicine and let the doctors do their job?"

Several years after his diagnosis, Dermot is in the best health of his life. He has moved from grim despair to being a bright and energetic proponent of positive thinking and multi-dimensional healing. He believes that what helped him can help others as well. .

It was refreshing to hear the views of an open minded doctor like Dr. Mark Hamilton. There is no need for 'either, or'. There is every need for 'both, and'.

Conventional and complementary medicine can give us two strings to our bow and enhance our chances of both mental and physical survival.

When we add positive thinking to the mix, we are not guaranteed final success but surely have a much better chance of achieving our health goals.

There is second key lesson, apart from positive thinking, which emerges from Dermot's story. He took responsibility for his own health. He did not rely solely on the doctor to cure him.

Taking responsibility for our own health is not a burden but a relief. There is something we can do apart from sitting in waiting rooms and consulting a doctor for the average ten minutes. We might even enjoy the experience of finding out more about what produces good health.

We can test out several systems for ourselves and decide, for ourselves, which works best for us.

I found the whole interview to be a refreshing change from the usual clash between conventional and complementary medicine and am relieved to think that I can take responsibility for my own health.

John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith.
Check out http://www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php

Ezine editors / Site owners

Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include the resource box above

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bone Up on OASIS C to Enhance Your Home Health Coding

For maximum payoff, combine correct coding with OASIS C accuracy.

With all the attention on OASIS C process measures and communications requirements, correct coding can get lost in the shuffle. So now more than ever it is important to correctly document all the factors and co-morbidities that can have an effect on the care you provided on the OASIS. However precise diagnosis coding is just one part of the riddle.

Prior to OASIS C, it was somewhat easier to see how the diagnosis codes you select would have an effect on your agency's reimbursement. Now, coding by itself does not often make the difference in dollars, according to Jan McLain, RN, BS, LNC, HCS-D, COS-C with Adventist Health System Home Care in Port Charlotte, Fla. In its place, code selection and correct OASIS scoring - both supported by clinical documentation merge to present a solid picture of the care you provide.

Interaction: McLain says, "What I see very often is that the OASIS scoring makes the difference in dollars - and it is the OASIS scoring and the clinical documentation that help me aware of the codes listed by the clinician are not the most specific or appropriate." Watch closely at the information gathered in these three areas combined to ensure accuracy, right reimbursements, and a decrease in additional documentation requests (ADRs). With OASIS C, the common sense and integration of all the information provided is what ensures correct payments, she adds.

Medical coders must do more than coding

As an experienced hand, you should ensure that your agency is in compliance with all of the coding regulations and that each episode is fully coded up front to best describe the patient's actual health status, according to Judy Adams, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C, president and CEO of Adams Home Care Consulting in Chapel Hill, N.C. You should try to capture all of the payment your agency is entitled to receive and see to it that the coding matches the OASIS, plan of care, and bill.

However you will need to do more than coding. You should keep a tab and corroborate the OASIS responses against the clinical record and plan of care to be sure everything is consistent and justified, says Adams. The added review ensures the accuracy of the OASIS information which is used to figure out outcomes.

Taking a more comprehensive approach that combines looking at the codes and OASIS scores along with the medical record prevents ADR's, and prevents the added costs of canceling requests for anticipated payment (RAPs) and rebilling episodes.

Jan Mater-Cavagnero MA, HCS-D, specializes in diagnosis coding for home health agencies, as well as the wide variety of issues that impact the hospice industry. Jan is an editor-in-chief for Eli Healthcare, where she has written Home Health ICD-9 Alert for five years.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Home Health Coding - Complicated Surgical Wounds

If a patient's surgical wound may be complicated, but the coding need not be. Heed these three simple steps to ensure the accurately reporting all the care your agency provides.

1. Know when it is complicated:

A complication is a problem that takes place during the healing process of the initial surgical procedure which impacts healing negatively, says Judy Adams, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C, president and CEO of Adams Home Care Consulting in Chapel Hill, N.C. For instance, an infected surgical wound is thought of as complicated.

Tip: According to Adam, there is no time limit to coding a surgical wound as complicated. Even if the complication takes place sometime after surgery, you can still code for the wound as complicated.

2. Get to the right code

See under "complication" in the alphabetic index of your coding manual to start your search, says Adams. After this, verify the code in the tabular list, and follow the directions for any additional codes. Adam points out, there're many complication codes for wounds of all types in chapter 17 at 996.xx (Complications peculiar to certain specified procedures), 997.6x (Amputation stump complication), 998.3x (Disruption of wound), and 998.5x (Postoperative infection) for postoperative wound complications. Moreover, look to 998.83 (Non-healing surgical wound) and 997.xx (Complications affecting specified body systems, not elsewhere classified).

3. Do not turn to aftercare:

Although your agency is providing care post-surgery, you should not use an aftercare V code when the surgical wound is complicated. In this case, the complication code trumps the aftercare V code in this case. As per coding guidelines, "The aftercare V code shouldn't be used if treatment is directed at a present, acute disease or injury. The diagnosis code should be used in these cases."

But you may once in a while find an exception to this rule. For instance, if your agency is caring for an infected surgical wound which requires IV care, you would make use of the right complication codes to report the wound, but you could still list V58.81 (Fitting and adjustment of vascular catheter) and V58.62 (Long-term (current use of antibiotics).

Another instance: Adams says that instructional notes at 996.4x (Mechanical complication of internal orthopedic device, implant, and graft) and 996.66 (Infection and inflammatory reaction due to internal joint prosthesis) counsels coders to "use additional code to identify the prosthetic joint with mechanical complication or infection (V43.60-V43.69)."

Take a look at these two coding scenarios

A patient of yours has come home after a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for coronary atherosclerosis (CAD) of his native artery. He needs constant observation and assessment of the surgical incision on his leg with three areas of incisional separation but with no signs of infection. He's a bit weak but does not have chest pain anymore. The patient has diabetes with fasting blood sugar of 109 and diabetic peripheral angiopathy. He also has benign prostatic hyperplasia with urinary retention and frequent urinary tract infections and will be planned for a transurethral resection of the prostrate pretty soon. Your orders are meant for skilled nursing and physical therapy coding.

Jan Mater-Cavagnero MA, HCS-D, specializes in diagnosis coding for home health agencies, as well as the wide variety of issues that impact the hospice industry. Jan is an editor-in-chief for Eli Healthcare, where she has written Home Health ICD-9 Alert for five years.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bone Up Your OASIS C to Boost Your Home Health Coding Career

With so much attention on OASIS C process measures and communication requirements, spot on coding can be a tough story. It is no more than ever important to accurately document all the factors that you can provide on the OASIS. However, precise diagnosis coding is just one part of the maze.

Prior to OASIS C, it was slightly easier to see how the diagnosis codes you chose would affect your agency's reimbursement. These days, coding by itself does not often make the difference in dollars; in its place, code selection and proper OASIS scoring combine to present a solid picture of the care you give.

As an experienced player, you should see to it that your agency is in compliance with all of the coding regulations and that each episode is coded up front to best describe the patient's real health status. You should make an effort to capture all of the payment your agency is entitled to get and see to it that the coding matches the OASIS, plan of care, and bill.

You will have to do more than coding; you should check and validate the OASIS responses against the clinical record and plan of care to ensure everything is consistent and justified.

For more tips and tricks as far as home health coding is concerned, tune in to audio conferences. Such a conference will certainly ensure that you are up to speed with OASIS C, staging pressure ulcers correctly or for that matter handling any compliance issue properly. Even if you fail to attend one on the appointed date, CDs and PDF files are always there for your picking. And if that's not enough, you even stand to acquire CEUs on attending such a home health coding conference.

Audioeducator offers medicare services and provides advanced Learning Opportunities about OASIS C process through audio conferences through all types of audio conferences and exceptional series of training CD's, DVD's & Tapes.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Home Health Coding - Complicated Surgical Wounds

If a patient's surgical wound may be complicated, but the coding need not be. Heed these three simple steps to ensure the accurately reporting all the care your agency provides.

1. Know when it is complicated:

A complication is a problem that takes place during the healing process of the initial surgical procedure which impacts healing negatively, says Judy Adams, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C, president and CEO of Adams Home Care Consulting in Chapel Hill, N.C. For instance, an infected surgical wound is thought of as complicated.

Tip: According to Adam, there is no time limit to coding a surgical wound as complicated. Even if the complication takes place sometime after surgery, you can still code for the wound as complicated.

2. Get to the right code

See under "complication" in the alphabetic index of your coding manual to start your search, says Adams. After this, verify the code in the tabular list, and follow the directions for any additional codes. Adam points out, there're many complication codes for wounds of all types in chapter 17 at 996.xx (Complications peculiar to certain specified procedures), 997.6x (Amputation stump complication), 998.3x (Disruption of wound), and 998.5x (Postoperative infection) for postoperative wound complications. Moreover, look to 998.83 (Non-healing surgical wound) and 997.xx (Complications affecting specified body systems, not elsewhere classified).

3. Do not turn to aftercare:

Although your agency is providing care post-surgery, you should not use an aftercare V code when the surgical wound is complicated. In this case, the complication code trumps the aftercare V code in this case. As per coding guidelines, "The aftercare V code shouldn't be used if treatment is directed at a present, acute disease or injury. The diagnosis code should be used in these cases."

But you may once in a while find an exception to this rule. For instance, if your agency is caring for an infected surgical wound which requires IV care, you would make use of the right complication codes to report the wound, but you could still list V58.81 (Fitting and adjustment of vascular catheter) and V58.62 (Long-term (current use of antibiotics).

Another instance: Adams says that instructional notes at 996.4x (Mechanical complication of internal orthopedic device, implant, and graft) and 996.66 (Infection and inflammatory reaction due to internal joint prosthesis) counsels coders to "use additional code to identify the prosthetic joint with mechanical complication or infection (V43.60-V43.69)."

Take a look at these two coding scenarios

A patient of yours has come home after a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for coronary atherosclerosis (CAD) of his native artery. He needs constant observation and assessment of the surgical incision on his leg with three areas of incisional separation but with no signs of infection. He's a bit weak but does not have chest pain anymore. The patient has diabetes with fasting blood sugar of 109 and diabetic peripheral angiopathy. He also has benign prostatic hyperplasia with urinary retention and frequent urinary tract infections and will be planned for a transurethral resection of the prostrate pretty soon. Your orders are meant for skilled nursing and physical therapy coding.

Jan Mater-Cavagnero MA, HCS-D, specializes in diagnosis coding for home health agencies, as well as the wide variety of issues that impact the hospice industry. Jan is an editor-in-chief for Eli Healthcare, where she has written Home Health ICD-9 Alert for five years.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bone Up Your OASIS C to Boost Your Home Health Coding Career

With so much attention on OASIS C process measures and communication requirements, spot on coding can be a tough story. It is no more than ever important to accurately document all the factors that you can provide on the OASIS. However, precise diagnosis coding is just one part of the maze.

Prior to OASIS C, it was slightly easier to see how the diagnosis codes you chose would affect your agency's reimbursement. These days, coding by itself does not often make the difference in dollars; in its place, code selection and proper OASIS scoring combine to present a solid picture of the care you give.

As an experienced player, you should see to it that your agency is in compliance with all of the coding regulations and that each episode is coded up front to best describe the patient's real health status. You should make an effort to capture all of the payment your agency is entitled to get and see to it that the coding matches the OASIS, plan of care, and bill.

You will have to do more than coding; you should check and validate the OASIS responses against the clinical record and plan of care to ensure everything is consistent and justified.

For more tips and tricks as far as home health coding is concerned, tune in to audio conferences. Such a conference will certainly ensure that you are up to speed with OASIS C, staging pressure ulcers correctly or for that matter handling any compliance issue properly. Even if you fail to attend one on the appointed date, CDs and PDF files are always there for your picking. And if that's not enough, you even stand to acquire CEUs on attending such a home health coding conference.

Audioeducator offers medicare services and provides advanced Learning Opportunities about OASIS C process through audio conferences through all types of audio conferences and exceptional series of training CD's, DVD's & Tapes.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Achieving Health Goals Through Positive Thinking - The Healing Code

Positive thinking has been unfairly criticised at times for claiming to achieve more than it can deliver. It can't accomplish everything but then what else can?

An Irish banker, Dermot O'Connor, has recently demonstrated clearly the power of positive thinking. I listened to him talking to Gloria Hunniford, the host of the 'Heaven and Earth' Show, on BBC1 on July 30th, 2006.

8 years ago, Dermot had been a high flying banker working out of Dublin. He was used to travelling all over the world and, literally, had the world at his feet.

However, one morning he went to work and made an urgent business call. He started talking with slurred speech on the phone like a drunken man.

Everyone in the office started laughing. They thought that he had been drinking the night before.

Over the next few weeks he discovered that he had an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis. He had experienced two attacks in two months. His life fell apart.

He nearly died at the time of the diagnosis according to a lot of people. Doctors told him he could not be cured and that his quality of life would change dramatically and immediately.

He continued to take what he could from conventional medicine but sought help from other sources as well.

"What made you think you must do something as well as accepting the conventional medicine which you believe in?" asked Gloria Hunniford.

"The time of diagnosis was a very grim time for me," replied Dermot.

"The Chinese say: 'Where the mind goes the body eventually follows.' I was told about all these terrible things that potentially would happen to me and, initially, I felt worse every single day.

"I turned to positive mental techniques including NLP and mental techniques from the East just because I wanted to survive this condition mentally but instead of just coping mentally I was surprised to find some of my symptoms started to dissipate.

"Because my mind was thinking my legs are going to get weaker and my bladder is going to get weaker, I had this kind of ritual everyday where I would stand up and test the strength of my legs and check my eyesight to see if my vision was going to change.

"Everyday I would feel I was getting worse but, because of the techniques I was using, I was now feeling that I was getting stronger physically in every way.

"After about 8 months my symptoms had disappeared!"

Dermot knew of course that remission is possible with MS but believes:

"You must actively participate in bringing yourself into remission."

Gloria Hunniford's beautiful daughter, Caron Keating, had cancer for 7 years before she died aged 41. Gloria believed that positive thinking helped extend her life:

Caron lived by the book 'The Power of Now' i.e. living in the moment and being really positive all the time.

Gloria described what they spoke about: "We never talked about death - only about life and I believe positive thinking can extend life.... but everyone's cellular make up is different and everybody reacts differently. It can't be a pattern for everybody

Dermot continued: "I don't believe positive thinking can cure all ills but, with a multi-dimensional approach, you can help your doctors to treat your illness.

"There is lot of skill involved. Just like an Olympic athlete, you don't rely on your coach to win the gold medal for you. You have optimum nutrition and exercise plans and a sports psychologist to support you.

"You don't just go to the coach and say 'I'd like to win the gold medal. I'll check back in next month to see how I am doing.' You'd go through a whole process and one aspect of that would be a positive mental attitude.

"Saying 'positive mental attitude' is a bit like saying football is about kicking a ball. It is an acquired skill and there a lot of techniques we go through in the book."

Dermot has written a book about his experiences called 'The Healing Code'

"MS opened my consciousness to many different things. Much of the stuff in the book - all of the stuff - is scientifically verified."

Dr Mark Hamilton took part in the interview representing at least one viewpoint from orthodox medicine. He agreed with all of Dermot O'Connor's views:

"I can't see any clash. Positive thinking seems to work alongside conventional medicine. The NHS or the doctor is the coach but it is up to you to take your training forward. Whatever the diagnosis is, happy people have been proved to live longer. Doctors would be foolish to ignore this.

Gloria commented: "I like the word 'complementary' rather than 'alternative' medicine."

She did feel, however, that Dermot O'Connor had made some sweeping claims on the first page of his book which might not apply to everyone.

Dermot admitted: "It's not the immortality code - no book can tell you how to survive all illnesses - if you look at people like Lance Armstrong who have recovered when the odds are stacked against them rarely is it simply just a miracle.

"There are more things taking place and more responsibility being taken by the person. Of course, when people try all these things they can still fail."

Dr Mark Hamilton gave his view again: "Conventional doctors are advocating looking into other areas and adding on to what conventional medicine can provide.

"I don't think any doctor worth their degree is going to say that what we know is going to cure everything. What we can do has limitations. I think complementary medicine is in addition to conventional medicine. I can't see any clash."

Gloria finished the interview with a question for viewers:

"Do you agree with Dermot that we all have the power within us and the positive thinking to change our lives and help us recover from illness or should we just stick with conventional medicine and let the doctors do their job?"

Several years after his diagnosis, Dermot is in the best health of his life. He has moved from grim despair to being a bright and energetic proponent of positive thinking and multi-dimensional healing. He believes that what helped him can help others as well. .

It was refreshing to hear the views of an open minded doctor like Dr. Mark Hamilton. There is no need for 'either, or'. There is every need for 'both, and'.

Conventional and complementary medicine can give us two strings to our bow and enhance our chances of both mental and physical survival.

When we add positive thinking to the mix, we are not guaranteed final success but surely have a much better chance of achieving our health goals.

There is second key lesson, apart from positive thinking, which emerges from Dermot's story. He took responsibility for his own health. He did not rely solely on the doctor to cure him.

Taking responsibility for our own health is not a burden but a relief. There is something we can do apart from sitting in waiting rooms and consulting a doctor for the average ten minutes. We might even enjoy the experience of finding out more about what produces good health.

We can test out several systems for ourselves and decide, for ourselves, which works best for us.

I found the whole interview to be a refreshing change from the usual clash between conventional and complementary medicine and am relieved to think that I can take responsibility for my own health.

John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith.
Check out http://www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php

Ezine editors / Site owners

Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include the resource box above

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bone Up on OASIS C to Enhance Your Home Health Coding

For maximum payoff, combine correct coding with OASIS C accuracy.

With all the attention on OASIS C process measures and communications requirements, correct coding can get lost in the shuffle. So now more than ever it is important to correctly document all the factors and co-morbidities that can have an effect on the care you provided on the OASIS. However precise diagnosis coding is just one part of the riddle.

Prior to OASIS C, it was somewhat easier to see how the diagnosis codes you select would have an effect on your agency's reimbursement. Now, coding by itself does not often make the difference in dollars, according to Jan McLain, RN, BS, LNC, HCS-D, COS-C with Adventist Health System Home Care in Port Charlotte, Fla. In its place, code selection and correct OASIS scoring - both supported by clinical documentation merge to present a solid picture of the care you provide.

Interaction: McLain says, "What I see very often is that the OASIS scoring makes the difference in dollars - and it is the OASIS scoring and the clinical documentation that help me aware of the codes listed by the clinician are not the most specific or appropriate." Watch closely at the information gathered in these three areas combined to ensure accuracy, right reimbursements, and a decrease in additional documentation requests (ADRs). With OASIS C, the common sense and integration of all the information provided is what ensures correct payments, she adds.

Medical coders must do more than coding

As an experienced hand, you should ensure that your agency is in compliance with all of the coding regulations and that each episode is fully coded up front to best describe the patient's actual health status, according to Judy Adams, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C, president and CEO of Adams Home Care Consulting in Chapel Hill, N.C. You should try to capture all of the payment your agency is entitled to receive and see to it that the coding matches the OASIS, plan of care, and bill.

However you will need to do more than coding. You should keep a tab and corroborate the OASIS responses against the clinical record and plan of care to be sure everything is consistent and justified, says Adams. The added review ensures the accuracy of the OASIS information which is used to figure out outcomes.

Taking a more comprehensive approach that combines looking at the codes and OASIS scores along with the medical record prevents ADR's, and prevents the added costs of canceling requests for anticipated payment (RAPs) and rebilling episodes.

Jan Mater-Cavagnero MA, HCS-D, specializes in diagnosis coding for home health agencies, as well as the wide variety of issues that impact the hospice industry. Jan is an editor-in-chief for Eli Healthcare, where she has written Home Health ICD-9 Alert for five years.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.