Top Docs Radio

ICD-10 This week I continued my monthly series featuring experts from Medical Association of Georgia.  Our conversation focused on the upcoming implementation of ICD-10 codes, which will significantly change how we document and are reimbursed for care provided to our patients. I sat down with Dr. James Dunnick, a former practicing cardiologist of over 25 […]

CW Hall and Dr. James Dunnick

ICD-10

This week I continued my monthly series featuring experts from Medical Association of Georgia.  Our conversation focused on the upcoming implementation of ICD-10 codes, which will significantly change how we document and are reimbursed for care provided to our patients.

I sat down with Dr. James Dunnick, a former practicing cardiologist of over 25 years who began to enhance his level of understanding of coding, compliance, and quality review later in his career.  He now provides consulting services to healthcare practices and hospitals on these important components of their businesses.

Within the healthcare industry, providers, coders, IT professionals, insurance carriers, government agencies, and others use ICD codes to properly note diseases on health records, track epidemiological trends and assist in medical reimbursement decisions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) owns, develops, and publishes ICD codes, and national governments and other regulating bodies adopt the system.

The differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10 are significant and physicians and practice management staff need to start educating themselves now about this major change so that they will be able to meet the ICD-10 compliance deadline of October 1 – in less than one month.

ICD-10-CM codes are the ones designated for use in documenting diagnoses. They are 3-7 characters in length and total 68,000, while ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes are 3-5 digits in length and number over 14,000. The ICD-10-PCS are the procedure codes and they are alphanumeric, 7 characters in length, and total approximately 87,000, while ICD-9-CM procedure codes are only 3-4 numbers in length and total approximately 4,000 codes. ICD-10-PCS is only used for coding hospital inpatient procedures. CPT remains the code set for reporting procedures and services in offices and outpatient settings.

Moving to ICD-10 is expected to impact all physicians. Due to the increased number of codes, the change in the number of characters per code, and increased code specificity, this transition will require significant planning, training, software/system upgrades/replacements, as well as other necessary investments.

WHO is expected to release ICD-11 in 2017.

Special Guest:

Dr. James Kennedy, MD, of

Within the healthcare industry, providers, coders, IT professionals, insurance carriers, government agencies, and others use ICD codes to properly note diseases on health records, track epidemiological trends and assist in medical reimbursement decisions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) owns, develops, and publishes ICD codes, and national governments and other regulating bodies adopt the system.

The differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10 are significant and physicians and practice management staff need to start educating themselves now about this major change so that they will be able to meet the ICD-10 compliance deadline of October 1 – in less than one month.

ICD-10-CM codes are the ones designated for use in documenting diagnoses. They are 3-7 characters in length and total 68,000, while ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes are 3-5 digits in length and number over 14,000. The ICD-10-PCS are the procedure codes and they are alphanumeric, 7 characters in length, and total approximately 87,000, while ICD-9-CM procedure codes are only 3-4 numbers in length and total approximately 4,000 codes. ICD-10-PCS is only used for coding hospital inpatient procedures. CPT remains the code set for reporting procedures and services in offices and outpatient settings.

Moving to ICD-10 is expected to impact all physicians. Due to the increased number of codes, the change in the number of characters per code,

Trauma Surgery On this episode of Top Docs Radio, I sat down with Dr. Doug Lundy, an orthopedic surgeon with Resurgens Orthopaedics to talk about trauma surgery.  Dr. Lundy shared the fact that he initially had plans to have a career in the military as an officer in the Army. We talked about the fact […]

Trauma Surgery

On this episode of Top Docs Radio, I sat down with Dr. Doug Lundy, an orthopedic surgeon with Resurgens Orthopaedics to talk about trauma surgery.  Dr. Lundy shared the fact that he initially had plans to have a career in the military as an officer in the Army.

We talked about the fact that during their training and work, the soldiers were frequently experiencing orthopedic injuries, necessitating care by orthopedic surgeons.  In that time he began to have an interest in the field of medicine and ultimately went that direction.

Dr. Lundy explained that motor vehicle accidents, motorcycle wrecks, and falls from height tend to be the main causes of injury leading to a patient needing his help.  These injuries are often very complex and involve both the bony and soft tissue, and lead to extensive rehabilitation.

In many cases patients are left with a fair degree of pain or loss of function after traumatic injuries like these.  Lundy said that the way to get the best recovery usually means starting rehabilitation soon after repair of the injuries which means the patient has to endure significant discomfort and effort to achieve it.

It is clear in speaking with Dr. Lundy he has a passion for his work and appreciates the opportunity to help patients who are experiencing these life-changing injuries, helping them get their lives back as close to normal as possible.

Special Guest:

Dr. Doug Lundy, MD, of Resurgens Orthopaedics         

* Medical College of Georgia; Augusta, Georgia

* Residency, Orthopedic Surgery, Georgia Baptist Medical Center

* Orthopaedic Trauma/ Foot & Ankle Fellowship; Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nashville, Tennessee

* Board Certified, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr. Priyah Rudolph On this episode of Top Docs Radio I hosted Dr. Priyah Rudolph, medical oncologist with Georgia Cancer Specialists.  Dr. Rudolph practices in the Athens, GA office for the group and has expertise with several forms of cancer.  She shared her poignant story about how she came to choose oncology as her specialty […]

Dr. Priyah Rudolph

On this episode of Top Docs Radio I hosted Dr. Priyah Rudolph, medical oncologist with Georgia Cancer Specialists.  Dr. Rudolph practices in the Athens, GA office for the group and has expertise with several forms of cancer.  She shared her poignant story about how she came to choose oncology as her specialty of practice.

Dr. Rudolph described how several members of her family experienced cancer in their lives, including her mother.  In speaking with her it’s clear she has a very personal connection with patients she sees in her practice and clearly understands the stress and concern they feel.

For this conversation, we focused on breast cancer.  According to breastcancer.org, in the US, roughly 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.  Nearly 300,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year.

Priya shared the importance self-breast exams, conducted at least monthly, paired with annual mammograms annually after the age of 40 or sooner if direct descendants of breast cancer patients.  Early detection helps give the patient more options for treatment, as well as the likelihood of successful treatment.

She talked about various treatments available and what to expect should the troubling news come that a finding is indeed cancer.  On a positive note, we talked about the fact that breast cancer is very survivable with today’s technology and medical advancements.

Special Guest:

Dr. Priyah Rudolph, MD, of Georgia Cancer Specialists        

* Doctor of Medicine, Coimbatore Medical College

* Residency, Yale University School of Medicine

* Fellowship, Yale University School of Medicine

* American Society of Clinical Oncology

* American Society of Hematology

* PhD in Physiology at The Ohio State University

 

Radiation Oncology On this week’s show I sat down with Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Chad Levitt. We talked about how he decided he wanted to go into radiation oncology as his chosen field of practice. He shared how he enjoyed the fact that the specialty allowed him to call on his liberal arts schooling, helping him […]

Radiation Oncology

On this week’s show I sat down with Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Chad Levitt. We talked about how he decided he wanted to go into radiation oncology as his chosen field of practice. He shared how he enjoyed the fact that the specialty allowed him to call on his liberal arts schooling, helping him to be able to be perceptive to his patients’ needs and concerns, and allowing him to communicate effectively with them in a period of significant stress.

Chad explained how important it is for oncology physicians to make time to insure their patients’ questions are answered and that their concerns have been addressed. He believes the patient needs to be well-informed so they can hopefully experience less anxiety and allow them to make educated choices about their care. He stated the patient should be the “Captain of the Ship” and the health team the crew that helps them get to where they want to go.

We talked about the importance of getting 2nd and even 3rd opinions when facing life-changing illnesses such as cancer. Chad shared that it is vital to do so before engaging in treatments that cannot be undone. Given the political and personal alliances that can be present in a given hospital ecosystem, it is wise to seek 2nd opinions in hospitals or systems that are outside that of the primary physician to allow for likelihood of a more objective opinion.

Special Guest:

Dr. Chad Levitt, MD, of Radiotherapy Associates of Forsyth

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits The phrase medical malpractice causes most people’s pulse to quicken. For a physician being named in a medical malpractice case is one of the worst events in their life. This week we discussed medical malpractice in Georgia and how physicians can avoid it. For the past 23 years, Dan has specialized in representing physicians […]

Dan Huff talks medical malpractice

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

The phrase medical malpractice causes most people’s pulse to quicken. For a physician being named in a medical malpractice case is one of the worst events in their life. This week we discussed medical malpractice in Georgia and how physicians can avoid it.

For the past 23 years, Dan has specialized in representing physicians and hospitals in medical malpractice lawsuits.  As one of the founding partners in the Atlanta law firm of Huff, Powell & Bailey, LLC, he has represented defendants in more than 90 jury trials.

Dan has defended and successfully tried cases for every specialty of medicine and numerous hospitals throughout Georgia. His trial record would be a proud career for any defense lawyer and is remarkable because Dan has tried and won this many cases before turning 50.  Many of those cases have been against the best plaintiffs’ attorneys in the state. Dan is also a regular contributor to MAG’s quarterly Journal.

Huff shared what malpractice is, and why he chose this area of focus for his legal career.  He offered some advice on how healthcare practitioners can avoid a malpractice lawsuit.  We discussed his professional advice for how to handle conversations with patient and/or family after a sentinel event has occurred.  And we talked about how health professionals need to handle patient records and what to do if served with a lawsuit.

Dan explained how defendants in a suit should behave during the proceedings of the case to reduce the likelihood a jury will rule against them.

Special Guest:

Dan Huff, JD, and co-founder, Huff, Powell, and Bailey