INSTRUCTIONS: Respond to all posts; response to classmates should be thoughtful and advance the discussion, response should make and/or frequent informed references to unit material or scientific literature, follow APA style if resources are used, 75 word minimum in response per post

HI255: Medical Coding II

Discussion Topic:Blood Pressure & Stroke

CLASSMATE POST #1

For this week’s discussion board, I chose to research cerebrovascular accident, or CVA, also known as a stroke. A stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds, or when the blood supply to the brain in blocked. This prevents oxygen from reaching the brain causing brain cells and tissue to become damaged. The signs and symptoms of stroke include paralysis, numbness or weakness especially on one side, trouble speaking or understanding speech, confusion, slurred speech, vision problems, trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination, dizziness, and severe, sudden headache (Holland, 2019). Common late effects of a stroke include paralysis of one side of the body, speech problems, memory loss, and vision problems (American Stroke Association). According to the Official Guideline Section 1.C.9.d. Sequelae of Cerebrovascular Disease refer to codes from section I69. Subparagraph one states that codes from section I69 refer to late effects caused by an incident coded from sections I60-I67, and that codes from I69 that refer to hemiplegia (), hemiparesis (), and monoplegia () identify which side of the body that is affected whether is be the dominant side or non-dominant. This subparagraph also lists rules for when the affected side is identified as left or right but not as dominant or non-dominant – for ambidextrous patients, the default should be dominant; if the left side is affected, the default is non-dominant; and if the right side is affected, the default is dominant. The second subparagraph, states simply that codes from section I69 may be assigned with codes I60-I67 if the patient has a current cerebrovascular disease and deficits from an old cerebrovascular disease. And the third subparagraph states that codes from section I69 should not be assigned if the patient does not have neurologic deficits (AAPC, 2019).

~Abbie Boes~

CLASSMATE POST #2

Hypertension is commonly referred to as high blood pressure. It occurs when too much blood is being pumped into the arteries which can cause life-threatening diseases such as heart disease and stroke. Someone with hypertension will have a blood pressure reading of 130 over 80 or higher. Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease. People who have relatives with high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes should regularly get their blood pressure checked. Some symptoms they should be on the look-out for include severe headaches, chest pain, difficulty breathing, or irregular heartbeat (MIBluesPerspectives, 2020).

Elevated blood pressure affects someone who’s blood pressure reading is slightly above normal. This means it can likely lead to hypertension. It is recommended to make some lifestyle changes like eating healthy, exercising and avoiding obesity.

On the other hand, hypotension is the opposite. Hypotension is known as low blood pressure. Someone with hypotension will have a blood pressure reading of 90 over 60 or lower. This occurs when blood is not fully flowing to the brain, arteries, and organs. This can lead to dizziness or lightheadedness. That’s why the symptoms that often occur due to hypotension are unsteadiness, weakness, cold, pale colored skin, or fainting (MIBluesPerspectives, 2020).

While both hypertension and hypotension can cause serious harm, doctors consider hypotension to be more dangerous. Since low blood pressure can cause fainting and dizziness, this increases the risk of falling. This disease can be more dangerous the longer you live with it. This can increase the risk of serious injury whereas someone with high blood pressure might eventually lead to stroke if they don’t take care of their condition (Dowell, 2018).

After reviewing the official guidelines, it is clear that we will see a lot of events where additional codes are required when coding diagnoses relating to hypertension. Some require sequencing and sequencing if based on the reason for the encounter.

~Caitlin Cassidy~

HS230: Health Care Administration

Discussion Topic: Employment Law

INSTRUCTIONS: Respond to all posts; response to classmates should be thoughtful and advance the discussion, response should make and/or frequent informed references to unit material or scientific literature, follow APA style if resources are used, 75 word minimum in response per post

CLASSMATE POST #3

A popular law amongst healthcare employees is HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (CDC, 2018). HIPAA was created to protect patient’s privacy and keeping health information from being disclosed without the patient’s knowledge (CDC, 2018). Disclosure is allowed when required by law, tissue or organ donation, to prevent a lessen a serious threat, workers compensation, some research and other reasons (CDC, 2018). If it is necessary to disclose the health information and/or the patient has consented to the disclosure of the information it is permitted then, but otherwise all health information needs to be kept confidential.

HIPAA officially began in 1996 (CDC, 2018). HIPAA is incredibly important because it protects patients’ and their information. Individuals would be less likely to see a health care provider if they worry that their private information might be shared to outside sources. It is crucial that healthcare providers keep all patient information classified and only share it with people who need to know the information and with the patient’s consent. Keeping a patient’s trust is so important for their well-being.

~Alexis Francis~

CLASSMATE POST #4

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, better known as HIPPA, is one of the most important regulations. This federal law requires national standards to protect patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule implement the requirements of HIPAA. The types of individuals and organizations are subject to the Privacy Rule are all healthcare providers, all health plans and insurance companies,and any person involved in claims processing, data analysis, or billing. This law helps the patient to be confident that their medical records will be secure. To comply with this rule covered entities must ensure the confidentiality of all electronic protected health information, safeguard against anticipated threats to the security of the information, and make sure of compliance by their employees.

~Carol Snyder~