Question:
I am studying for an Associates Degree in Medical Billing, Coding, and Insurance and I just started a 5-week introduction course in diagnosis and procedure coding. I am running into some problems trying to understand the format of the codes in the index. I understand the main term and the subterm. I don't understand the continuation line and qualifiers (for example, 1st qualifier, 2nd qualifier, etc.) Can someone tell me what these are as I never heard of them before? Thanks!
Answer:
A continuation line is when the text for the main term or sub term are so long it needs to wrap to the next line - it is indented and that is a continuation line.
A qualifier is additional verbiage a physician adds to a diagnostic statement that clarifies the disease more. So instead of just hypertension - they say malignant hypertension (we wish<g>) so the word "malignant" is the qualifier or qualifying term. Often times a qualifying term will be a subterm or it will be in parens next to main term.
And here is an additional nugget - if it is a sub-term that is also known as an "essential modifier" meaning the physician has to use the term in order for you to code it that way or to use the code to the right of the subterm in the index. If it is in parens next to the main term it is called a "non-essential modifier" meaning the physician can say it or not and you'll still use the code to the right of the main term.
I am studying for an Associates Degree in Medical Billing, Coding, and Insurance and I just started a 5-week introduction course in diagnosis and procedure coding. I am running into some problems trying to understand the format of the codes in the index. I understand the main term and the subterm. I don't understand the continuation line and qualifiers (for example, 1st qualifier, 2nd qualifier, etc.) Can someone tell me what these are as I never heard of them before? Thanks!
Answer:
A continuation line is when the text for the main term or sub term are so long it needs to wrap to the next line - it is indented and that is a continuation line.
A qualifier is additional verbiage a physician adds to a diagnostic statement that clarifies the disease more. So instead of just hypertension - they say malignant hypertension (we wish<g>) so the word "malignant" is the qualifier or qualifying term. Often times a qualifying term will be a subterm or it will be in parens next to main term.
And here is an additional nugget - if it is a sub-term that is also known as an "essential modifier" meaning the physician has to use the term in order for you to code it that way or to use the code to the right of the subterm in the index. If it is in parens next to the main term it is called a "non-essential modifier" meaning the physician can say it or not and you'll still use the code to the right of the main term.