This edition of Start Smart revisits the fundamentals of neoplasm coding and cancer coding. Cancer-related coding errors remain among the most common issues we identify in risk adjustment audits, so it is worth returning to the basics.
One of the most frequent errors we see is assigning a metastatic code for blood-borne or hematopoietic cancers. For example, a provider may document "metastatic lymphoma" or that "lymphoma has spread to intra-abdominal nodes," but that does not mean a metastatic or secondary cancer code should be assigned.
The three double-sided tip sheets below, along with the relevant Coding Clinic references, cover the following neoplasm and cancer coding topics:
- Neoplasm review of "C" codes
- TNM scale
- Active treatment vs watchful waiting
- Metastatic to vs metastatic from
- Hematopoietic and lymphatic malignancies
- Neoplasm Coding Clinic references
Download the neoplasm coding tip sheets
Get Start Smart in your inbox
Start Smart delivers practical, guideline-based coding tip sheets on high-impact topics every two weeks. Subscribe to get each new edition as it publishes.
Subscribe to Start Smart