Dark Daily’s List of Anatomic Pathology’s 10 Most Costly Coding Errors Costly Coding Errors

Oct 9, 2006 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Laboratory Pathology

Coding Error #1: Not Insisting on Complete Requisition Forms for Pap Tests Lab administrators and pathologists often fail to realize how frequently this error results in lost revenue to the laboratory. Incomplete information on the requisition can also impact the clinical service the laboratory provides to the referring physician. It may be timely to do audit current workflow to determine the error rate on Pap smear requisitions. If your lab team doesn’t know the precise number, it is...

Dark Daily’s List of Anatomic Pathology’s Most Costly Coding Errors

Oct 6, 2006 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Laboratory Pathology

Coding Error #2: Not Knowing when to Separately Code for Multiple Specimens This coding tip relates to how specimens are handled and processed in the histology laboratory. AMA procedural terminology states that 2-tissue specimens from the same patient (but separately identified, such as with endoscopic biopsies, skin lesions, etc.) are each appropriately assigned an individual code reflective of the proper level of service. This is a basic element of accurate coding. But it is easily...
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