flynn043

I've been spending the last couple of months training clients on ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS and one of the things I love most about it is that I continue to learn more about ICD-10 and it's getting easier.  As a matter of fact, I now feel more qualified to teach ICD-10 than ICD-9.  But of course, I could pick ICD-9 back up again quickly if I had to.  You can't erase nearly two decades of experience overnight! Many who know me well and have sat through my training sessions know that I like to teach by analogy (much the same way this blog is written).  So when I unpack my laptop and training materials at a client, I also unpack a series of stories, jokes (well, I think they're funny), and tricks to remembering all the knowledge that I'm about to lay on them.  Probably one of my favorites is the Great Cat Extraction, which I was reminded of yesterday when I took my sweet little Mandy to the vet. My cat Mandy is 6 petite pounds of pure purring pleasantness.  Unti...

Is it just me or is the amount of ICD-10 hype particularly increased over the last couple of months?   Now, at just 17 months until implementation, it seems the industry has taken it up a notch lately.  And that has me wondering if ICD-10 is giving anyone panic attacks yet.  And yes, there is a code for that: F41.0, Panic disorder [episodic paroxysmal anxiety] without agoraphobia At least I hope no one has been moved to the point of panic where they are afraid to leave their homes. As for me, I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing ICD-10.  In my day job, I've been writing training materials and even delivering training to clients.  On Colorado's ICD-10 Task Force, we've just planned a year's worth of statewide education.  I've given up a Saturday or two to attend or facilitate ICD-10 Coffee Chats locally for roundtable discussions on coding in ICD-10.  And I've hit two regional associations here in Colorado and given an hour long present...

I am not a fan of Valentines Day.  And please don't mistake this for bitterness, I just find it ridiculous that we have a holiday dedicated to telling the ones we love that we love them when there are 364 other perfectly good days in the year to confirm the sentiment.  So I really just see Valentines Day as an excuse for my grocery store to mark up the cost of roses for 2 weeks in February.  And let's be real here: I hate the combination of pink and red hearts.  I don't know what it is, but it makes me queasy.  Pink hearts alone are fine.  Red hearts alone are dandy.  But together, ick.  And it get even worse when they throw in those purple hearts for good measure. As I sit here with my pink heart necklace - after all, I am a festive person and there are no red hearts in sight - I do like Valentines Day as a reminder of something more important: February is American Heart month.  Maybe you "go red" on Fridays or wear a red ribbon.  Maybe...

I just spent a very fun weekend in Steamboat Springs with my boyfriend visiting his family.  For the second year in a row, we decided that the prime weekend for a visit was during Winter Carnival, which is pretty spectacular if you ever have the chance to witness it.  During the day, they load up Main Street with snow for events such as the donkey jump, where local cowboys saddle up their horses so they can drag kids on skis over ski jumps (something my boyfriend has experienced and survived) or the shovel race, where the cowboys drag "grown" men sitting on snow shovels down the street to see who can get the best time. There are lots of other things going on as well.  Last year, we went to Howelsen Hill - home of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and training ground of many Olympians - to watch some ski jumps.  But perhaps the biggest draw is Saturday night's fireworks display and the Lighted Man.  This show begins after dark at Howelsen Hill as skiers ca...

I'm afraid today's topic won't be quite the entertainment fodder that many of my readers have come to enjoy because this is a serious topic and one that I am very passionate about. And it deserves a serious blog posting!  Someone recently asked me on my Facebook page what I thought about a recent cover story published in For the Record Magazine.  "Industry Disconnect" by Selena Chavis is a great read for anyone who has been pounding the pavement looking for a coding job.  It is also a must read for any coding professional with hiring power.  In short, this article highlights the biggest threat to the future of the coding industry: the ability to hire, mentor, and train recent grads. It's no secret how I feel about mentoring our future workforce.  My thoughts are well documented throughout the Coder Coach and my colleagues in the state of Colorado know how outspoken I am about the topic of mentoring coders. So when I was asked, I thought, wow, what a great top...

How do people start New Year's resolutions on January 1?  Am I the only person in the world who bakes, entertains, gift wraps, and parties myself into oblivion until the point where I don't want to do a darn thing come New Year's Day?  Here we are on January 14 and I am finally getting things organized enough to focus on how to better myself in 2013.  Oh sure, I had lofty goals.  Last year, we took an awesome New Year's day hike at Red Rocks Park near Denver.  And we were going to do it again.  But this year 2013 hit us in a sleep deprived state so we decided to forgo the hike and head to a late breakfast instead.  We did end up at Ikea, though, so I suppose a few hours there could technically be classified as a hike. In general, I hate New Year's resolutions.  I think they are incredibly cliche and what's even more cliche is the fact that they never last.  I think the number 1 New Year's resolution should be to make your New Year's resoluti...

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