Our QC team loves a challenge! We receive questions from our own CTRs, our clients, and often colleagues regarding coding challenges. Fortunately for our teams, we have each other and a QC manager assigned to each project. The QC managers have years of experience and the personality to continue to research until they find an answer! Our quarterly QC newsletter provides our most recent tips, but…
Is your Pathology Report compliant with CAP guidelines?
Often times, the cancer committee members are uncertain if their pathology reports are meeting Standard 2.1. The College of American Pathologists (CAP)protocols must be followed to report the required data elements in 90% of the eligible cancer pathology reports each year. No one wants to be surprised to hear the CoC surveyor state he does not see the required data elements as mandated by CAP. Below…
Q&A: TNM and SEER Summary Staging
Q: What is the SEER Summary stage for a patient diagnosed with metastatic disease to the bone and brain but a primary site is not identified (C80.9) – Unknown Primary Site. A: Code 9 – Unknown. Per the Seer Summary Stage manual, page 281, the stage would be unknown as the primary site is unknown/not stated therefore the summary stage cannot be determined. Q: In…
Q&A: Radiation Coding
Q: A breast cancer receives a modified radical mastectomy and is referred for subsequent radiation therapy. The patient receives 5000 cgy in 25 fxs to the left chest wall and 1000 cgy in 5 fxs as a boost to the chest wall scar. What is the code for the radiation treatment volume? A: Code 20 Chest Wall. Per FORDS page 240, code 20 encompasses the chest…