Hello Coding Group,
I would imagine I read inquiries at least 10 times a week on coding issues on different discussion groups. I was informed by one of my peers many years ago about Medlearn's book: Coding for Respiratory Therapy and Pulmonary Functions-2011. One of the avenues for purchase is the AARC bookstore.
http://services.aarc.org/source/Orders/index.cfm?task=3&CATEGORY=1%2DBOOKS&PRODUCT_TYPE=SALES&SKU=BKCR2011&DESCRIPTION=MANUALS%20AND%20BOOKS&FindSpec=&CFTOKEN=66791400&continue=1&SEARCH_TYPE=find&StartRow=1&PageNum=1.
I would trust that if every Respiratory Care department had at least one copy of this book on a manager's desk that many of the questions being asked would simply be resolved in this resource book so that you can interact with armed knowledge with your facility Charge Description Master (CDM) analyst and CFO. Now comes the tricky part on how to apply the desciption to the services you perform. You would think our profession would be standardized in this area but that could not be farther from the truth. So if you are comparing yourself to another facility concerning productivity, you need to realize that some facilites are counting productive services differently based upon application of the CPT codes and weighted scoring relative value units (RVU's). Many facilities are counting non-productive services into their productivity. I will not debate the pros and cons of both productivity scoring systems but just want all of the younger tenured therapists to realize the flawed concept of comparing productivity from one health care system to another due to differences in productivity counts. I look forward to learning the updated AARC URM just released as this should be a goal we should all strive towards to solve many departmental operational issues.