At one time, a physician advisor in a hospital was a rarity. That was then, but this is now, with many healthcare systems having not just one physician advisor, but often many on staff. Does this emerging need signal the deployment of a new position within the physician advisory service team?

To learn more, ICD10monitor producers have invited Dr. Juliet B. Ugarte Hopkins to explain when and how this might be accomplished.

Dr. Ugarte Hopkins, the chief medical officer for Phoenix Medical Management, Inc., will be the special guest during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesday.

The popular weekly Internet broadcast will also feature these additional instantly recognizable panelists, who will report more news during their segments:

• CDI Report: Cheryl Ericson, Senior Director of Clinical Policy and Education for the vaunted Brundage Group, will have the latest clinical documentation integrity (CDI) updates.

• The Coding Report: Christine Geiger, Assistant Vice President of Acute and Post-Acute Coding Services for First Class Solutions, will report on the latest coding news.

• News Desk: Timothy Powell, ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.

• MyTalk: Angela Comfort, veteran healthcare subject-matter expert, will co-host the long-running and popular weekly Internet broadcast. Comfort is the Assistant Vice President of Revenue Integrity for Montefiore Health.

Although the proposed rule for the 2026 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) has been released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), mastering the complexities will continue to challenge most coders and coding team members. That is why ICD10monitor producers have asked Dr. James S. Kennedy to join the upcoming edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays: to highlight potentially significant roadblocks that are likely to confront coders as they prepare to implement the new rule that becomes effective Oct. 1, 2025.

As a sidebar, Dr. Kennedy, along with nationally recognized coding authority Christine Geiger, will team up for the 2026 IPPS Masterclass series, taking place live Aug. 13, 14, and 15.

The popular weekly Internet broadcast will also feature these additional instantly recognizable panelists, who will report more news during their segments:

• CDI Report: Cheryl Ericson, Director of clinical documentation integrity (CDI) for the vaunted Brundage Group, will have the latest CDI updates.

• The Coding Report: Christine Geiger, Assistant Vice President of Acute and Post-Acute Coding Services for First Class Solutions, will report on the latest coding news.

• News Desk: Timothy Powell, ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.

• MyTalk: Angela Comfort, veteran healthcare subject-matter expert, will co-host the long-running and popular weekly Internet broadcast. Comfort is the Assistant Vice President of Revenue Integrity for Montefiore Health.

During the next live edition of the popular Talk Ten Tuesday Internet broadcast, you’ll learn how artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous coding are quickly reshaping the day-to-day work of coders.

From inpatient DRG suggestions to outpatient evaluation and management (E&M) automation, these tools speed up workflows, reduce errors, and help prevent costly denials, according to Penny Jefferson, the special guest for the Internet program, produced by ICD10monitor.

You’ll also learn the human side of automation—how coders remain essential for complex decision making, quality assurance, and accurate clinical representation.

The popular weekly Internet broadcast will also feature these additional instantly recognizable panelists, who will report more news during their segments:

• CDI Report: Cheryl Ericson, Director of CDI for the vaunted Brundage Group, will have the latest CDI updates.

• The Coding Report: Amy Jo Combs, with First Class Solutions, will substitute for Christine Geiger to report on the latest coding news.

• News Desk: Timothy Powell, ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.

• MyTalk: Angela Comfort, veteran healthcare subject-matter expert, will co-host the long-running and popular weekly Internet broadcast. Comfort is the Assistant Vice President of Revenue Integrity for Montefiore Health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), accidental falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older, with more than 1 in 4 older adults reporting falls every year.

During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesday, Dr. James S. Kennedy will discuss the clinical concept of the “fragility fracture,” and how the under-documentation of fragility fractures results in inaccurate ICD-10-CM coding, adversely affecting Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) MS-DRGs, hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), and other quality measures. Be sure that your coding supervisor, clinical documentation integrity (CDI) director, and quality teams listen in to partner collectively with the medical staff with identifying this prevalent condition.

The popular weekly Internet broadcast will also feature these additional instantly recognizable panelists, who will report more news during their segments:

• Social Determinants of Health: Tiffany Ferguson, CEO for Phoenix Medical Management, Inc., will report on the news that is happening at the intersection of medical record auditing and the SDoH;

• CDI Report: Cheryl Ericson, Director of CDI for the vaunted Brundage Group, will have the latest CDI updates;

• The Coding Report: Jodi Worthington, with First Class Solutions, will substitute for Christine Geiger to report on the latest coding news;

• News Desk: Timothy Powell, ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk; and

• MyTalk: Angela Comfort, veteran healthcare subject-matter expert, will co-host the long-running and popular weekly Internet broadcast. Comfort is the Assistant Vice President of Revenue Integrity for Montefiore Health.

Substance abuse is a pervasive issue with profound implications for hospitals.

It has been estimated that up to 25 percent of hospitalized patients have a substance abuse disorder. And up to 44 percent of these patients abuse some substance during hospitalization. The annual estimated hospital cost for treating substance abuse disorders is as high as $13 billion.

But it’s not limited to patients, according to physician and attorney Dr. John K. Hall, who will be the special guest during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays.

According to Dr. Hall, estimates show that up to 15 percent of physicians and 20 percent of nurses also have a substance abuse disorder. It affects patient outcomes, hospital operations, financial health, and the broader healthcare system. The complexity of substance use disorders requires a nuanced understanding of diagnostic categories, accurate coding, and awareness of the legal and employment ramifications.

The popular weekly Internet broadcast will also feature these additional instantly recognizable panelists, who will report more news during their segments:

• Social Determinants of Health: Tiffany Ferguson, CEO for Phoenix Medical Management, Inc., will report on the news that is happening at the intersection of medical record auditing and the SDoH;

• CDI Report: Cheryl Ericson, Director of clinical documentation integrity (CDI) for the vaunted Brundage Group, will have the latest CDI updates;

• The Coding Report: Christine Geiger, Assistant Vice President of Acute and Post-Acute Coding Services for First Class Solutions, will report on the latest coding news;

• News Desk: Timothy Powell, ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk; and

• Point of View: Dr. James S. Kennedy, who will be sitting in for Angela Comfort, will report on a topic that has captured his attention.

Attention, calling all coders!

Is your hospital compliantly following all the the steps in the Condition Code W2 process?

It’s imperative to understand all the details that must be followed, no matter how complex and daunting.

Implementation is mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Participation is not optional. So take a moment and ask yourself: are your attending physicians re-billing for Medicare Part B patients?

During the next live edition of the popular live Internet broadcast Talk Ten Tuesdays, the Medical Director of Phoenix Medical Management, Inc., Dr. Juliet Ugarte Hopkins, will walk you and your team through the requirements that need to be followed for Medicare Part B re-billing.

The popular Internet broadcast will also feature these additional instantly recognizable panelists, who will report more news during their segments:

• Social Determinants of Health: Tiffany Ferguson, CEO for Phoenix Medical Management, Inc., will report on the news that is happening at the intersection of medical record auditing and the SDoH;

• The Coding Report: Christine Geiger, Assistant Vice President of Acute and Post-Acute Coding Services for First Class Solutions, will report on the latest coding news;

• News Desk: Timothy Powell, ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk; and

• MyTalk: Angela Comfort, veteran healthcare subject-matter expert, will co-host the long-running and popular weekly Internet broadcast. Comfort is the Assistant Vice President of Revenue Integrity for Montefiore Health.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly transitioned from something to expect in the future to the here and now today. The potential for AI in health information is both exciting and daunting. Reporting the lead story during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesday will be longtime RACmonitor and ICD10monitor contributing author Sharon Easterling.

Sharon Easterling is slated to create an editorial series on artificial intelligence. Her report on this topic will be a preview of what readers and listeners will learn during her series.

The popular Internet broadcast will also feature these additional instantly recognizable panelists, who will report more news during their segments:

• Social Determinants of Health: Tiffany Ferguson, CEO for Phoenix Medical Management, Inc., will report on the news that is happening at the intersection of medical record auditing and the SDoH;

• The Coding Report: Christine Geiger, Assistant Vice President of Acute and Post-Acute Coding Services for First Class Solutions, will report on the latest coding news;

• Field Report: Dennis Jones, a veteran Monitor Mondays and Talk Ten Tuesdays contributing author, will report on the latest developments regarding the revenue cycle. Jones is the senior director of revenue cycle at Jefferson Health.

• News Desk: Timothy Powell, ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk; and

• MyTalk: Angela Comfort, veteran healthcare subject-matter expert, will co-host the long-running and popular weekly Internet broadcast. Comfort is the Assistant Vice President of Revenue Integrity for Montefiore Health.

As state laws, federal regulations, and insurance policies continue to evolve, healthcare organizations face growing demands to ensure that gender-affirming care is appropriately documented and reported.

Reporting on these serious coding challenges and the dire consequences of failing to achieve compliance during the next edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be senior healthcare consultant Penny Jefferson, the special guest for the broadcast coming up at 10 a.m. EST on Tuesday, July 1.

The popular Internet broadcast will feature the additional following instantly recognizable panelists, who will report more news during their segments:

• CDI Report: Cheryl Ericson, Director of Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) for the vaunted Brundage Group, will have the latest CDI updates;

• The Coding Report: Christine Geiger, Assistant Vice President of Acute and Post-Acute Coding Services for First Class Solutions, will report on the latest coding news;

• News Desk: Timothy Powell, ICD10monitor national correspondent, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk; and

• MyTalk: Angela Comfort, veteran healthcare subject-matter expert, will co-host the long-running and popular weekly Internet broadcast. Comfort is the Assistant Vice President of Revenue Integrity for Montefiore Health.