With most patient charts now housed in EHRs, technology has become a standard part of the healthcare industry. Growing technological adoption, however, means physicians spend an increasing amount of time on computers and using technology.
HIM and coding directors and managers report some gains in salary but have fewer staff in the department with no plans to hire new staff, according to the results of an HCPro’s 2021 HIM director and manager salary survey. Although directors’ and managers’ salaries and benefits appear to have weathered the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, HIM departments may continue to see resources stretched thinner than ever.
In this note, we will review proposed changes to quality programs for inpatient acute and long-term hospital services, and changes to address existing inequities and prevent future inequities in the delivery of these services, including significant improvements to data collection and analysis capabilities.
In April, CMS released the fiscal year (FY) 2022 IPPS proposed rule. The rule contains proposed payment changes under Medicare Part A for covered inpatient stays in short-term acute care hospitals and inpatient stays in long-term care hospitals.
Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC, writes about the spinal conditions that may result in a patient’s need for spinal fusion surgery and outlines how to find the correct ICD-10-PCS code for the procedure.
The agency is proposing methods to alleviate burden on hospitals that have been under strain for the past year, while also asking for feedback that may shape future data reporting and rate-setting.
Sarah Nehring, RHIT, CCS, CCDS, examines inpatient procedural coding for pacemaker procedures, as well as taking a look at how coding accuracy for these procedures can impact MS-DRG assignment.