Adriane Martin, DO, FACOS, CCDS, reviews Coding Clinic guidance published in the first and second quarters of this year as it pertains to coding guidelines, severity of illness, and MS-DRG assignment for the inpatient setting.
Acute heart failure patients in an emergency department's clinical pathway program had a 13.1% lower readmission rate, according to a report published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Cesar M. Limjoco, MD, writes that although different literature has become available on principal diagnosis selection through the years, questions and disputes keep popping up. In this article, he revisits the issue and provides additional insight to code selection for conditions such as acute respiratory failure and congestive heart failure.
Q: We recently had a patient admitted for syncope workup. The workups were negative except for incidental findings of acute kidney injury (AKI). The physician documented “AKI likely 2/2 hypovolemia. Treatment focus is to trend creatinine levels and hydration.” Would the AKI or hypovolemia be sequenced as the principal diagnosis?
Creating a query and knowing when to query can be complicated, and there are a number of continued training tactics that prove successful for the coder when trying to improve upon physician query practices. This article looks at a few of the official sources that offer query guidance for coders. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
