Alba Kuqi, MD, MSHIM, CDIP, CCS, CCDS, CRCR, CICA, CSMC, RHIA, CCM, delves into the ethical standards, best practices, and importance of accurate health record documentation in regard to heart failure by drawing insights from authoritative sources within the industry.
Despite sepsis being the leading cause of hospital readmissions and in-hospital deaths in the U.S., its extensive history of clinical definitions and criteria can cause confusion for even the most experienced coders. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
CDI departments have long been involved with the denials management process. As with any expansion of CDI responsibility, those looking to venture into a new area can glean valuable knowledge from those already on the cutting edge.
Kate Siemens, RN, CMSRN, CCDS , discusses the clinical indicators for malnutrition during end-of-life care with Taylor Kuykendall, MS, RD, LD . She covers relevant ICD-10-CM codes and proper reporting methodologies for the condition.
Alba Kuqi, MD, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, CRCR, CICA, CSCM , reviews coding, CDI, and clinical validation challenges associated with acute kidney injury cases and gives insight into how coders and physicians can work together to increase accuracy.
Kellie Halsted, MSN/MHA, RN, CCDS, CCM , writes about how her experience as a hospital case manager has given her additional insight into writing clinical validation appeal letters as a CDI specialist.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system. Debbie Jones, CPC, CCA , explains the symptoms, treatment, and how 2024 ICD-10-CM coding changes will affect reporting for this disease.
Hemodialysis involves diverting blood into an external machine, where it is filtered and returned to the body. Sarah Gould, CPC , describes the vascular surgical options for hemodialysis (fistulas and grafts), their various types, and how to report them in ICD-10-PCS. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
With certain medical conditions, encountering differing opinions and discrepancies in provider documentation is inevitable. Deanne Wilk, MPS, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS , reviews 10 diagnoses whose documentation commonly features discrepancies.
The rise in remote work has enabled many healthcare systems to transition to a systemwide model. This change has left some CDI departments struggling to create a unified team. Learn from other facilities on how to overcome these challenges.
Amanda Vincent , Javier Ortiz , and Teresa Brown, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CCS , identify various CMS quality programs, discuss common conditions these programs assess, and highlight their impact on patient safety through examples and coding case studies.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria become resistant to drugs designed to kill them. Deanne Wilk, MPS, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS, offers guidance on querying physicians for antibiotic resistance organisms.
Key performance indicators are used by organizations to monitor the progress of CDI initiatives. Waldo Herrera, MD, MBA, MSc, FACP, SFHM, CHCQM-PHYADV , describes performance metrics that professionals at his facility use to track revenue cycle performance and opportunities for improvement.
What may be considered a simple task, such as confirming present on admission status, can be complicated by discrepancies between coding and quality reporting criteria. Kate Siemens, RN, CMSRN, CCDS , outlines the ways in which coding and quality metrics do not align.
The gap between clinical reality and coding terminology can be addressed by empowering coders to use clinical judgment. Merle Zuel, RN, CCDS , discusses when it is appropriate for coders to interpret provider documentation and use their clinical judgment to code it in a certain way.
CMS’ quality measures rank hospital mortality data as better than, no different than, or worse than the national mortality rate. JoAnne Mullins, DNP, MSN, RN, CCDS , describes how to perform quality reviews targeting missed coding opportunities and other factors that influence mortality data.
Clinical documentation and ICD-10-CM coding terminology for neonatal conditions do not always match. Review documentation requirements and ICD-10-CM coding guidelines for reporting common neonatal diagnoses, as well as advice for querying pediatric healthcare providers.
Jorde Spitler, RN, CDI manager at Dayton Children’s Hospital, describes key considerations for documentation review, querying, and ICD-10-CM coding in a pediatric acute care setting.
Laura Roberts, BSN, RN, CCDS , describes how to perform internal reviews that target Patient Safety Indicators, hospital-acquired conditions, and other quality indicators.