Inpatient coders and CDI specialists are usually familiar with ICD-10-CM coding for diabetes mellitus and Cushing’s syndrome. However, they may need a refresher on ICD-10-CM coding for less common endocrine disorders. This article breaks down endocrine anatomy and physiology, and ICD-10-CM coding for thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pineal irregularities.
Alba Kuqi, MD, CICA, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, CRCR, CSMC, MSHIM, RHIA , writes that one diagnosis in particular that can take extra effort to understand is acute kidney injury (AKI). Frequently reviewing coding and CDI challenges related to AKI will ensure proper coding and reimbursement.
According to Deanne Wilk, BSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CCDS-O, CCS, patient safety and quality of care are forerunning concerns for organizations today, and hospitals need to examine how and when they evaluate that quality of care in order to remain ethical and compliant.
Coders and CDI professionals should be active in the rule-making process for the IPPS, as their specific skills and knowledge can make a large impact on what appears in the final rule.
All inpatient coding and CDI professionals, whether new to the field or industry veterans, should be familiar with the American Hospital Association’s Coding Clinic . This article reviews the steps to take and the importance of submitting coding questions.
In this article, Alba Kuqi, MD, CICA, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, CRCR, CSMC, MSHIM, RHIA , breaks down acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis criteria and reviews documentation and querying for these diagnoses through a case study.
Trey La Charité, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCS, CCDS, writes that through updated heart failure definitions and clinical criteria, coders and CDI teams now have help to ensure that congestive heart failure is properly documented and denials are avoided.
In this article, Alba Kuqi, MD, CICA, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, CRCR, CSMC, MSHIM, RHIA , breaks down the various definitions and criteria for sepsis and reviews documentation and querying for this diagnosis through a case study.
Hospitals often put significant thought, time, and energy into hiring new team members, and while coding and CDI managers can have the best possible staff, if they don’t feel appreciated, the odds of them staying with the company long term are low.
In this article, we will take a closer look at clinical indicators for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and arrythmias. Frequently reviewing clinical indicators for complicated diagnoses such as these will ensure both proper ICD-10-CM reporting and reimbursement.
Howard Rodenberg, MD, MPH, CCDS, writes that it only takes one or two inappropriate queries to a provider for the process to seem burdensome to them. To avoid this scenario, Rodenberg proposes three questions to consider once you’ve decided a query is in order.
You may wonder why an article about the coding of Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs) in the outpatient wound care setting is appearing in an inpatient periodical. When I first approached this topic, I focused on the outpatient wound care setting. But the more I thought about it, I realized this topic is pertinent for inpatient coders.
Documentation is an integral part of a patient’s healthcare encounter. Improper or imprecise documentation may create an inaccurate picture of what truly occurred during a patient’s hospital stay or outpatient visit. How do CDI and inpatient professionals capture the most accurate picture possible? The answer may lie in solving a more complex question: How do we encourage and expand critical thinking?
It’s not unusual for CDI and inpatient coding teams to cite physician education and engagement as one of their top struggles in the field. In this article, read how the CDI team at Avera Health System turned to their query data to craft a focused education program and meet their physicians on the same page.
Laurie L. Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC, reviews how critical thinking is important within the CDI and coding realm in order to enhance review accuracy and query rates and to help loosen reliance on technological tools such as encoders.
Alba Kuqi, MD, CICA, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, CRCR, CSMC, MSHIM, RHIA, writes that CDI professionals and inpatient coders need to pay attention to the definitions and clinical indicators of acute kidney injury (AKI) to ensure proper ICD-10-CM reporting and reimbursement.
Dawn Valdez, RN, LNC, CDIP, CCDS, says that the clinical indicators used to validate sepsis can also have other possible etiologies that could be equally responsible for the clinical indicators that are present—these are known as competing diagnoses.
Howard Rodenberg, MD, MPH, CCDS, and Lynn Shay, CPHQ , say that making sense of varying COVID-19 case-mix index metrics is an important endeavor that will sometimes require a bit of DIY. In this article, they explain how they were able to unscramble their departments’ COVID-19 case-mix index data.
The kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from the blood. As kidneys fail, these wastes build up. The symptoms of chronic kidney disease (CKD) generally develop slowly and aren't specific to the disease. Often, there are no noticeable symptoms, and the condition is noted incidentally from a diagnostic testing, or the symptoms first appear once the disease course has reached significant impairment.
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.
