Like it or not, provider documentation is the foundation for everything done in medicine. Without it, nothing is accomplished. As healthcare reform progresses (and hospital reimbursement shrinks), the need for excellent provider documentation only increases.
Coding and documentation teams can replicate an organization’s overall denial avoidance and management program by scaling it to the scope of denials for which they are responsible. Lynette Kramer, MA, RHIA , outlines a four-step process that coding teams can use to monitor claim data and establish accountability for denials.
Chris Simons, MS, RHIA , outlines tasks that generally fall within the CDI department’s realm and writes that to ensure that inpatient CDI specialists can thoroughly complete these tasks, they must have strong clinical skills and a working knowledge of ICD-10-CM and MS-DRG assignment. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Cheryl Manchenton, RN, BSN, CCDS , details the recent updates to patient safety indicator (PSI) 90 and says that these changes are the reason why it’s more important than ever to ensure that PSI metrics are complete and accurate.
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.
Developing an outpatient CDI program isn't just about metrics--departments needs to consider how to engage providers and interact with other teams to be truly effective.
William E. Haik, MD, FCCP, CDIP, writes that complex pneumonias can segregate to a higher-weighted MS-DRG than other pneumonia types, so reviewing clinical elements with your physician staff may help improve documentation and avoid adverse determinations by external reviewers for these conditions.
Cathy Farraher, RN, BSN, MBA, CCCM, CCDS , details the basics of the All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (APR-DRG), the system developed to allow for a more specific analysis of outcomes in the non-Medicare population, and shows coders and CDI teams how to better capture quality metrics through documentation.
Working remotely can be either totally fulfilling or a bit difficult. If you’re a people person, you will miss the camaraderie of working in the hospital setting, the ability to problem solve by bouncing ideas off your coworkers, the gossip, and the potlucks. On the other hand, if you’re organized and self-motivated enough, enjoy peace and quiet, and prefer wearing your pajamas to work, remote might be right up your alley.
Amy Sanderson, MD, says that the term “dysphagia” has many synonyms used by providers in medical documentation. However, not all of these symptoms are able to describe the diagnosis with enough specificity so that it can be translated into its corresponding code assignment.
Emergency departments (ED) at designated trauma centers encounter some of the most complex patients—and with them, a complicated documentation web that’s difficult for even the most experienced CDI specialists and coders to untangle.
In many cases, knowing when to query is simple, but the more challenging cases contain clues that require additional interpretation. Drew Siegel, MD, CCDS, takes a look at a few of the more interesting and often undocumented diagnoses, including respiratory failure and acute kidney injury, and points out the diagnostic clues to form a compliant query.
When building a successful proactive clinical documentation approach, the effort of setting up communication dynamics is essential and should certainly be a priority.
Just like their inpatient acute care counterparts, inpatient psychiatric facilities use ICD-10-CM codes, but their payment structure, documentation requirements, prevalent clinical conditions, and additional documentation requirements needing capture are vastly different.
Though larger facilities may have had CDI programs for years that work in conjunction with the inpatient coders—some for over a decade—others are only starting now.
Allen Frady, RN-BSN, CCDS, CCS, CRC, reviews proposed changes applicable to coding and CDI teams within the fiscal year (FY) 2019 IPPS proposed rule including HIV disease, ARDS, and CC/MCC changes.
Allen Frady, RN-BSN, CCDS, CCS, CRC, reviews various guidance related to clinical validation to help coders and CDI teams better navigate the complex topic.
When planning to implement a coding auditing program, the type of reviews, focus areas, and review frequency must all be taken into consideration. Rose T. Dunn, MBA, RHIA, CPA/CGMA, FACHE, FHFMA, CHPS , details how to conduct an effective coding audit and ensure compliance with documentation requirements.
