While financial impact has been a primary concern since the inception of CDI, many organizations share a growing emphasis on quality, especially as payment methodologies continue to shift from strictly fee-for-service to pay-for-performance. Tracking the effect of...Read More »
Q: The word "with” is interpreted to mean "associated with " or “due to" per the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. Although "with" can link two diagnoses, it does not represent a cause-and-effect relationship. But we also need to use direct linking with wording such as "...Read More »
How many times have you reviewed a chart, seen the same documentation repeated on each progress note, and tried to figure out why the patient is still here because there is nothing new being documented? If you are trying to...Read More »
Historically, CDI specialists have not included quality concerns in their regular chart reviews, leaving such efforts to experts in the quality department. With the advent of pay-for-quality programs and public quality rating systems from CMS, Leapfrog Group...Read More »
A little procrastination never hurt anybody, but if you’re still planning to apply for one of the three ACDIS boards and committees open for new volunteers, time is running short!
I first became aware of clinical validation denials 12 years ago. I had the great fortune of working alongside a very astute coder at the time. When the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors began audits for clinical validation in 2011, she quickly...Read More »
