by Melissa Varnavas
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a teacher or a writer. I envisioned a life where I could be both. Those familiar with this column, and others, know that I found fulfillment in those ambitions in my role here at ACDIS, as the conduit between your...Read More »
By Katy Good, RN, BSN, CCDS, CCS
Over the past years, progressive CDI programs have expanded to additional payer sources, begun targeted mortality reviews, and identified hospital-acquired conditions and Patient Safety Indicators, among other initiatives. Despite this, many CDI...Read More »
FEATURES 8 Proving investment returns for outpatient endeavors 16 Inpatient psychiatric facilities: A whole new world 24 CDI in home healthcare focuses on educationRead More »
By Melissa Varnavas
I’m a third-generation Varnavas. Back when my great–grandparents emigrated here from Greece, good old doc Fullerton used to come around and care for the family when they were sick. Back then, no doubt, he’d soothe their aches, offer advice, and prescribe what...Read More »
By Anny Pang Yuen, RHIA, CCS, CCDS, CDIP
Because healthcare is changing so rapidly, many CDI programs recognize the importance of expanding their existing programs to cover areas that may be new to the majority of CDI specialists. As healthcare reimbursement shifts from fee-for-...Read More »
For many, outpatient CDI is still a new frontier. An outpatient CDI effort might be kicked off by success on the inpatient side and some preliminary wins with outpatient record reviews for ambulatory or emergency services. Programs with full-blown CDI efforts into system-owned physician...Read More »
“HCCs [Hierarchical Condition Categories] aren’t just an ambulatory focus. This is inpatient and ambulatory, so it’s really important for [CDI professionals] to be tuned into this model,” said Brett Senor, MD, physician associate for Enjoin CDI on ...Read More »
By Cathy Farraher, RN, BSN, MBA, CCCM, CCDS
At a recent meeting, my facility coders discussed that our special care nursery (SCN) patients were an outlier for length of stay (LOS). This surprised CDI staff—the reputation of the unit was very good, so how could it be an outlier?Read More »
