The newly proposed Sepsis-3 definition has been the subject of great controversy and consternation since its publication in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on February 23, 2016. That controversial definition discarded the concept of SIRS as the basis for defining sepsis...Read More »
CMS released the fiscal year (FY) 2017 IPPS final rule yesterday. CMS made changes to several quality initiatives and reversed the agency’s 0.2% payment reduction instituted along with the 2-midnight rule in the FY 2014 rule. Read More »
Q: Does the provider have to say "acute" exacerbation of COPD or just COPD exacerbation?
A: The best way to figure out the required wording is to take a peek into a code book. If we look at the code J44.1 for COPD exacerbation, you see the word “acute” in parentheses. When words within...Read More »
The theme for the sixth annual CDI Week celebration (which takes place September 19-23) totally rocks! This year, our theme is “CDI in Concert: Your Ticket to Collaboration.” Our poster, fact sheet, and other materials will be available soon. Please check out our...Read More »
CMS recently released the 2017 ICD-10-PCS code updates and guidelines, which include changes to certain root operations. Of the updates, the most notable modifications include the addition of root operation for...Read More »
Q: What is the correct procedure code for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy? Our coder coded 0DQ68ZZ, which groups to DRG 326, the same as an esophagectomy. The relative weight (RW) is 5.45. This does not seem right. Could you please clarify?...Read More »
