On the surface, defining acute respiratory failure seems to be a relatively straightforward task. However, many providers find it difficult to arrive at this diagnosis without repeated queries from the CDI specialist. The discussion and examples that follow...Read More »
A new bill introduced in the House and Senate includes a small, rather buried section that would delay implementation of ICD-10 for another year, to Oct. 1, 2015.
The main focus of the bill is a fix to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR),...Read More »
by Dan Catalano, MD, FACOG
Is hypertension an important diagnosis in childhood? According to Nelson Pediatrics, 19th Edition, there is a less than 1% prevalence of infant and young childhood hypertension. Given this relatively low incidence, should we be concerned about capturing...Read More »
by Trey La Charité, MD Sadly, there are patients who will not survive their current level of illness regardless of the best efforts of their physicians and their medical facility. The providers caring for these patients are often at risk of underreporting those patients’ severity of...Read More »
AHA Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM released its second round of ICD-10 coding guidance in its First Quarter 2013 issue. The following is a recap of the issue with an eye toward what it means for CDI specialists.Read More »
Depending on how they are sequenced, CC and MCC conditions can have a direct effect on MS-DRG assignment, says ACDIS Advisory Board member Cheryl Ericson, MS, RN, CCDS, CDIP, clinical documentation improvement (CDI) education director at HCPro, Inc. in Danvers, Mass., and an AHIMA-...Read More »
The phrase “sepsis syndrome” is starting to appear in medical records these days, but unfortunately it’s a term that requires further clarification. When it’s used, CDI staff/coders should query the physician to clarify the condition being treated. That’s the latest guidance from AHA’s Coding...Read More »