The top diagnoses leading to clinical validation queries tend to follow a pattern, and it’s likely one that will come as no surprise to even newer CDI professionals. For Elizabeth Aguirre, MD, CCDS, Jera Van Damme, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, and Cathy Testerman, CCS, CCDS, sepsis takes a top slot....Read More »
The CDC released official diagnosis coding guidance for encounters and deaths related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), effective February 20, 2020.
COVID-19 infections cause a range of illness severity, from no symptoms to severe illness and potentially death. Coronavirus...Read More »
Cigna announced in its first quarter 2020 Network News that it will be adopting Sepsis-3 criteria. The news item says that the change will take place immediately and it’s “part of [their] effort to promote the accurate diagnosis and treatment of sepsis, and use the appropriate billing and coding...Read More »
I’ve always thought that, as long as the clinical indicators support the condition you’re querying for, providing all the options for the specific type/specificity of that condition allows the provider to use their clinical judgement. Is this correct?Read More »
The largest sepsis study ever conducted with Medicare data found a 40% increase in the rate of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with the infection between 2012 and 2018, reported HealthLeaders Media.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 270,000...Read More »
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been closely monitoring an outbreak of the respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, and which continues to expand through out the world. At the beginning of February,...Read More »
I am a little confused about sepsis coding. I understand that the documentation of “sepsis syndrome” should be queried, but when should “viral sepsis” versus “viral sepsis syndrome” be used?Read More »
Sepsis. It’s a favorite topic for CDI professionals everywhere for good reason. Not only is sepsis responsible for a large portion of hospitalized patients’ deaths, but it seems that coding, clinical, and auditing worlds can’t agree on the clinical definition of sepsis.
