CMS recently redesigned its Hospital Compare website to enhance navigation capabilities for users. CDI specialists can use Hospital Compare to review their facility’s status on certain quality measures such as readmissions, infections, and other measures. Using the site during physician...Read More »
A recent Office of the Inspector General report found PacifiCare of Texas received $115 million in CMS overpayments. The OIG reviewed 100 sample cases and found 43 claims with incorrect payments. According to the report,...Read More »
Unplanned readmissions may by overestimated by as much as 25%, according to a study by physicians in the neurological surgery and orthopedic surgery at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center presented at American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) meeting in Miami...Read More »
The 2012 CDI Salary Survey garnered more than 900 responses. In general, the results mirror those from previous years. (ACDIS members can read the complete report in the July edition of the CDI...Read More »
Observation services increased 34% from 2007 to 2009, “from an average of 86.9 observation stay events per 1,000 inpatient admissions per month in 2007 to 116.6 in 2009,” according to a June article in the Journal...Read More »
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking nominations for its ICD-10-CM/PCS Conversion of Quality Indicators (QIs) workgroup. The text of the notice, including workgroup selection criteria and specific activities, may be found at...Read More »
The proposed rule changes for the Conditions of Participations (CoP) were recently finalized. They include some relief regarding rules for physicians signing, dating, and timing verbal orders within 48 hours of the order being given.
According to the new rule, HHS eliminated the...Read More »
CMS recently posted two separate sets of data that provide nationwide statistics on its Recovery Auditor program. The first update contains improper payment figures as well as the top Recovery Auditor issue per region. In the second update, CMS provides appeals statistics for fiscal year 2011....Read More »