Q: I’ve been confused recently regarding coding from the pathology or radiology reports for specificity. It seems that in recent years, (I’ve been coding for 25years) a new interpretation of the coding guidelines has come about. I was taught that as long as a physician with direct...Read More »
We all have those tough days to be sure. Some days are tougher than others. But when a physician writes, “Duh! It’s a no brainer!” in response to a query you’ve just asked, it can be a little tough to take. Thankfully, CDI professionals have a committed network of their peers by way of the ...Read More »
Consider these steps when approaching the oftentimes daunting task of revising queries:
Step one: Inventory all queries. “You may find that some [queries] are no longer relevant, or some are so poorly written that you wouldn’t want to be using them in the first place,”...Read More »
Q: I attended the ACDIS conference in Nashville. (It was excellent!) I had a question about whether or not queries can be used to question the documentation of a condition or procedure where the clinical picture in the record does not appear to support a given diagnosis. I thought the...Read More »
Q:I am concerned about the way we are being taught to write queries; it feels counter to the way I learned at the CDI Boot Camp and the materials I have read via ACDIS. For example, the query lists the appropriate clinical indicators from the record which would support...Read More »
In my senior year of college the physician teaching our pathophysiology class gave the following assignment: “Define acute renal failure (ARF), based on signs, symptoms, lab findings, and cite abnormal laboratory values.”
