A CDI Talk string discussed ideas for evaluating consultants—a conversation that didn’t gather much steam. So I thought I would throw some ideas out to CDI “blog-o-sphere” to discover what floats.
When considering whether to enter into a...Read More »
CMS detailed seven shortcomings, including old and inadequate policies and procedures, in its 2009 audits of healthcare organizations to determine compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule. CMS detailed the findings in its ...Read More »
According to the 2010 Physician Query Benchmarking Report (to be released later this month) 54% of the more than 300 respondents said they follow AHIMA’s guidance fully. Another 21% indicated they had read and incorporated portions of the guidance, while 7% indicated their facilities maintain...Read More »
Prior to implementing an electronic query application from Meta Health Technology in 2010, the query process at Memorial Hermann was completely manual and extremely time-consuming. To submit a post-discharge query, the coder created a Word document...Read More »
We, in the United States, will soon need to adopt the electronic health record (EHR). Over the past few years, of course, healthcare entities have slowly converted from the traditional handwritten medical record toward one that is totally digital. There have...Read More »
Q:I know that in an inpatient setting coders are allowed to use a suspected diagnosis when a definitive diagnosis cannot be determined. However, we have had some trouble with physicians using the term “rule out” or “differential diagnosis” when it comes to a recovery...Read More »
Although AHIMA’s October 2008 practice brief “Managing an Effective Query Process” clearly states that the agency intended the article as guidance, not regulation, CDI programs should regularly review their query practices, policies, and procedures to determine if any problem areas may need to...Read More »
Hypothetical question: You don’t know how to swim, but you’re learning. You have an inner tube around your waist. Now, where would you rather continue your lessons–in the pool in your backyard or in the ocean?
A friend of mine posed this question to me...Read More »
