Note from the Associate Editorial Director: CDI Journal focuses on quality

by Melissa Varnavas

Healthcare has often been referred to a both a science and an art. Nevertheless, the healthcare industry continues its hunt for proof of quality healthcare services to, as much as possible, remove the art portion of the art-versus-science debate. That’s why the March/April edition of the CDI Journal pulls from a range of experiences and expertise to examine the many ways CDI efforts touch quality measures.

As Congress continues working to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a wide range of vested entities contemplate the future of government payment methods. Hospital value-based purchasing (VBP), part of the ACA, offers a number of incentives—both positive and negative—to more closely tie patient outcomes to reimbursement on a host of measures. VBP represents the most comprehensive government pay-for-performance program, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by its various components when also considering the myriad collections of quality-focused programs hospitals and physicians need to navigate.

Quality-tied payments and public reporting measures can seem like the multi-headed Hydra of Greek lore—no sooner has a CDI program focused on, and defeated, one serpent than two other initiatives pop into existence. CDI programs understand the need to expand record review efforts, now that CC/MCC capture isn’t their only documentation goal.

Cheryl Ericson, MS, RN, CCDS, CDIP, does a nice job of summarizing the shift in her “Note from the Advisory Board” on p. 6, and on p. 10, ACDIS Editor Linnea Archibald looks at the various components of CMS’ VBP efforts, including a review of hospital-acquired conditions and present on admissions indicators. These articles help illustrate the complexity of quality concerns.

These aren’t the only measures considered in this issue, either. Advisory Board member Sam Antonios, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCDS, offers three tips for programs to help improve outcomes in regard to readmission reductions on p. 8, and ACDIS member Bonnet Tyndall, RN, CCDS, provides readers with a case study of how her team implemented record reviews for mortalities on p. 19.

All these potential review targets can be daunting, but don’t be intimidated. Take a look through this edition of CDI Journal and note how many of these programs aim to capture some of the diagnoses already found on most CDI programs’ top 10 lists.

As ACDIS CDI Boot Camp instructor Allen Frady, RN, CCDS, CCS, says on p. 22, “times like these are exciting for us CDI nerds.”

Editor’s Note: Varnavas is the Associate Editorial Director for ACDIS, overseeing its various publications and website content. Contact her at mvarnavas@acdis.org.