A number of inpatient prospective payment system changes in recent years, due primarily to the Affordable Care Act, have allowed CMS to adjust healthcare reimbursement based on quality metrics and data. But some providers are unaware that many quality scores for themselves and hospitals are...Read More »
Call it a no-brainer but recent research shows a “strong association” related to “clinically validated” patient safety indicators (PSIs) and patient outcomes such as increased length of stay and high rates of hospital readmissions and mortality. It is a no-brainer because PSIs are a set of...Read More »
Nearly 60% of patients say that online reviews matter to them when choosing a physician, according to a study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2014. However, the scope and usefulness of those online reviews are limited, according to a study conducted by JAMA...Read More »
We invite you to nominate a colleague for the 2017 ACDIS Achievement Awards, someone who has made significant contributions to the CDI field, who makes a difference in the profession, or is an outspoken advocate of CDI. We are accepting nominations until Friday, February 3, 2017. (To submit a...Read More »
Mortality reviews are becoming more prevalent in the CDI world. But what do they really mean for CDI specialists? Some organizations have mortality review committees, but such reviews don’t always fall under CDI; they could be managed by the quality...Read More »
Back in 2013, when James Wall, RN, BSN, CCS, joined the organization, LifePoint’s nearly 60 facilities had a hodgepodge approach to CDI efforts. In fact, only 10 even had CDI programs in place and of that, five were staffed in-house, from within the hospital, and five were staffed by outside (...Read More »
These last several months have seen a dizzying array of changes, controversies, and regulations along with an equally dizzying array of discussion, advice, and opinions. Some are straightforward progress, while some result in confusing and sometimes...Read More »
by James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP, CCDS
Bronchopulmonary infections, such as acute bronchitis and pneumonia, represent frequent reasons for physician and facility encounters, resulting in ICD-10-CM code assignments that factor greatly in severity and risk adjustment inherent to...Read More »