ACDIS update: Get sepsis documentation and coding tips during a live webinar, July 19

Coding for sepsis and sepsis-related conditions has always caused consternation. With the new clinical definitions released in 2016, and the coding rules that govern assignment for these critical conditions still shifting, it’s more complicated than ever to query for clarification and final code assignment.

In light of the new developments in clinical criteria for sepsis and sepsis-related diseases, CDI professionals need to work ever more collaboratively with coders and physicians to ensure proper documentation and avoid claims denials.

“This continues to be a very complicated topic for CDI professionals,” says Cesar M. Limjoco, MD, who will present a special, two-hour, live webinar on Thursday, July 19, 1-3 p.m. eastern, with Shelly McBrayer, BSN, RN, CCM, CCDS.

“Like many hospitals, we struggle with the diagnosis of sepsis,” McBrayer says. “Physicians, especially newer physicians, are using specific criteria (sepsis 2, sepsis 3, Q-SOFA) whether or not their patient appears to be septic.”

This can be due to a lack of confidence in their clinical skills, a result of misunderstanding CDI or coding education, or an outright lack of education regarding the rules governing documentation and code assignment, says McBrayer.

During the presentation McBrayer will share lessons learned from Chesapeake Regional Healthcare in Virginia to help attendees understand sepsis pathophysiology and the coding concerns related to sepsis documentation as well as how they tackled their query and documentation concerns.

Click here to learn more and to register. To submit a question for the speakers ahead of the presentation, email ACDIS Associate Editorial Director Melissa Varnavas at mvarnavas@acdis.org.