Every year, organizations receive more denials, and payers’ tactics are shifting based on coding rules, clinical criteria, and their own whims.
As a result, many CDI teams find themselves involved with the denials management and appeals process—whether that means weighing in on a case-by-...Read More »
By Candace Blankenship, BSN, RN, CCDS
The role of the CDI specialist is in constant flux. When I started out as a CDI specialist, my hospital wanted me to focus on reimbursement. Having one focus gave me a clear path and little conflict when I was educating and querying providers...Read More »
On February 23, 2016, the Journal of the American Medical Association published new clinical definitions for sepsis and septic shock, dubbed “Sepsis-3.” In the three years since then, a host of analyses and conflicting documentation and coding requirements have caused not only consternation but...Read More »
Stepping into any new leadership position, even one you’ve been properly prepared for, can be a challenge. Many CDI leaders find themselves in roles they never imagined they would inhabit and have to learn on the fly. Some started as frontline CDI specialists, reviewing records, and advanced up...Read More »
By Sarah Matacale, RN, BSN, CCS
It is slightly ironic that I’m writing this during this year’s national ACDIS Conference. You see, most people I speak with in the CDI or HIM field get here by choice. They either transitioned through their own efforts or were sought after for their...Read More »
Lawrence J. Berthold, RN, BSN, who goes by Larry to most, Larry Joe to some, and Lawrence to few, has worked for PENN Medicine his entire nursing career, even going back to his first clinical rotation. Currently, he oversees the CDI teams across the PENN health system. He participates in both...Read More »
By Melissa Varnavas
Perhaps we’re looking at the problem of physician engagement through a lens darkly. Engaging physicians is at the core of a CDI specialist’s job. The whole query process aims to get physicians more engaged in the documentation and coding side of healthcare, to...Read More »
“One of the things I really look for when I’m interviewing [CDI candidates] is that an individual has critical thinking and analysis skills,” said Sheila M. Duhon, MBA, RN, CCDS, A-CCRN, CCS, national director of CDI education at Tenet Healthcare in Dallas, Texas, on an episode...Read More »
