A patient comes into the hospital, so sick that there’s likely no coming back. The physicians do everything they can, but the patient expires. Anyone working in a hospital setting knows this scenario all too well.
But, look more closely at the documentation for that patient. In many cases...Read More »
by James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP
Over the years there’s been a tsunami of denials from payers, Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC), and Medicare quality improvement organizations. This is due to the auditors’ removal of ICD-10-CM codes based on provider documentation; auditors can...Read More »
by Linnea Archibald
It’s hard to believe my ACDIS journey only began six months ago. As anyone new to CDI will tell you, the mountain of information can be overwhelming. Lucky for me, I’ve never been tasked with reviewing a record and querying. Though I’ve learned a lot in the...Read More »
by Trey La Charité, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCS, CCDS
In the past, I have advised CDI professionals against promoting the monetary benefits of CDI adoption. If the medical staff thinks the program’s purpose is hospital revenue, they will likely rebel. Working in an academic institution, I...Read More »
“When I first started getting interested in the topic of CDI, […] I asked my more senior colleagues and got blank stares,” says Joseph A. Cristiano, MD, an assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Without the...Read More »
Many programs remain focused on inpatient populations, but branching into the ED provides a good starting point for those venturing into the outpatient arena. Not only does it offer outpatient opportunities, but the documentation from ED encounters directly affects the documentation if (or when...Read More »
As with any profession, many unique individuals make up the pediatric CDI field. Since pediatrics represents a relatively new area for CDI, ACDIS spent some time chatting with “the proud and the few,” as Leah Savage, RN, MSN, CDI specialist at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky,...Read More »
Robert S. Hodges, MSN, BSN, RN, VHA-CM, CCDS, acting VISN 10 clinical documentation improvement program lead and currently works as a quality, safety, and value RN/CDIS at the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan. He will soon be moving to a new position as the clinical lead for...Read More »
