The transition from ICD-9-CM Volume 3 procedure codes to ICD-10-PCS will be by all accounts a significant adjustment, writes Shannon E. McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC, CPC-I, CCDS, director of HIM and coding at HCPro, Inc., and an AHIMA-certified ICD-10 trainer. In her...Read More »
CMS detailed seven shortcomings, including old and inadequate policies and procedures, in its 2009 audits of healthcare organizations to determine compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule. CMS detailed the findings in its ...Read More »
According to the 2010 Physician Query Benchmarking Report (to be released later this month) 54% of the more than 300 respondents said they follow AHIMA’s guidance fully. Another 21% indicated they had read and incorporated portions of the guidance, while 7% indicated their facilities maintain...Read More »
The Medicare Learning Network released three fact sheets of interest to CDI staff:
The “Hospital Acquired Conditions (HAC) in Acute Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Hospitals” fact sheet (revised October 2010) is now available in downloadable format at
The RAC program was fully under way in 2010, and providers continue to struggle with it as the year draws to a close. This year’s RAC Preparedness Benchmarking survey had 459 respondents representing hospitals of all sizes from all four RAC regions. Region C was the most responsive region, with...Read More »
The Hospital Compare website, updated on Dec. 11, contains three new inpatient measures. These include Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) Infection 9 (urinary catheter removed on postoperative day one or two) and two new structural measures: participation in a systematic clinical data...Read More »
When evaluating overall compliance within a CDI department, Lynne Spryszak, RN, CCDS, CPC-A, CDI education director for HCPro, Inc., in Danvers, MA, says that CDI department managers should:
Try not to confine your reviews to a particular payer. Although everyone
