Every October, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) hands the public a cheat sheet of sorts—its annual Work Plan—releasing its list of audit targets for the coming calendar year. Sometimes its priorities echo those from previous years, other times they...Read More »
Inpatient admissions for patients undergoing cardiovascular procedures such as implants of stents and pacemakers and elective kyphoplasty procedures appears to be the culprit behind a $37 million dollar False Claims Act settlement between the government and Dignity Health,...Read More »
Q: Although I understand that a coder cannot code from a previous encounter’s documentation, can the CDI specialist bring information to the physician’s attention such as laboratory results in order to obtain a baseline for renal failure/chronic kidney disease (CKD)?Read More »
“Many CDI programs have set their goals as: accurate coding, maximum reimbursement, increased case mix index (CMI), and better risk-adjusted scores,” says Cesar M. Limjoco, MD, vice president of clinical services at DCBA, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. “But are they missing the mark? Are...Read More »
As you put the final touches on your itinerary, we’re continuing to preview some of speakers to give you a feel for this year’s sessions. This week, we spoke with Kelli A. Estes, RN, CCDS, who, along with Cesar M. Limjoco, MD, will present, “Go After the Truth,...Read More »
Yesterday I hosted our second installment of “ACDIS Radio.” During the call I was joined by ACDIS Advisory Board Member Walter Houlihan, MBA, RHIA, CCS, director of HIM and CDIatBaystate Health in Springfield, Massachusetts, Vicki S....Read More »
Next Friday you may very well expect a visit from ghouls and goblins—Halloween is upon us. While most individuals will open their doors October 31 to Disney’s Queen Elsa or miniature zombies looking for candy, Salem (Oregon) Health System will open its doors to CDI professionals looking to...Read More »
As the adage goes “a picture’s worth a thousand words” but for facilities wrangling with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) the adage might better be rephrased to “a sample’s worth a million dollars,” as the agency extrapolates payment errors to the sum of more than $400,000 related to...Read More »
