The length of stay (LOS) for coronary artery bypass graft patients and valve replacement patients at York Hospital (YH)/ Wellspan Health was significantly higher than the Medicare geometric mean length of stay (GMLOS) according to results of a record...Read More »
Q:I was wondering what supporting evidence there is for the recommendation to go ahead and link hypertension (HTN) with heart failure as a combination code? The Official Guideline for Coding and Reporting as well as Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM seems to...Read More »
Historically, the limitations of the traditional paper health record have made data extrapolation a difficult, time-consuming process. Deciphering handwriting and digging through volumes of information after discharge was an inefficient and error filled process...Read More »
I have a question for all of the CDI professionals who feel they have achieved a genuine level of expertise (be it after two, three, or even five years): What do you consider as avenues for continued professional advancement, satisfaction, and development...Read More »
When it comes to querying physicians, CDI specialists need to first recognize when it’s appropriate to query. The next step? Using tact in the wording of the query. This will help ensure compliance and elicit appropriate clarification from the physician. Although doing so does not have to be a...Read More »
Q: A consultant has advised us to code only diagnoses listed on the discharge summary. If the diagnosis is not on the discharge summary, the consultant instructed us to query the physician. How do other facilities handle these scenarios?