Q: How do you sequence ESRD, HTN, CHF, and diabetes when the patient is admitted with kidney disease which has progressed to ESRD and requires initiation of dialysis this admission? The heart failure is chronic. The ICD-10 combination code takes you...Read More »
Recently, I was asked an interesting question about querying for the diagnosis of encephalopathy. The student asked whether it was required for a patient to return to their mental status baseline prior to the CDI specialist querying the...Read More »
By Howard Rodenberg, MD, MPH, CCDS
When my son was in middle school, I would call him every evening to review the school day. I would want to know all about the things he was learning and the friends he was making, and he would grudgingly oblique me with a one-word answer if he...Read More »
Physicians are ethically engaged in keeping patients safe and doing no harm. Unfortunately, medical and surgical care is complicated, especially in patients with high-risk comorbidities; thus, unintended negative results do occur.Read More »
By Laurie L. Prescott, MSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC, and Sharme Brodie, RN, CCDS
What do physicians need to learn about CDI? Just about everything—up to a point. If you are joining a new CDI program, physicians likely need to learn what a CDI program is, how it functions, and how it...Read More »
Be aware of payer’s “home cooked” clinical criteria which are often not only outdated, but also ridiculous. Contrary to what the payer may claim, a patient does not regularly have to be at a near death state before having achieved grounds...Read More »
Q:As far as coding guidelines go, the role of the attending physician’s documentation in the medical record and discharge summary are pivotal for correct code assignment. However, our system uses hospitalists which means the...Read More »
