CDI Journal - Volume 11, Issue 5

Book Excerpt: Appeal writing gets easier with practice

September 1, 2017
ACDIS Guidance, CDI Expansion, Denials & Appeals

Trey La Charité, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCS, CCDS
Appeal writing, like most things in a hospital, is a learned skill. Keeping things simple, both in terms of the arguments constructed and the language used in the letters themselves, will prevent you from creating horrific monstrosities...Read More »
CDI Strategies - Volume 11, Issue 5

News: Medicare continues to refuse payment for non-improving senior patients

February 2, 2017
News, Policies & Procedures, Quality & Regulatory

Even after Medicare officials agreed that seniors cannot be denied coverage for physical therapy and other care based on their condition not improving,...Read More »
CDI Journal - Volume 11, Issue 5

The denials landscape: Physicians' perspectives

September 1, 2017
ACDIS Guidance, Physician Queries, Denials & Appeals

No matter how thorough the documentation, no matter how precise the coding, denials still haunt the halls of most facilities. While many facilities have a denials department handling all appeals, others incorporate physician advisors and CDI professionals into the equation. Differing...Read More »
CDI Strategies - Volume 11, Issue 5

News: Study shows that many ICU admissions could be avoided

February 2, 2017
Clinical & Coding, News, Policies & Procedures, Quality & Regulatory

Intensive care units are expensive, invasive, and supposed to be reserved for the sickest hospital patients, but more than half the time, they're not needed, according to research from LA BioMed and UCLA,...Read More »
CDI Journal - Volume 11, Issue 5

Extending CDI’s reach: Denials management

September 1, 2017
ACDIS Guidance, CDI Expansion, Denials & Appeals

By Janie L. Brown, RN
Denied. It’s a word that no one wants to hear in any context. In healthcare, it’s a heavily weighted word. It means that, in spite of our best efforts to provide excellent care to our patients and to document that care appropriately, we are not receiving...Read More »
CDI Strategies - Volume 11, Issue 5

News: 2017 ICD-10-CM update adds diagnoses, specificity for lower GI tract conditions

February 2, 2017
CDI Management, Clinical & Coding, News, Policies & Procedures

The 2017 updates to ICD-10-CM included many additions to the digestive system diagnoses, especially with codes for pancreatitis and intestinal infections. The codes largely focus on the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract, according to an article published in...Read More »
CDI Journal - Volume 11, Issue 5

CDI staff see inside denials management

September 1, 2017
ACDIS Guidance, CDI Expansion, Denials & Appeals

Because of payers’ propensity for denials, facilities need to have a process in place for managing denials’ root causes on the front end and appealing them on the back end. This, however, can involve a lot of hard work and headaches.

Enter the denials management team.Read More »
CDI Strategies - Volume 11, Issue 5

Local Chapters Update: ACDIS Director Brian Murphy attends TN local chapter event

February 2, 2017
CDI Management, CDI Expansion, News, Education

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the joint Tennessee Health Information Management Association/Tennessee ACDIS local chapter meeting. The Tennessee Hospital Association kindly hosted the all-day event at their wonderful facility in Brentwood. The theme of the meeting was ...Read More »

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