Healthcare providers need to dedicate resources to increasing case-mix index, improving discharge disposition code accuracy, reducing readmission denials, and improving quality measures to reduce penalties, according to a report by HealthLeaders Media sponsored by Enjoin.Read More »
Q: If a complication was unavoidable, and has been documented as such, is that good enough reason to not code it? We wouldn’t mark a code as a patient safety indicator if it was an inherent part of the procedure, so would the same hold true for unavoidable complications?...Read More »
You may be wondering why so many CDI departments are expanding their review processes to include consideration of how CMS quality measures will be affected by claims data.Read More »
Back in 2013, when James Wall, RN, BSN, CCS, joined the organization, LifePoint’s nearly 60 facilities had a hodgepodge approach to CDI efforts. In fact, only 10 even had CDI programs in place and of that, five were staffed in-house, from within the hospital, and five were staffed by outside (...Read More »
In its 2013 position paper, “Electronic Health Records and the Role of the CDI Specialist,” members of the ACDIS Advisory Board addressed several concerns related to challenges and opportunities emerging with the advent of electronic systems. Among them were how to handle copy-and-paste concerns...Read More »
I am not the first CDI consultant to recognize some essential changes needed in the current CDI program structure. I have had the privilege of being an active part of CDI evolution since 2010. Since that time, my understanding of CDI has...Read More »
CDI specialists can pretty much come from any background in the medical field—from physicians, to nurses, to coders, and everything in between. While CDI specialists generally have the same day-to-day workflow (reviewing charts and sending queries), a specialist’s background prior to coming to...Read More »
I attended nursing school at a four-year university that included classes in nursing history and continuum of care. Both courses required review of diversification in healthcare. Since the dawn of modern nursing, there have been controversies...Read More »