While most CDI specialists know to query for conditions related to malnutrition, such as obesity and cachexia, programs frequently ignore dietitians’ documentation and keep dietary professionals out of the coding/querying conversation when they should be partners at the table.Read More »
The American Hospital Association (AHA) does not plan to “convert” past issues of Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM into new issues for ICD-10-CM/PCS, the AHA confirmed in a CMS teleconference held in November 2011. This decision caused concern...Read More »
In October 2010, when ACDIS first conducted its assessment survey regarding CDI readiness for ICD-10 implementation, 83% of respondents indicated they had no formal ICD-10 training and 44% indicated they had no training timeline (www.hcpro.com/...Read More »
The goals of coding should always be ensuring data accuracy and capturing a patient’s true clinical picture. Knowing the intent of an ICD-9-CM code is crucial. However, coding guidelines and official coding guidance sometimes conflict with these goals, putting...Read More »
With all of the attention around the increased specificity of ICD-10-CM codes, facilities are concerned that documentation will lack sufficient detail. And as CDI specialists know, physicians don’t always provide enough information for coders to choose the most specific ICD-9-CM code.
Q:My question has to do with coding guidelines regarding secondary diagnosis followed by contrasting/comparative diagnoses. Let me explain a particular scenario. This was a two-day stay over the weekend. The patient was admitted for further evaluation with a history and...Read More »
Determining when to seek clarification regarding patients with altered mental status can be tricky business. Patients who already have established dementia and are now off their baseline with an acute metabolic disorder such as UTI, physicians are typically...Read More »