A 2007 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that direct communication between hospital physicians and primary care physicians occurs infrequently, and that discharge summaries are often times unavailable at the first post-...Read More »
Like many CDI specialists, Janice Davis, RN, clinical documentation analyst at High Point (NC) Regional Health System and her four co-workers struggled with obtaining appropriate documentation for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute renal failure (ARF). “So we decided if we listed the...Read More »
Within the Alphabetic Index of ICD-9-CM is a Neoplasm table that assists coders in assigning diagnosis codes (Vols. 1-2). The table is structured based off the specific location of the neoplasm as well as the type of neoplasm. There are four types of neoplasms on the neoplasm table:...Read More »
Every so often, I come across some coding issues that recall other coding issues. I found this situation within the last few weeks and it deserves some discussion.
A baby arrives at the hospital with weight loss....Read More »
Approximately 11% of Medicare beneficiaries are now enrolled in private managed care health plans, with the rest in the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) programs. Did you know that Medicare Advantage (MA) payment methodology is driven by...Read More »
Acute kidney injury (AKI) serves as warning that acute renal failure (ARF) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are possible if a patient’s clinical status does not improve. The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has endeavored to detect and protect patients...Read More »
Attached is a supplement to the October 2010 issue of CDI Journal. It provides important updates every CDI specialist should know regarding new guidance issued in AHA Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM for both the Third and Fourth Quarter of 2010. The author of the article is James...Read More »
According to a recent poll on the ACDIS Web site, 85% of members cope with physicians who frequently document unspecified chest pain. In addition, 51% of those polled stated that...Read More »