Q: Recently, we’ve seen a few situations in which respiratory failure was present on admission (POA), but then later in the stay, the patient’s condition progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or the physician determines that it is ARDS. In these situations, our coding team is...Read More »
CDI is a mix of three categories blended into one, according to Dawn Valdez, RN, LNC, CCDS, CDIP, CDI education specialist with ACDIS in Middleton, Massachusetts. These three categories are:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced during the March 18 ICD-10-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting that a new code specifically for reporting COVID-19 will be available for use starting on April 1, 2020. The code will be housed in Chapter 22, Codes for...Read More »
CMS has issued frequently asked questions and answers (FAQs) for healthcare providers regarding Medicare payment for laboratory tests and other services related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The document was published after CMS received a number of questions from providers regarding...Read More »
The top diagnoses leading to clinical validation queries tend to follow a pattern, and it’s likely one that will come as no surprise to even newer CDI professionals. For Elizabeth Aguirre, MD, CCDS, Jera Van Damme, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, and Cathy Testerman, CCS, CCDS, sepsis takes a top slot....Read More »
The CDC released official diagnosis coding guidance for encounters and deaths related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), effective February 20, 2020.
COVID-19 infections cause a range of illness severity, from no symptoms to severe illness and potentially death. Coronavirus...Read More »
Cigna announced in its first quarter 2020 Network News that it will be adopting Sepsis-3 criteria. The news item says that the change will take place immediately and it’s “part of [their] effort to promote the accurate diagnosis and treatment of sepsis, and use the appropriate billing and coding...Read More »
I’ve always thought that, as long as the clinical indicators support the condition you’re querying for, providing all the options for the specific type/specificity of that condition allows the provider to use their clinical judgement. Is this correct?Read More »
