We recently had a case where a patient with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was admitted for several lung lesions. The patient went to surgery for de-cortication of lung due to left lung entrapment with adhesions, deep wedge resection of mass of the upper lung and left lower...Read More »
Our hospital serves a higher than usual population with COPD. Most of these cases are chronic and the patient is typically on home oxygen. Blood gases are almost never obtained on admission unless the patient is placed on a ventilator. Is acceptable to query the physician for chronic respiratory...Read More »
Q: What are the pros/cons of coding ‘hepatic encephalopathy’ as a secondary condition? For example, here is a clinical scenario that happened at our facility: A patient is admitted for pneumonia and the history and physical (H&P) states the patient has a ‘history of...Read More »