Alba Kuqi, MD, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, CRCR, CICA, is the CDI supervisor at Prime Healthcare and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in HIM from the College of St. Scholastica. She is an ACDIS Leadership Council member, PHIMA member, and AHIMA Foundation Research Network...Read More »
Edna I. Betances-Harold, LPN, CDIP, CCS, CCDS, is the CDI supervisor at the University of Florida Health in Gainesville, and the president of the Florida chapter of ACDIS.Read More »
Q: We recently had a patient who was admitted with sepsis and the physician documented sepsis, a urinary tract infection (UTI) related to chronic Foley catheter, and pneumonia. Can we code sepsis first instead of the complication code? Or is the complication always first? ...Read More »
Q: I’ve heard that, due to the inflammatory response related to septic tissue, perfusion will decrease, and hyperlactatemia and mottling are likely if left untreated. Decreased perfusion means that organs/tissues would get less blood. Is that how mottling (discoloration in irregular...Read More »
Q: I recently heard in a class that the TNM (tumor, nodes, metastasis) system can be used for coding purposes, but I’ve never used it before. As a coding professional, should I know how this system works and how to apply it?Read More »
Last night, I stopped to pick up a few things at Staples. At the checkout counter, the clerk ran into a couple of challenges. None of these interruptions in my checkout experience were this individual’s fault and she handled them while keeping a shy smile and...Read More »
Q:I’ve been told that a patient with the documentation of “traumatic cerebral edema with loss of consciousness of 18 hours and GCS—eyes open to sound,” should be assigned to HCC 166. But I keep coming up with two possible HCCs...Read More »
