Note from the Associate Editor: Pumpkin spice and code changes
by Carolyn Riel
I have always been the type of person to be “ahead” of things. In school, I always got ahead on my projects and reports to make sure they wouldn’t sneak up on me last minute. I was always ahead of my classmates in the height category, nearing 5’8” by eight grade, and I was always ahead of the other kids in our mile-run gym class (which could have something to do with the height for my age). So, it just makes sense that I would be ahead of the crowd when it comes to embracing autumn.
Yes, I am fully aware it is technically still August, but my roommate and I have been drinking pumpkin spiced coffee and lighting apple harvest scented candles for two weeks now. We’ve decorated our house for fall already, with rusty orange and black and white plaid pillows, pumpkin printed hand towels, and even a cinnamon scented witch’s broom hung on the wall.
Maybe it’s because my birthday is the beginning of October, or maybe it’s just because I’m a born and raised New Englander, but I have always loved autumn and thought it the best season that exists, especially in New England.
I spent two years of fall in southern California, and it just wasn’t the same. There weren’t the orange and yellow-leaved trees lining roads so narrow they don’t have divider lines down the middle. There wasn’t the crisp smell in the air that makes the tip of your nose pink and rosy. There weren’t stands on the side of the road selling fresh corn or assorted gourds in shapes and colors you’ve never seen before, or apple orchards to easily spend the afternoon in eating hot apple cider doughnuts.
If I could, I would live in a New England atmosphere forever. So really it shouldn’t be a surprise that I get ahead (and no, I don’t get sick of the fall atmosphere by the time Halloween comes around).
When it comes to getting ahead this fall professionally, one of the best ways to do it is by keeping in mind that October 1 is the start of the new fiscal year. Be proactive, and do what you can to get ahead with preparations for:
- ICD-10-PCS code changes
- ICD-10-CM code changes
- Elimination of the inpatient only list
- Medicare payment updates for inpatient facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and hospice organizations
While there is talk about the IPPS final rule being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CDI specialists should still take a look at the proposed rule and do what they can to prepare accordingly. Whether it’s for a calendar season or for rule updates, it’s never a bad thing to get a little ahead.
Editor’s note: Riel is the associate editor for ACDIS. Contact her at criel@acdis.org.