News
September 24, 2019
With late signatures, can you still bill for your medical services?
By Terry Fletcher, BS, CPC, CCC, CEMC, CCS, CCS-P, CMC, CMSCS, CMCS, ACS-CA, SCP-CA, QMGC, QMCRC
Late physician signatures pose serious issues. In the last few months, I have had questions about late signatures on documentation come in from several clients. I've been hearing about providers signing their notes a very long time after the encounter – sometimes weeks later, sometimes months, and sometimes even turning…
The author ruminates on the Fall C&M meeting. EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Erica Remer reported this story live during the Sept. 17 edition of Talk Ten Tuesday. The following is an edited transcript of her reporting. I listened to the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee Meeting last week. Here are my thoughts.…
September 17, 2019
C&M Meeting: Plan for Classification Changes
By Laurie Johnson, MS, RHIA, CPC-H, FAHIMA, AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer
Public comments due by Nov. 8 to CMS and CDC. EDITOR’S NOTE: Senior healthcare consultant Laurie Johnson reported this story live during the Sept. 17 edition of Talk Ten Tuesday. The following is an edited transcript of her reporting. The Coordination and Maintenance Committee met on Sept. 10-11, 2019 at the…
September 17, 2019
The Controversy Continues: When Sepsis is Not Sepsis
By Erica E. Remer, MD, FACEP, CCDS
If there is no organ dysfunction, it is not sepsis. EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Erica Remer reported this story live during the Sept. 10 edition of Talk Ten Tuesday. The following is an edited transcript of her reporting. Apparently, I am not done pondering and pontificating about sepsis, which is apropos, considering…
September 17, 2019
The Coding Conundrum: Vaping-Related Lung Injury
By Laurie Johnson, MS, RHIA, CPC-H, FAHIMA, AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer
Confusion persists for the coding of vaping. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating vaping-related illnesses that have recently been reported. There are 450 confirmed or suspected cases in 33 states. The first death was reported on Aug. 23, 2019, in Illinois. The concern has escalated…
September 17, 2019
When CDI Fails: The Unrelenting Pursuit of Reimbursement
By Glenn Krauss, RHIA, BBA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, CCDS, C-CDI, PCS, FCS, C-CDAM
The CDI is more than diagnosis capture through the query process. The Association for Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS) recently released a paper titled Proactive CDI: Tackling the Problem of Physician Engagement, which featured six CDI leaders outlining their thoughts and ideas on facilitating physician engagement in CDI initiatives within…
Under PDPM, reimbursement will be driven by coding and documentation. South Florida has historically been a hotbed of healthcare fraud, and there is a long list of those responsible other than Philip Esformes, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday for fraud committed in connection with billings…
September 10, 2019
How AI-driven CDI Programs Give Us More of What We Need Most
By Mel Tully MSN, CCDS, CDIP
Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions are designed to support CDI teams in their quests for efficiency. The concept of “doing more with less” is far from uncommon. You hear it every day in nearly every aspect of life: at home, we strive to live simply; in the community, we build resiliency;…
