News
Maybe it is time for physicians to stop being S.O.A.P. bubbleheads. There is no denying that poor documentation is a serious, universal problem. However, most of our documenting colleagues are in serious denial about the problem. But some of the denials flying about in the locust cloud of insurance denials…
June 4, 2019
Physician Burnout: A Hot Topic
By Laurie Johnson, MS, RHIA, CPC-H, FAHIMA, AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer
More than half of physicians have experienced burnout, according to WHO. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified physician burnout as an occupational phenomenon. The WHO is clear that this is not a medical diagnosis. There are some estimates that more than half of physicians have experienced burnout. This…
June 4, 2019
IPPS Proposed CC/MCC Changes for FY 2020
By Gloryanne Bryant, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCDS, AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer
The public comment period ends June 24, 2019 on the CMS proposed changes to CCs and MCCs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed changes for acute-care hospitals in the 2020 fiscal year were announced on April 23 and released through the Federal…
June 4, 2019
New Codes Choices for Corneal Dystrophy Proposed
By Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CRC, CDEO, CHPSE, COPC, CPEDC, CGSC
Proposed new codes were introduced at the CMS Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting. The need for expanding the ICD-10-CM code choices for corneal dystrophy was a topic covered at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting in March when multiple new codes were…
June 4, 2019
Advanced Care Planning (ACP): Is now the right time to plan for later?
By Terry Fletcher, BS, CPC, CCC, CEMC, CCS, CCS-P, CMC, CMSCS, CMCS, ACS-CA, SCP-CA, QMGC, QMCRC
ACP can occur anytime, according to the author. We’d like to think that our loved ones will always be healthy, independent, and able to make decisions for themselves, but things can change suddenly. They might have an accident or a serious illness and no longer be able to speak. When…
May 21, 2019
Lessons Learned from Consulting: Institutional Improvement of ED Clinical Documentation
By Erica E. Remer, MD, FACEP, CCDS
Providers should have the choice of bringing into the record what they deem to be relevant and important. I am currently doing a project assessing emergency physicians’ documentation from disparate sites, and I am finding that they each have a different electronic health record (EHR) and/or template. Some are pleasing,…
The mid-revenue cycle has been under-resourced. When a revenue integrity (RI) program in a healthcare enterprise is appropriately designed and implemented, providers can expect a higher clean claim rate, coding compliance, proactive identification and resolution of claim issues, and improved financial results. As Rose Dunn stated in her article “HIM’s…
May 21, 2019
Facilitators in Communication of Patient Care versus Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists
By Glenn Krauss, RHIA, BBA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, CCDS, C-CDI, PCS, FCS, C-CDAM
Creating a new vision for CDI. There has certainly been much discussion in the revenue cycle community regarding the “I” in CDI, with the idea of changing clinical documentation “improvement” to “clinical documentation integrity.” Rather than centering on “improvement” versus “integrity,” though, fundamentally, the discussion should focus upon defining what…
