Podcast: CDI Best Practice Standards

What are the best practices for addressing an increase in denials? How do you write a compliant documentation alert in various scenarios? This week, we revisit our interview that took place in August with Tammy Combs, RN, MSN, CCS, CCDS, CDIP, CNE, an AHIMA practice director and co-author of the practice brief Prospective Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) Reviews and Query/Alert Practice Best Standards. Combs takes you on a deep dive into some of the research-based recommendations contained in the full brief. Listen Now 

Beyond COVID: Building a Culture of Patient Safety Starts Now

“Most of us don’t change until we have to, and crisis is often what obliges us to do so. Crises are often resolved only through a new identity and new purpose, whether it’s that of a nation or of a single human being.” Full Story: Beyond COVID

Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Coding

Inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) have unique coding and documentation requirements that create special challenges for IRF coding professionals. The reimbursement model for IRFs involves the assignment of case mix groups (CMGs). In order to determine the optimal CMG, the coding professional has a responsibility to provide accurate ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for the IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument (PAI) and to supply codes for the UB-04 claim form. This article will explore the Impairment Group Code (IGC), etiologic diagnosis, tier assignment, co-morbid conditions, principal diagnosis, and the UB-04 uniform billing form as they relate to IRF coding professionals. Full Story: Inpatient Rehab

Podcast: Best Practice Standards for CDI

On this episode of the HI Pitch podcast, Tammy Combs, RN, MSN, CCS, CCDS, CDIP, CNE, an AHIMA practice director and co-author of a new AHIMA clinical documentation integrity (CDI) practice brief, dives deep into best practices relating to prospective reviews. She also discusses how to recognize the difference between documentation alerts designed to influence a provider’s documentation versus a clinical alert for clinical decision-making at the time of charting. Listen now.

New ICD-10 codes cover Sjogren's syndrome

New ICD-10 codes differentiate Sjogren's syndrome and accompanying symptoms from "sicca," or dryness, which occurs in Sjogren's but does not represent the full spectrum of the disease, according to the Sjogren's Foundation. The dedicated codes may improve research on disease prevalence and outcomes and may help health care providers document Sjogren's complications, such as inflammatory arthritis or dental problems.Full Story: Sjogren's Syndrome News (10/12) 

 Diving into the FY 2022 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code and Guideline Updates

 The fiscal year 2022 ICD-10-CM diagnosis code update was officially released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 24, 2021, effective for discharges and encounters on or after October 1, 2021. This year, unlike FY 2021, has a small number of diagnosis codes being added: 165 as compared to the 485 implemented the previous year. The full list of diagnosis codes that have been added, deleted, and revised can be found in tables 6A, 6C, and 6E of the IPPS Final Rule for FY 2022. Nine of these new codes have been designated as major complication and comorbidity (MCC) codes, and 11 codes have been designated as complication and comorbidity (CC) codes. Full Story: Diving into ICD-10-CM

 Improving ICD-10-CM Coding for Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the socioeconomic factors that impact a person’s health. Examples include food insufficiency, limited access to healthcare, social isolation, and unemployment. SDOH have been shown to have a far greater impact on a patient’s health outcomes than either the clinical care provided or genetic factors.1 Healthcare providers and payers are directing significant attention towards SDOH to improve healthcare quality and reduce costs. HIM professionals need to ensure that SDOH information is being captured to support these initiatives, including improving ICD-10-CM coding for SDOH. Full Story: Social Determinants of Health (4/06)

FROM AHIMA:

Coding Root Operations with ICD-10-PCS: Understanding Excision and Resection By Karen S. Scott, MEd, RHIA, CCS-P, CPC

What is the Ultimate Test in Determining Whether a Query is Leading?by  Cesar M Limjoco, MD

Four New Codes for 'Whooshing' by Joyce Cohen