Posts by Norwood Staffing
Experts pitch obesity diagnosis overhaul, could alter CDI and coding work
By Brian Murphy There’s a new international effort afoot to revise the way physicians diagnose obesity. A clinical study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Journal, “Definition and Diagnostic Criteria of Clinical Obesity,” posits that obesity should be more than just high BMI, and recommends other measures including waist circumference, direct fat…
Read MoreCommit to trying new things (even just one) in 2025
By Brian Murphy Happy New Year! What resolutions are you hoping to implement in 2025? If you’re looking for some inspiration and ideas I recommend listening to my current episode of Off the Record (see link below). I take the top five lessons culled from a great lineup of guests and share them…
Read MoreSalaries improving for CDI specialist, according to ACDIS annual survey
By Brian Murphy ACDIS released its annual CDI Salary Survey. I recommend you go read it, it represents a ton of work and it’s an incredibly valuable resource for the industry. I’d be saying this even if I didn’t used to work for ACDIS. Link below. Here are some interesting data points…
Read MoreLegal Limits: What Medicare Advantage must cover (and how it often doesn’t) with Richelle Marting
Listen to the episode here. Medicare Advantage. It’s everywhere you turn. From upcoding to denials, the huge and growing program—which now covers more lives than traditional Medicare, but is increasingly the target of local and federal scrutiny and a stream of endless OIG audit reports—seems to be in the news daily. In a…
Read MoreNorwood celebrates team excellence with Waymark Awards
By Brian Murphy Are you recognizing your people for their hard work? We do a pretty cool thing at Norwood (well, many cool things, but here’s one). The Waymark Awards. In the wilderness, Waymarks are trail markers that guide travelers and hikers, ensuring they’re on the right path. I am not…
Read MoreMS-DRG “upcoding” results in 2/3 of growth of high-intensity discharges, study says—but there’s more to the story
By Brian Murphy File this under, “Just pay $21 for the full article, Brian.” A study published by Health Affairs claims that “Upcoding Linked To Up To Two-Thirds Of Growth In Highest-Intensity Hospital Discharges In 5 States, 2011–19.” Link to paywall protected article below, though you can read the abstract for free.…
Read More“Career saboteurs” may be holding you back from job and life breakthroughs
By Brian Murphy What is holding you back in your career—and in life? Odds are it’s something within. Nicole Fox and I discussed this topic in candid fashion on a recent episode of the Off the Record podcast. Prior to the show Nicole sent me a short self-assessment that reveals your “career…
Read MoreSTEMI and NSTEMI may be giving way to occlusion MI (OMI) in clinical literature
By Brian Murphy Could STEMI change to OMI? A recent study published in the journal JACC: Advances of ST elevation MI (STEMI) and non-STEMI (NSTEMI) concludes the time has come. STEMI and NSTEMI are familiar terms for coding and CDI professionals. But the study says they are often inadequate for accurate diagnosis,…
Read MoreTop 5 lessons learned in a year of Off the Record
Listen to the complete episode here. Here we are, at the end of the year. And the end of another season of Off the Record. For reasons that will soon become clear, I wanted to wrap up 2024 by pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Because this episode is about personal growth.…
Read MoreWhat actually passed with the new TEAM model in 2025 IPPS final rule?
By Brian Murphy What actually passed with the new TEAM model—and what does it mean for your organization? Somewhat lost amid the sea of new regulations and transmittals is CMS’ passage of a new mandatory alternative payment model called the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) in the 2025 IPPS final rule. Per…
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