News
State of CDI in 2023: Outpatient CDI, sufficient staffing still a work in progress; opportunities abound!
By Brian Murphy CDI Week 2023 wrapped up in September and I thought I’d review the highlights (or at least most interesting bits) of my favorite annual ACDIS Survey: The CDI Week Industry Overview Survey. It’s always worth checking out this survey to get a handle on ongoing trends and year-over-year changes in…
Read MoreThe time for risk adjustment coding, outpatient CDI is now
By Brian Murphy In my ACDIS days we launched the CCDS-O (outpatient) certification in 2017. The response, while positive, was not nearly the same as the CCDS (inpatient) received in 2009. In hindsight we were ahead of the curve. While risk adjustment was a concern, and a big one for some facilities, for others the…
Read MoreHyponatremia and the bar of query: How much evidence before you clarify the presence of a diagnosis?
By Brian Murphy How much evidence do you need, or does your organization require, before you send a query? A broad and difficult question, and obviously much depends on the diagnosis in question. But I’m interested in the big picture. (As always with these types of posts, I stress that I’m neither a clinician or…
Read MoreBuilding and Reinventing Pediatric CDI Programs
Thursday, Sept. 21, 1-2 p.m. EST. Register here: https://my.demio.com/ref/Bvi1r8BxSduVGq0b It’s frequently been said (in the context of clinical medicine) that children are not just little adults. You can’t treat them the same way, even with a similar diagnosis. So why should pediatric CDI programs be any different? Pediatric CDI brings with it a unique array…
Read MoreImprove outpatient CDI outcomes, risk adjustment metrics with Owl by Norwood
The cat is out of the bag—or more appropriately, the Owl has flown the coop. The team at Norwood has been working behind the scenes on a piece of assistive software, and we’re ready to give it flight. Owl by Norwood was born out of a need we saw while performing chart audits…
Read MoreCutting through the confusion of CMS-HCC version 28 implementation date
By Jason Jobes When does CMS-HCC V28 take effect? Confused? You are not alone. I am going to break it down to ease some of the confusion around the new risk model. Thanks for reading. If you find this helpful, please reply with a comment, follow me on LinkedIn, or share this email as that…
Read MoreSepsis-2, sepsis-3, or sepsis-2.5? Varying definitions lead to denials
By Brian Murphy Sepsis is back in the news. I doubt many in the CDI and coding communities are surprised. Sepsis remains at the most frequently posed query among CDI professionals. The most recent ACDIS CDI Week Industry Overview Survey had sepsis topping the list, followed by respiratory failure and malnutrition. Sepsis a difficult condition…
Read MoreCMS Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: Inadvertent cause of patient harm?
By Brian Murphy Financial incentives are a powerful tool. If you want someone to perform in a certain way, you can encourage, threaten, or cajole them to do so… or you can tangibly reward them with payment for good outcomes, or penalize them for poor behavior. CMS understood this when it implemented the Hospital Readmissions…
Read MoreAHIMA Clinical Validation practice brief (2023 update): Should we code diagnoses documented by the provider if they do not meet any established definition or clinical criteria?
I disagree with one portion of the recently released AHIMA practice brief, Clinical Validation (2023 Update). And agree with the rest. That does not mean it’s wrong. Just that I have a different take on a complex and contentious issue. My concerns are with this paragraph: When contracting with payers, organizations should…
Read MoreNorwood cracks top 100 in 2023 Inc. 5000 list
With a three-year revenue growth of 5,189 percent, Austin-based company ranks no. 90 among America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies; no. 10 in Texas. NEW YORK, August 15, 2023—Inc. magazine revealed that Norwood ranks No. 90 on the 2023 Inc. 5000, its annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. This prestigious ranking provides a…
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