Credentialing & Privileging

Ask the expert: Where should drafting an attribution policy start?

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, December 16, 2011

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Credentialing Resource Center Connection!

Case attribution for inpatient care is not always a clear-cut process. Patients may see a number of physicians in certain medical situations and primary responsibility may not be well defined.

Proactive research is needed before creating a new plan. Form a small task force that includes medical staff leaders, physicians, coding/medical personnel and IT/clinical informatics personnel. This task force should first attempt to understand the current condition of the attribution problem by asking key questions.

Each task force should ask the following questions:

·         Does your organization have an attribution policy already in place? Determine if it spells out specifically the correct attending, consulting and procedural practitioners, and if updates are necessary.

·         Does the medical records department recognize that abstracting for the quality improvement program is part of their responsibility? The role, in support of the program, must be established.

·         Do the coders have the training to ensure adherence to these policy? Interview multiple coders to get their perspective on the formal attribution process.

·         How accurate are your attribution rates? The best way to gauge this is to audit a sampling of cases across several months for medical and surgical cases separately.

 

This week’s question and answer are from The Complete Guide to OPPE: Strategies for Medical Staff Professionals, Physician Leaders, and Quality Directors, by Evalynn Buczkowski, RN, BSN, MS; Valerie Handunge, MA; and Wendy Crimp, BSN, MBA, CPHQ.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Credentialing Resource Center Connection!

Most Popular

Related Articles