Tip: Take 2010 IPPS as temporary initiative to spur CDI initiatives
CDI Strategies, October 15, 2009
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Many hospitals feared a 1.9% reduction in payment for 2010, but they’ll actually see a 2.1% increase, according to the fiscal year 2010 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule CMS released in July. HIM directors and CDI administrators shouldn’t sit back and breathe a sigh of relief, however.
“I think that hospitals need to make the most of the 2.1% increase that we’re going to see this year,” says Debbie Mackaman, RHIA, CHCO, instructor for HCPro’s Medicare Boot Camp®–Hospital Version in Marblehead, MA.
To use the money wisely, directors must first realize what the increase could mean to their hospitals. “Look at DRGs that have the biggest bang for the buck,” says Mackaman. “These may be low volume, but they really tap into the increase in payment.”
Ensure complete documentation for all DRGs so coders can capture all relevant CC/MCCs, she explains. Furthermore, HIM directors must understand that the increase won’t last forever, says Mackaman. CMS eventually may impose a minimum 2% payment decrease across-the-board.
“Based on complete analysis of fiscal [year] 2008 and fiscal [year] 2009 data, CMS will consider phasing in future adjustments over an extended period beginning in fiscal [year] 2011,” the agency said in its press release.
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