Health Information Management

Conference Update: The final countdown; Speaker Q&A

CDI Strategies, May 14, 2015

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to CDI Strategies!

Where has the time gone? The annual conference is only a few days away, and we’re sure you have a number of things left to do! But that’s okay—we’ve been rolling out a series of helpful hints on the ACDIS Blog to help you out with final preparations, including:

As you put the final touches on your conference itinerary, we’re continuing to preview some of speakers to give you a feel for this year’s sessions. Here’s a sample from last week’s interview with Kelli A. Estes, RN, CCDS, who, along with Cesar M. Limjoco, MD, will present, “Go After the Truth, the Clinical Truth—That’s What Matters at the End of the Day.”

Q: Why is it important for CDI specialists and coders to capture conditions based on clinical truth?

A: At the end of the day, the clinical truth—the documented evidence within the medical record regarding the patient’s conditions—will be what helps the facility stand up in the face of auditor scrutiny. Although metrics and productivity are very important, CDI specialists must use caution when allowing those things to dictate the overall quality of their performance when querying providers. For example, if two out of the four Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria are satisfied, we all too often see CDI specialists’ query for sepsis, even though it may not be clinically supported. The SIRS criteria are to be considered a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to CDI Strategies!

    Briefings on APCs

  • Briefings on APCs

    Worried about the complexities of the new rules under OPPS and APCs? Briefings on APCs helps you understand the new rules...

  • HIM Briefings

    Guiding Health Information Management professionals through the continuously changing field of medical records and toward a...

  • Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies

    Submitting improper Medicare documentation can lead to denial of fees, payback, fines, and increased diligence from payers...

  • Briefings on HIPAA

    How can you minimize the impact of HIPAA? Subscribe to Briefings on HIPAA, your health information management resource for...

  • APCs Insider

    This HTML-based e-mail newsletter provides weekly tips and advice on the new ambulatory payment classifications regulations...

Most Popular