Reduce RAC vulnerabilities with a quality CDI program
Recovery Auditor Report, June 24, 2010
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Recovery Auditor Report!
DRG (diagnosis-related groups) validation issues have been the main target of RACs nationwide in recent months. When unclear documentation results in improperly assigned DRGs, it puts facilities at risk for RAC denials. However, an effective clinical documentation improvement (CDI) program aims to minimize these financial risks by producing the most accurate and comprehensive medical records possible - records that fully support the condition of the patient and the services rendered.
A CDI specialist is trained to identify terms and phrases that a physician uses that may lead to the assignment of imprecise or non-specific codes, according to Lynne Spryszak, RN, CCDS, CPC-A, CDI Education Director for HCPro, Inc.
“The CDI specialist serves as a translator between the physicians and their clinical language, and the coders and ICD-9 coding language, which are not always synonymous,” says Spryszak.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Recovery Auditor Report!
Related Products
-
2011 ICD-9 CM Volumes 1, 2 and 3
HCPro is pleased to introduce the 2011 ICD-9-CM Manual Volumes 1, 2&3 for hospital coding. Reserve your copy now and HCPro...
-
Clinical Documentation Improvement
Hospitals are undoubtedly aware of how a quality clinical documentation improvement program can benefit their facility, but...
-
5th Annual ACDIS Conference: San Diego, CA
Join us in 2012 for the Fifth Annual ACDIS Conference. This exciting event will continue the tradition of offering a diverse...
-
2010 Observation Services Track:
On-demand audio recordings of the Observation Services track of HCPro Revenue Cycle Institute's popular Medicare Compliance...
-
2010 RAC Track: Medicare Compliance Forum Audio Recording
On-demand audio recordings of the RAC track of HCPro Revenue Cycle Institute's popular Medicare Compliance Forum, held May...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- HIPAA Q&A: Answering service messages
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Q&A: Coding for dry skin due to cold weather
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- Are your workforce members texting PHI?
- Topic: CMS, OESS post new security compliance review information, checklist
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- Privacy, security concerns high in HIEs
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- E-mailed
-
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- HIPAA Q&A: Level of encryption needed for email
- HIPAA Q&A: Answering service messages
- Q&A: Coding for sepsis when other conditions are present
- HIPAA Q&A: TPO disclosures to a business associate
- Are your workforce members texting PHI?
- Q&A: Coding for dry skin due to cold weather
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- Don't let these sentinel events trigger falsely
- Searched