by Rebecca Hendren

Recently, ACDIS celebrated an exciting milestone as we welcomed the 5,000^th member to our association. Our profession has grown enormously in the last decade—and so has ACDIS—and we are thrilled that, as our rosters grow, we are able to expand the amount of educational offerings we provide and the networking opportunities members can enjoy. The occasion of the 5,000^th member got me thinking about members both old and new. Some of you have been members for many years, and have seen ACDIS grow and expand. Others have only recently joined, and may still be poking around the website trying to determine what materials will be most useful for you. Please drop me a note at rhendren@acdis.org and let me know.

he 2017 ACDIS Conference Committee will meet via conference call on a regular basis. The 12-member team will establish core session topics, special panels and events, review speaker applications and presentation proposals, assess presentations to determine audience level, and ultimately select all 2017 speakers. The Conference Committee will also select the 2017 ACDIS Achievement Awards winners. Selected Committee members will receive 50% off conference admission, but must be committed to this important task, which includes approximately 10-12 meetings of an hour in duration, plus individual review time. Those interested in serving on the 2017 ACDIS Conference Committee must be active ACDIS members and have attended at least one previous ACDIS conference. To volunteer, please complete the following application form no later than Friday, July 9: http://app.keysurvey.com/f/1048746/e385/.

The MS-DRG 884, organic disturbances and mental retardation, received a request for a title change, in the 2017 IPPS proposed rule released by CMS, to organic disturbances and intellectual disability to reflect more recent terminology used to appropriately describe the condition. “We agree with the requestor that the reference to the phrase ‘mental retardation’ should be changed to ‘intellectual disability,’ to reflect the current terminology used to describe the condition. Therefore, we are proposing to change the title of MS-DRG 884 as requested,” said CMS.

Medicare improperly paid hospitals for beneficiaries who had not received 96 or more consecutive hours of mechanical ventilation, according to a report released by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The agency found that 63 of the 200 claims it reviewed from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2014 incorrectly used ICD-9 code 96.72, resulting in $1,488,165 of overpayments. The audit covered 2,986 claims with MS-DRGs 207 or 870 and beneficiary lengths of stay up to 49 days. The claims did not indicate when mechanical ventilation ended, so at-risk claims were identified based on the procedure start date and the patient’s discharge date.

For the first time in 50 years, the American Medical Association updated its AMA Code of Medical Ethics, according to a recent announcement by the organization. The update, which began eight years ago, included revising outdated guidance and consolidating redundant information into comprehensive statements on each topic. The organization also aimed to make the Code easier to navigate. The Code will feature a new chapter structure with a uniform format and grouping of related issues and guidance.