There are a number of coding compliance challenges with sepsis-3 and with sepsis or severe sepsis in general. In this article, I’ll review my top four concerns.

Q: Is it appropriate to code the type of congestive heart failure (CHF) based on the echocardiogram (echo) results? Coding Clinic, Third Quarter, 2014, p. 5, discusses the use of imaging reports for increased specificity. It states that it is appropriate to use imaging reports to provide greater specificity of the anatomic site as documented by the physician. Some say this covers coding the type by the echo report, while others say this is not an anatomic site so this does not apply. What are your thoughts on this?