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CE Articles
Assessing and creating productivity benchmarks for your inpatient coding team

Coders often seek definitions for realistic productivity benchmarks, and standards depend on how a given facility establishes the responsibilities and expectations of its team. Therefore, before assessing a coder’s success, a facility must set goals that define that success.

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Achieving complete and consistent coding for liver disease
James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CCDS, CDIP, writes that clinical validity, documentation, and ICD-10-CM coding applicable to liver disease remains a great challenge to those invested in severity and risk-adjustment coding compliance. In this article, he reviews several pitfalls that could await facilities.
Coding managers: Tips for recruiting high-quality inpatient coders
Danielle Richmond says that while inpatient coder shortages are nowhere near what they were with ICD-9-CM, new challenges have emerged. This article shares important advice for any managers trying to improve their coder recruitment and hiring process.
Healthcare News: SIRS criteria superior to qSOFA says report
Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria has a greater sensitivity than quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment (qSOFA) as a screening test to initiate treatment for sepsis in non-intensive care unit patients, according to the recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Q&A: Clarifying CC/MCC status
Q: We have gotten conflicting advice regarding ICD-10-CM code categories B95-B97 (Bacterial and viral infectious agents) regarding CCs, MCCs, and severity of illness/risk of mortality. Could you clarify the impact of reporting causative organisms?
 

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Test your knowledge with this week’s free quiz, which features ICD-10-PCS Occlusion codes for the mouth and throat.

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SelectCoder Tip of the Week

ICD-10-CM code D52.1 (drug-induced folate deficiency anemia) indicates folate deficiency anemia due to the effects of a drug. The clinical record should specify the drug and this should be coded as an adverse effect of the drug causing the anemia. A code from ICD-10-CM category T36-T50 (Poisoning by, adverse effect of and underdosing of drugs, medicaments and biological substances) should be assigned following D52.1 to identify the drug resulting in anemia.

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Platinum members can view the latest stories from Briefings on APCs (updated each Thursday) and Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies (updated each Tuesday). 
 

Product Spotlight

Acute Kidney Injury and Acute Renal Failure: 2018 Coding, Criteria, and Classifications Webinar

Join expert speakers Sarah Humbert, RHIA, and Temeka Davis, RHIT, for this 90-minute webinar on April 25 as they discuss the recent ICD-10-CM/PCS coding changes and challenges for reporting acute kidney injury and acute renal failure. The speakers will explain clinical details of acute kidney injury and acute renal failure, as well as the documentation necessary to meet coding guideline requirements for these conditions.

For more information or to order, call 800-650-6787 or visit the HCPro Healthcare Marketplace.
 

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Amanda Norris
Editor
JustCoding News: Inpatient
editor@justcoding.com


HCPro
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Middleton, MA 01949
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http://www.hcpro.com
 

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JustCoding's April Member Spotlight

Tracy C. Harris, RHIT, CCS, coding manager at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, has spent 20 years working in health information management and coding.

Why did you get into this line of work?

I was introduced to coding through an associate’s program at a local college. I thought it would be the perfect fit for me. It appealed to my interest in its need for continuous learning as standards and medical practice change.  

Continue reading the member spotlight here.

JustCoding is always looking for more members to feature in this section. If you’d like to share your coding story, please email editor Amanda Norris at anorris@hcpro.com.