By Brian Murphy

Outpatient CDI is a different beast than CDI performed in the inpatient hospital setting. The volume of encounters is significantly higher, as is the speed of the visit and the turnover of patients. Trying use the same processes for clarifying documentation with physicians is doomed to failure.

So, how should CDI specialists clarify documentation in this new frontier? We now have an answer.

After many months of work, ACDIS is pleased to announce the publication of “Queries in outpatient CDI: Developing a compliant, effective process.”

This year, 751 hospitals will be hit with a payment reduction from Medicare due to high rates of patient injuries.

The 2018 ACDIS Advisory Board application period is now open and will remain so through Monday, January 29.

Whether your local chapter has been around for five years or five minutes, finding new members to participate in networking events can be difficult.

Those who’ve worked in CDI or healthcare compliance for any length of time typically prepare themselves for the annual October release of the OIG's Work Plan.

Q: According to Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, uncertain diagnoses should be documented at the time of discharge. If a consultant documents an uncertain diagnosis in the final or last progress note and no discharge summary or final progress note has been completed by the attending provider, can we code that uncertain diagnosis? Or should we query the attending physician or wait for the discharge summary?

The beginning of the new year is a time to lookback, but it’s also a time for looking forward—resolutions, goals, predictions. In this spirit, ACDIS has devoted the January/February edition of the CDI Journal to the future of CDI.

CMS recently unveiled an updated data submission system for physicians participating in the Quality Payment Program (QPP).