By Sharme Brodie, RN, CCDS

I’m often asked about Salter-Harris fractures or growth-plate fractures while I’m teaching, so let’s unpack what CDI professionals need to know about these injuries.

The Salter-Harris Classification is used for Salter-Harris fractures or growth-plate fractures categorized based on the involvement of the physis, metaphysis, and epiphysis. These types of fractures involve the epiphyseal plate or growth plate of long bones, found in children and adolescents. They can occur at any time from birth until the completion of growth.

Once the person reaches adulthood, the plate is replaced by an epiphyseal line (known as epiphyseal closure). Because this type of fracture affects the growth plate, over time it can result in abnormal growth in the length of the bone, resulting in deformity of the bone itself and/or the adjacent joint.

MA plan payment rates will increase by an average of 3.4% in 2019 due to higher projected per-capita cost growth.

Negative online reviews of physicians often are at odds with the more positive responses the same physicians receive with patient satisfaction surveys.

Q: We recently had a patient who had a syncopal episode and fell, sustaining head trauma with a resultant SAH. What is the proper coding and principal diagnosis? Is this traumatic SAH with loss of consciousness or SAH with separate code for syncope?

Of ED visits attributable to ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, aortic dissection, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, the conditions were inaccurately diagnosed approximately one out of 20 times.

The results of the election are in, and ACDIS welcomes the new advisory board members for three-year terms of service.

Veteran ACDIS members likely remember the Forms & Tools Library as the place to find sample query forms, policies, procedures, and CDI educational tools. While the committee responsible for reviewing submitted materials still bears the name, the library itself now goes by the name of the Resource Library.

Those fortunate enough to have attended the ACDIS national conference before know how much fun it can be. On the second day of the conference attendees are encouraged to don some state-themed clothing.