Health Information Program Blog - Clinical Documentation Improvement

Clinical Documentation Improvement, or CDI, is a hot topic right now.  It is also a great job opportunity for an RHIA.  It is becomming more and more important as we are nearing ICD-10.  As I look at job sites and the AHIMA job board I see postings for CDI specialists many times a week. 

According to the article that I am sharing with you today,

"In order for the healthcare industry to prepare for new initiatives such as accountable care organizations, pay-for -performance, meaningful use, and a variety of other initiatives, clinical documentation must improve. It is imperative for organizations and providers to continue to seek clarification and guidance on documentation requirements. Top priorities during the next 12 months include identifying documentation gaps, achieving documentation excellence, and providing ongoing education to clinical providers.

Accurate documentation of patient encounters is the foundation for telling the patient’s story, appropriate reimbursement, and quality reporting. As healthcare reform moves quickly towards quality-driven reimbursement, organizations and providers will have to continue to justify care plans and treatment options as well as successfully demonstrate quality outcomes and patient safety. Consistent, complete, and accurate documentation is the key to the economic health of the organization and a key indicator of physician quality. Organizations and providers need to be able to use automated, intuitive tools to successfully implement new technology, new federal requirements, and specific strategic initiatives without comprising patient care."

Here is the article to help you understand what it is all about:

http://perspectives.ahima.org/leading-the-documentation-journey-a-report-from-the-ahima-2014-clinical-documentation-improvement-summit/#.VFIpeU10zIV


Have a great weekend!

Health Information Management Program - Fall Term II

This is just a reminder that Monday begins Fall Term II for 2014.  Are you registered???  If not, call your Advisor right away!  Be sure to stay focused on your goal of graduating with a degree - you can do it!

Cindy Glewwe Edgerton, M.Ed, RHIA
Director, Health Information Management Program 
Charter Oak State College
55 Paul J. Manafort Drive
New Britain, CT 06053
(860) 515-3833
cedgerton@charteroak.edu
www.charteroak.edu

Health Information Management Program Blog - ICD-10 and Ebola

This is a great ICD-10 reference that was posted by AHIMA last week!

HOW ICD-10 COULD HELP TRACK EBOLA

With concern about Ebola growing worldwide, a recent infographic from the Coalition for ICD-10 highlights the benefits to public health of coding morbidity and reporting disease data in ICD-10, rather than in ICD-9, which lacks a specific code for Ebola. ICD-10, used throughout the world's industrialized nations and slated for implementation in the US on October 1, 2015, assigns code A98.4 to Ebola. The Coalition says ICD-9's lack of specificity makes it more difficult to monitor outbreaks, share data internationally, and report public health emergencies the World Health Organization in real time.

Access the infographic here:

http://coalitionforicd10.org/2014/09/04/icd-10-a-common-language-for-public-health/