Case Management Corner By Dr. Dennis Morris

In the News
04.29.2011

Case Management Corner By Dr. Dennis Morris

For this month's clinical documentation update, I would like to focus on acuity. This is a very important metric that factors into how risk adjusted measures such as re-admission and mortality rates are calculated.

Complications/co-morbidities (CCs) and major complications/comorbidities (MCCs) play a role in patient acuity.

A recent LMHS report evaluated the most common CCs and MCCs for the top 20 DRG's are seen at Lima Memorial. The report revealed a number of areas with opportunity for improvement in the documentation of CCs and MCCs. These areas include:

Coronary Bypass with Cardiac Cath:

• Subendo cardinal infarction

• Acute kidney failure

• Post traumatic pulmonary insufficiency

• Acute respiratory failure

• Pneumonia

• AMI inferior wall

• Cardiogenic shock

• Acute systolic heart failure

Amputation for Circulatory Disorders:

• ESRD

• Acute kidney failure

• Septicemia

• Sepsis

• Pneumonia

• Acute respiratory failure

• Food/vomitus pneumonitis

Simple pneumonia and pleurisy

• Pneumonia, organism

• Acute kidney failure

• Acute respiratory failure

• End stage renal disease

• Acute and chronic respiratory failure

• Bacterial pneumonia

• Pneumococcal pneumonia

• Septicemia

Please take your time while you are documenting all diseases and pay close attention to these areas. Improving in these areas will impact your patient, the hospital and reimbursement.

Please feel free to contact the Case Management Department at ext. 4456 if you have any questions.