Horrifying Compliance Excuses!

Hi Joyce,

In my twenty years of professional work in the healthcare compliance field, I’ve heard some horrifying compliance excuses. For example, “Let’s just correct the problem moving forward, we don’t really need to go back and return money.” I was shocked the first time I heard that little doozy.

“Correcting from now on,” is a terrible attitude to have when it comes to overpayment. Is saving a little cash now worth owing millions later? Unfortunately, excuses like this are par for the course. As a compliance professional, I hear dozens of them, all the time. It’s a nightmare.

In the spirit of Halloween, download our free eBrief, "10 Compliance Horror Stories," for compliance excuses that will make you want to scream.
 

Download the Holiday eBrief >>

Trick or treat, 

CJ

CJ Wolf, MD, CHC, CPC, CCEP, CIA Senior Compliance Executive healthicity.com  |  email

How hospitals code superbug

Has big impact on bottom line

Written by Brooke Murphy | October 04, 2016

The nuances of coding bacterial infections related to antibiotic-resistant superbugs can have a significant impact on hospital revenue streams, according to ICD10monitor.

A study published in the American Journal of Infection Control found hospital costs rose dramatically in cases where patients contracted different superbugs. Patients that contracted renal impairment increased treatment costs by an average of $8,942. 

Patients that contracted an immunocompromised status or concomitant antibiotic exposure increased treatment costs by $8,692 and $8,545, respectively.

Given the high cost of these cases and associated risk factors for contamination, ensuring correct identification, coding and nationwide tracking of superbug infections is critical, said ICD10monitor.

It is imperative hospital and physician coders stay up-to-date with changes to bacterial coding practices. 

Effective Oct. 1, codes for c. diff and MRSA changed to designate their status as hospital acquired infections. There are also ICD-10 codes for 22 different types of medication, including codes for resistance to medication, a condition that makes patient cases more difficult and costly to treat.

For more information on ICD-10 guidance updates from CMS, click here.