All Entries Tagged With: "Q&A"
Does your hospital use the Epic software system? Let’s hear about it
Hi ACDIS members, I’ve had a few questions recently regarding the Epic software system. It was a subject of a member’s question on the most recent quarterly conference call, and I’ve since received a few additional e-mails from facilities that are going to Epic, or plan to do so, and are looking for help from experienced Epic users who have been using the system to leave electronic queries and interface with physicians.
If you would like to share your e-mail address, please feel free to leave it right here by leaving a comment on this post, or you can e-mail me directly at bmurphy@cdiassociation.com.
With more and more facilities going electronic, it would be great to see members sharing best practices, implementation strategies, and other ways of helping one another out with this important transition.
Take care,
Brian
CCDS credential: Answers to your top three questions
Hi everyone, questions about the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) exam have been coming fast and furious. I thought I would take a moment to answer a few of the most common types of questions I’ve received. So here goes:
Question 1: I cannot attend the conference in May, but I would like to take the certification exam. What are my options?
Answer: No need to worry. We will be offering the certification exam at approximately 170 H&R Block locations nationwide. Qualified candidates may schedule to take the exam at the most convenient location to their work or residence.
The May 16, 2009 Las Vegas administration of the CCDS exam is merely the first administration. Las Vegas test-takers will take a pencil-and-paper version of the exam. H&R Block test-takers will take it on a computer. Otherwise, the experience will be identical.
Q&A with the ACDIS advisory board: The problem of coders holding up charts
Q: We have a new CDI program with a huge learning curve. I am an RN in a CDI position. There are many things to ask, but the present issue is the re-querying done by the coders, which results in a large number of charts being held up. Has this been a familiar problem that others have had to deal with, and what have they done to cut down on the numbers? I appreciate any help you can offer.
Colleen Garry: I understand completely. When beginning a new program you have to be very clear and your staff needs to hold each other to consistent timelines pertaining to the query close out. Closing out a query is an art form. I suspect that the CDS nurses are not being efficient in their closeouts or are meeting significant resistance (this is normal with new programs) and the unanswered queries may be causing frustration for the coders (understandably). Query response and turnaround time is a must have to a successful program. One can educate and place queries all day long, but at the end of the day it’s all about impact.
More questions from the mailbox
Hi everyone, a few members of the ACDIS advisory board weighed in on some questions sent in by our membership. I’m finally getting around to posting these here in CDI Blog. Keep checking back for updates!
Brian
Q: We have been educated by our coding staff not to use the residents’ notes except as a guideline. They have said that they can only code the record from the actual attending documentation. We try to get physicians to co-sign the resident notes, and sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. Are other institutions coding right from residents’ notes, or are they also required to have the note cosigned?