Assigning the correct patient status is important not only to ensure that the hospital gets accurate payment for a patient stay, but also to ensure that the patient receives access to the postacute benefits to which he or she is entitled.
Q: When our pharmacy mixes medications for infusion, they sometimes have to waste a part of the vial that was opened. They log this in the pharmacy log, which they keep in the department. We have been billing the full amount of the drug that was in the vial and have had no issues with getting paid. Our pharmacist came from a regional meeting and told us that this is going to change.
Q: A patient fractured all metatarsals last year and had open reduction and internal fixation. The patient now has a nonunion of the fracture sites and is going back to the OR for an amputation. What would be the appropriate ICD-10-CM seventh character to report?
What do you do with a patient who does not have a safe discharge plan, but does not meet inpatient criteria and has been in observation status for 48 hours?
