When HIM professionals at Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, looked into its success rate for physician response to coding queries, it knew it needed to do a better job.
Ensuring detailed documentation isn't important only with respect to documenting medical necessity. Case managers should also ensure physicians are including enough information in patient records to help them accurately estimate length of stay (LOS), says Glenn Krauss, BBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, PCS, FCS, C-CDIS, CCDS, an independent health information management consultant in Madison, Wis.
Ensuring detailed documentation isn't important only with respect to documenting medical necessity. Case managers should also ensure physicians are including enough information in patient records to help them accurately estimate LOS, says Glenn Krauss, BBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, PCS, FCS, C-CDIS, CCDS, an independent health information management consultant in Madison, Wis.
There's a popular saying that states, "Too much of a good thing can be bad for you." I believe that's never been truer than now when it comes to EMR documentation.
