HIM Briefings

Those of us who work in clinical settings are familiar with situations involving medical ethics when it comes to patient care. End-of-life decisions, resource utilization vs. quality of outcomes, genetic testing, pro-life issues, and other hot topics create endless ethical and moral discussions. And don’t forget to mix in a little government healthcare policy and discussion on rationing of healthcare and on whether healthcare is a right or a privilege.

EHR implementation is a “big, hairy animal,” according to Meg McElroy, RHIA, MBA, HIM and medical staff services director at Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee. McElroy has been working toward having a fully electronic record for years. “It’s so expensive, and how do you just get it done?” she says.

The annual MRB salary survey for HIM directors and managers has come to a close and the results are in. Read on to find out what more than 1,000 of your peers had to say regarding their salaries, the various factors that affect compensation, and the effects of the down economy.

Most agree that the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be a “game changer” in how physicians and their facilities will be reimbursed in the coming years.

HIM staff members have a lot on their plates right now, but one more looming deadline needs to be on their radar—the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will begin to enforce its Red Flags Rule June 1. Hospitals must have an identity theft prevention program in place by that date.

For years the demand for coders has exceeded supply, and for many possible reasons. This may be because coders do not think that salaries are commensurate with the knowledge, expectations, and stress. And coders often move on to other positions and do not make a career of coding.

Editor’s note: Use this quiz to prepare staff members for ICD-10-PCS by expanding their knowledge of root operations for surgery. In future months, we will feature quizzes on anatomy and physiology to help coders continue to prepare for the transition.

Certain modifiers are well-known as being difficult for coders. (Modifier -59, anyone?) Others, particularly HCPCS level II modifiers, may be a challenge because they are new, more complex, or simply used infrequently on your hospital’s claims.

Many hospitals seem to struggle with inconsistencies in the quality of their physicians’ history and physical exam (H&P) documentation, particularly when it comes to allergies and current medications. And the medical staff at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, AK, believed they were no exception, according to Marianne Dailey, RHIT, CHP, CPHQ, HIM director and privacy officer at the hospital.