HIM Briefings

Coders need to code. This much you know. But with the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS occurring perhaps as soon as October 1, 2014, they'll need to know a bit more than just raw coding. Now is a good time to review and update current ­coding descriptions, procedures, and job titles to streamline and reengineer your coding team's work flow, says Luisa DiIeso, RHIA, MS, CCS.

Editor's note: The following scenario is provided by Laurie A. Rinehart-­Thompson, JD, RHIA, CHP, assistant professor of clinical allied ­medicine in the School of Allied Medical Professions at Ohio State ­University in Columbus. Present the scenario portion to your HIM staff to see how they would handle the issue.

In this month's issue, we explore a current hot topic in the HIM world.

In the final quarterly benchmarking survey of 2012, ­MRB examined the release of information (ROI) practices of hospitals with hybrid or fully electronic records-just as we did nearly two years ago.

Coding accuracy in postoperative complications ­impacts a facility's Medicare claims profile, error rate, and physician profiles on hospital watchdog websites that monitor performance.

Retain. Train. Assess. Investigate. Analyze. HIM professionals have undoubtedly come across action verbs like these since HHS announced on January 15, 2009, the final regulation to replace the ICD-9-CM code set with the more advanced ­ICD-10-CM code set currently used in other nations.

Over the last six months, The Joint Commission's ­survey have continued to show a pattern in regard to findings related to the Record of Care and Treatment chapter of the Joint Commission accreditation manual. The challenging standards are outlined below, including tips for compliance.

Q What is your opinion on providing extra protection for the medical records of staff who are also patients in an organization?

It's September­-time to hit the books again and get back to school. If you're an aspiring HIM professional, that means learning about medical record retention.