An inspiring story about rebranding a facility’s CDI department
To raise a torch to the strength of women working in healthcare I must share an introductory story on the transformation of a revitalized CDI Department that has pursued success through the strength of 23 women, and the celebrations are taking place daily. Not to undermine the contributions of our male co-workers, this story is one of empowering women that may inspire you to reach deep into your creative minds.
Many of us would describe an empowered woman in our industry as one who pre-orders the latest and greatest industry leading resource to ensure we have adopted the model of proven department success. Oddly, much of KHN’s transition to the winning CDI team has occurred because we have “lost our map.” May I please encourage you to contemplate a few not-so-new theories, but unknown territories for many of us type AHIMers.
For starters, allow yourself to daydream. Gift yourself with a ride in your car and enjoy the silence. No audio books, no traffic reports, no repeat hits from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Allow your creative mind to ask itself, “What if we tried this….?” “What if we kept doing that but tried it this way…?” As we started this exercise I often heard, “Oh, we have tried that, it didn’t work.” My answer, with a glowing mischievous smile, is…. “Well, let’s try it this way!” Stand firm on faith that ideas generated during a silent journey are fueled by YOUR inner creativity, YOUR inspiration reflected onto a mirror of now scripted thoughts that simply need action steps.
Next, take a self-analysis. Determine how YOU best fit into the big picture of this newly inspired screenplay. There are many personal assessment tools available. Our network utilized the DISC Workplace profile assessment. Stretch your arms out as far as they reach to the left and right, stand up as tall as your frame allows, and OWN the results. The next step can be rough, ladies, but it’s Required with a capital R. You must break free from fear.
Many inspirations delicately laid on the brains and hearts of women go untapped, laid to rest in a beautiful field of our favorite spring flowers. Because we are loving souls, we don’t want our ideas laid to rest in anything less than perfume-scented, soft fields of comfort, sprinkled with evolving colors of the seasons. But there our ideas lay motionless, and often forgotten. There is no more time to waste—throw the fear out the back window with the closest pitchfork you can locate, and prepare yourself for the final step. Now you are ready to introduce your screenplay, and TAKE THE LEAD! Put your creative idea, absent of fear, into motion. Project it with yourself placed exactly how you best fit with your strength, whether it’s simply the author in need of actors, the director, or producer, but it’s on paper, in motion, joined by your team of peers that support you.
I am honored to be mentored by empowered women. I have learned there is no checklist on how to arrive, but I am enjoying defining my own path surrounded with a great amount of talent and desire to succeed. Let’s celebrate women in healthcare!
Program Note
Listen to Kathy Murchland this morning on Talk Ten Tuesdays, 10-10:30 a.m. EST.
Election Day finally arrived – however, some physicians may not be celebrating the new 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule that also arrived.
I was fortunate to obtain excerpts from an appeal letter submitted by a hospital in response to a Medicare Advantage (MA) denial from Humana. The
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Join Beth Wolf, MD, CPC, CCDS, for an in-depth webcast on the FY2025 spinal fusion MS-DRG updates. Discover key changes in DRG classification, understand impacts on documentation and CMI, and learn strategies to ensure compliance.
Join Angela Comfort, DBA, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, as she presents effective strategies to strengthen collaboration between CDI, coding, and quality departments in acute care hospitals. Angela will also share guidance on implementing cross-departmental meetings, using shared KPIs, and engaging leadership to foster a culture of collaboration. Attendees will gain actionable tools to optimize documentation accuracy, elevate quality metrics, and drive a unified approach to healthcare goals, ultimately enhancing both patient outcomes and organizational performance.
Optimize your outpatient clinical documentation and gain comprehensive knowledge from foundational practices to advanced technologies, ensuring improved patient care and organizational and financial success. This webcast bundle provides a holistic approach to outpatient CDI, empowering you to implement best practices from the ground up and leverage advanced strategies for superior results. You will gain actionable insights to improve documentation quality, patient care, compliance, and financial outcomes.
Enhancing outpatient clinical documentation is crucial for maintaining accuracy, compliance, and proper reimbursement in today’s complex healthcare environment. This webcast, presented by industry expert Angela Comfort, DBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, will provide you with actionable strategies to tackle complex challenges in outpatient documentation. You’ll learn how to craft detailed clinical narratives, utilize advanced EHR features, and implement accurate risk adjustment and HCC coding. The session also covers essential regulatory updates to keep your documentation practices compliant. Join us to gain the tools you need to improve documentation quality, support better patient care, and ensure financial integrity.
Dr. Ronald Hirsch provides critical details on the new Medicare Appeal Process for Status Changes for patients whose status changes during their hospital stay. He also delves into other scenarios of hospital patients receiving custodial care or medically unnecessary services where patient notifications may be needed along with the processes necessary to ensure compliance with state and federal guidance.
Healthcare organizations face complex regulatory requirements under the No Surprises Act and Price Transparency rules. These policies mandate extensive fee disclosures across settings, and confusion is widespread—many hospitals remain unaware they must post every contracted rate. Non-compliance could lead to costly penalties, financial loss, and legal risks. Join David M. Glaser Esq. as he shows you how to navigate these regulations effectively.
Protect your facility from unwanted audits! Join Becky Jacobsen, BSN, RN, MBS, CCS-P, CPC, CPEDC, CBCS, CEMC, and take a deep dive into both the CMS and AMA guidelines for reporting post operative pain blocks. You’ll learn how to determine if the nerve block is separately codable with real life examples for better understanding. Becky will also cover how to evaluate whether documentation supports medical necessity, offer recommendations for stronger documentation practices, and provide guidance on educating providers about documentation requirements. She’ll include a discussion of appropriate modifier and diagnosis coding assignment so that you can be confident that your billing of post operative pain blocks is fully supported and compliant.
During this RACmonitor webcast Dr. Ronald Hirsch spotlights the areas of the OIG’s Work Plan and the findings of their most recent audits that impact utilization review, case management, and audit staff. He also provides his common-sense interpretation of the prevailing regulations related to those target issues. You’ll walk away better equipped with strategies to put in place immediately to reduce your risk of paybacks, increased scrutiny, and criminal penalties.
Copyright © 2024 RACmonitor. Powered by MedLearn Media.
Prepare for the 2025 CMS IPPS Final Rule with ICD10monitor’s IPPSPalooza! Click HERE to learn more
Get 15% OFF on all educational webcasts at ICD10monitor with code JULYFOURTH24 until July 4, 2024—start learning today!
