Mortality data and Comfort Care

katysuegood@gmail.comkatysuegood@gmail.com
in CDI Talk Archive
On the ACDIS call yesterday there was discussion over the use of the Palliative Care code V66.7. One of the participants mentioned the importance of using this code and including it in the top 10 dx code in an effort to improve mortality data.
I am confused how this works. I have heard in the past about capture of 'comfort care' as an exclusion for mortality data but I have never found any firm guidance on the subject. The code V66.7 (encounter for palliative care) may be used to capture comfort care, but can't is also be used to capture palliative care which may not be limited to comfort care only? Is mortality data impacted by the use of capture of this code alone or is there some manual extraction being performed to capture 'comfort care'? How exactly is it impacting mortality data and is this only for specific methodology?

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Katy Good, RN, BSN, CCDS, CCS
Clinical Documentation Program Coordinator
AHIMA Approved ICD-10CM/PCS Trainer
Flagstaff Medical Center
Kathryn.Good@nahealth.com
Cell: 928.814.9404

Comments

  • katysuegood@gmail.comkatysuegood@gmail.com
    edited April 2016
    Interesting. I need to look at the healthgrades methodology. We are not part of UHC.


    Thanks Karen and Melissa!


    Katy Good, RN, BSN, CCDS, CCS
    Clinical Documentation Program Coordinator
    AHIMA Approved ICD-10CM/PCS Trainer
    Flagstaff Medical Center
    Kathryn.Good@nahealth.com
    Cell: 928.814.9404

  • katysuegood@gmail.comkatysuegood@gmail.com
    I looked up the healthgrades methodology and I see that palliative care is listed but it does not list an associated code (the others all do) and says “custom logic” next to it. I am not sure what this means? I also don’t see anything listing the ‘top 5’ risk factors, all I am seeing is the comprehensive list. Also curious where the information that this must be in the top 8 listed dx. I haven’t been able to find this either.

    Basically, it’s still a mystery to me

    Thanks!

    Katy Good, RN, BSN, CCDS, CCS
    Clinical Documentation Program Coordinator
    AHIMA Approved ICD-10CM/PCS Trainer
    Flagstaff Medical Center
    Kathryn.Good@nahealth.com
    Cell: 928.814.9404
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