RE: [EXTERNAL] RE:Morbid Obesity along with joint replacements
Hello,
I absolutely agree with what you are writing below. I posed this very clinic to Coding Leadership today and was told "UHDDS rules trump Coding Clinic". Thus, if there is not documentation of Clinical Evaluation, Therapeutic intervention, further evaluation by diagnostic studies, procedures, or consultation, increased length of hospital stay, or increased nursing care or monitoring; then it may not be coded.
In these denials we received, we comb through the charts looking for documentation of that increased level of care (that we KNOW happened). Alas, if it is not present, we have been unable to fight the denial.
My proposal to resolution is to create a standard order set that incorporates this detail when Morbid obesity is documented.
Can someone please enlighten me further so that I do not need to go to this length? Thanks!!
Thanks,
-Jane
p 303-603-9581
c 720-305-7765
I absolutely agree with what you are writing below. I posed this very clinic to Coding Leadership today and was told "UHDDS rules trump Coding Clinic". Thus, if there is not documentation of Clinical Evaluation, Therapeutic intervention, further evaluation by diagnostic studies, procedures, or consultation, increased length of hospital stay, or increased nursing care or monitoring; then it may not be coded.
In these denials we received, we comb through the charts looking for documentation of that increased level of care (that we KNOW happened). Alas, if it is not present, we have been unable to fight the denial.
My proposal to resolution is to create a standard order set that incorporates this detail when Morbid obesity is documented.
Can someone please enlighten me further so that I do not need to go to this length? Thanks!!
Thanks,
-Jane
p 303-603-9581
c 720-305-7765