CDI Physician Engagement/Provider Education
Our physician advisor is fairly new to the CDI advisor role at our facility. He is very enthusiastic to make a change in our query rates. Basically, when a physician does not reply to a CDI query, he will send a notice with the exact verbiage for the physician to use for their reply/addendum. Would this be considered unethical in his advisor role.
Comments
Absolutely noncompliant and unethical.
Regardless of the credential, role, title, or use of technology, all healthcare professionals (whether or not they are ACDIS or AHIMA members) seeking to clarify provider documentation must follow compliant query guidelines.
Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice- 2019 Update (page 2)
Consider redirecting the PA's enthusiastic energy.
With unanswered queries, see if he can't reach out and have a conversation after final coding, ask to understand the barrier for that provider's lack of response, and discuss the why of the query using that particular case as an example.
In that POST BILLING conversation, he could certainly discuss a suggested response -- that won't impact the current case.