Eileen Clark

CDI Code of Ethics I felt compelled to post a quick summary read of the ACDIS & AHMA CDI Code of Ethics, after hearing from some of my CDI colleagues describe the pressure placed on them to review records, issue more queries, capture more CC/MCCs, and generate more revenue. This pressure emanates from CFOs who have been convinced by prominent CDI consulting companies pushing their CDI consulting services and CDI software. Typical claims made by these firms include " we can get you x million dollars every year for the next three years, just sign this contract for x million dollars," or buy our software, "you will achieve 5:1 ROI starting on Day 1: An average of $2.5M in annual net new revenue per 10K patient discharges. CFOs are being misled to believe that CDI is in the business of bringing in more revenue through more queries. More queries without improvement in the quality of physician documentation generate more denials, period. Durable, sustainable net patient revenue is a byproduct of solid physician documentation that reflects the clinical truth-Cesar M Limjoco MD. CDI has, in many respects has lost its way, caught up in coding of CCs/MCCs as opposed to collaborating with physicians to enable and facilitate better documentation. In the process, the profession as a whole is deviating from the ACDIS CDI Code of Ethics 📘 ACDIS Code of Ethics — Core Principles & References 🧭 1. Integrity in Documentation Commitment to accurate, complete, and honest documentation that genuinely reflects clinical care. Prohibition against altering or suppressing information to manipulate outcomes . 👩‍⚕️ 2. Ethical Query Practice Queries must be neutral, non-leading, and based on clinical indicators. Forbidden: "leading" queries, introducing unsupported diagnoses, or querying when no clinical basis exists. . 💰 3. Avoiding Financial Manipulation No participation in practices that inappropriately increase payment, distort data, or misrepresent medical necessity. . 🎓 4. Ongoing Education & Expertise Maintain and enhance professional knowledge through continuing education, including coding standards and ethical guidelines . 👥 5. Team Collaboration Work collegially with providers, coders, and quality teams. Commit to interdisciplinary education to support accurate documentation and compliant CDI processes. . 🔐 6. Confidentiality & Compliance Strictly protect patient confidentiality and access only necessary health information. Report any unethical, non-compliant, or unlawful behavior through appropriate channels. . ⚖️ 7. Professional Conduct & Reporting Uphold the highest standards of integrity, honesty, and professionalism. Take action against unethical behavior, even among peers. . #CDI, #codeofethics, #moneytalkscodeofethicswalks, #misnomer, #hoodwinkedbyconsultingcompanies

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Now live in Epic Toolbox: CLEAR’s MyChart integration allows patients to instantly verify their identity with an IAL2-compliant solution. With this out-of-the-box integration, healthcare systems can streamline access to sensitive health data at critical moments like MyChart account creation and recovery — reducing fraud while enhancing the patient experience. Learn more about CLEAR’s healthcare solution: https://lnkd.in/eb6vMmvj

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The Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) hosted its annual Emergency Preparedness event on Nov. 5, giving hospitals and healthcare organizations around the state the chance to train for and assess facility-wide responses to a plausible MCI scenario. IHA President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi noted the importance of strong evaluation and collaboration. “This annual exercise is an example in how we prepare to succeed. Today is not about passing or failing, it’s about honest evaluation, collaboration, and strengthening our ability to respond under pressure.”

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I was just browsing through the most recent version of the AHIMA recertification guide and one item in particular jumped out at me -- "The CCS credential supersedes the CCA credential. Upon passing the CCS examination, the CCA is replaced with the CCS. Recertification requirements are no longer required for the CCA credential." My inquiring mind wants to know why the CCS-P, doesn't supersede the CCA entry level credential.

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🏥 Timely follow-up after hospital discharge is essential — yet care gaps persist. To strengthen Transitions of Care (TOC), the Indiana Primary Health Care Association partnered with Azara Healthcare to integrate hospital admit/discharge data directly into DRVS. This initiative enabled health centers to: ✅ Enhance care team coordination ✅ Monitor follow-ups in real time ✅ Close critical post-discharge care gaps 📄 Read the case study to learn how data-driven TOC workflows are improving outcomes across Indiana: https://hubs.ly/Q03r1jlp0

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🔒 Building an Audit Ready Video Surveillance Strategy in Healthcare Hospitals face growing pressure to meet HIPAA and Joint Commission requirements, and compliance cannot be an afterthought. As John Cottingham explains, an audit ready video strategy goes beyond meeting mandates. It protects patients, reduces liability, and builds institutional trust. With Salient’s CompleteView VMS, hospitals gain proactive system monitoring, seamless integrations, and secure data governance that turns compliance into confidence. Because true audit readiness does not just pass inspections, it builds trust. 👉 Read the full article to learn how hospitals can strengthen compliance and security with Salient’s CompleteView VMS. https://lnkd.in/g2tfAa54 #HealthcareSecurity #Compliance #HospitalSafety #VideoSurveillance #SalientSystems

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As part of ASTP’s annual Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP), the Approved Standards for 2025 are now available. Certified Health IT developers can voluntarily update to these newer versions of adopted standards, including USCDI v5, FHIR, C-CDA, and QRDA I & III. Read our blog post for more information about these standards and how to update: https://lnkd.in/eqDxy4kV

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Selecting the wrong CDI software can put your hospital's investment at risk. This data-driven guide was developed to help Health Information Management (HIM) and CDI teams make informed, confident decisions. In this guide, we discuss: • The benefits of CDI automation • When to upgrade to AI-driven CDI software • Key must-have features • Best practices for vendor evaluation Clinical documentation initiatives are essential—but without the right technology, they often fall short. Download the guide and avoid the common pitfalls. https://hubs.la/Q03flt5v0

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🏥 When executed well, the value of second level coding and CDI reviews is easily cost-justified by senior leadership in hospitals and health systems as it not only benefits the organization, but also demonstrates the true value within coding and CDI teams. 💡 Learn more in this Journal of #AHIMA article contributed by e4health. To view, please visit: https://lnkd.in/ewuNdS5Z 👀 Still looking for more? Check out this recent e4health CDI Roundtable titled "Advancing your CDI Program with Second Level Reviews": https://lnkd.in/ewMHanNb ------------------------------- #e4health #EmpoweringBetterHealth #JAHIMA #CDI #Coding #HealthcareCoding

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Smart hospital transformation isn't just a technology initiative; it's a commitment to continuous improvement that doesn't happen overnight. Our latest roadmap outlines practical steps small and regional health systems can take to modernize infrastructure, improve workflows, and elevate patient care. #SmartHospital #HealthTech #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalTransformation #InfrastructureModernization

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This is not a front-desk problem. This is not a physician problem. This is a governance failure. Many outpatient departments (OPDs) feel busy yet continue to lose value. The PDF explains why.

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📘 𝗲𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸: 𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗔𝗔 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 Healthcare organizations are navigating rising cyber threats and evolving regulatory expectations, all while protecting patient data and maintaining resilience. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻: • Key changes in the 2025 HIPAA Security Rule • Practical steps to align security and compliance • Audit readiness, risk management, and documentation best practices • How to operationalize requirements across clinical, IT, and cloud environments Whether you’re preparing for your next audit or planning a modernization roadmap, this guide gives you clear, actionable direction. 👉 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱. https://hubs.ly/Q043NXKK0 #HIPAA #HealthcareSecurity #Compliance #Cybersecurity #HealthIT #ArmorDefense #RiskManagement #AuditReady #InfoSec

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As the professional home of medical informaticians, AMIA engages in a number of ways to recognize leaders, innovators, and high-performing professionals in the field. One of those is the AMIA Health Informatics Certification (AHIC). AMIA Certified Health Informatics Professionals (ACHIPs) are health informatics professionals whose work impacts organizational performance or affects public safety. Today at #CIC25, attendees learned more about the ACHIP designation, its benefits, and how to begin the certification process. Find out more about the AHIC at https://hubs.ly/Q03nr5QP0 #healthinformatics #healthcareIT

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This article is a good reminder that we can generate metrics all day long. But the key is metrics that indicate risk. While the title is for MSPs to have a risk conversation in reviews, the lessons are good for any controls ownes by anyone. One rule of thumb when I evaluate metrics is to see if there are tolerances (eg should I be worried or not?) and then if I’m worried is there an action to take that will reduce risk. Now a counter to this …. I admit there is utility to counting large numbers such as attacks blocked at the firewall for “wow” numbers that let others know the threat is alive and our tooling is doing great. https://lnkd.in/gyCisbvw

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If your MSSP ACO isn’t proactively preparing for 2025 eCQM reporting, you risk quality scores—and shared savings. Dive into our guide for step-by-step strategies, breaking down how to consolidate data from multiple EHRs, identify quality gaps, generate compliant QRDA-III & JSON files, and so much more. Learn what’s at stake and how to succeed with these six simple steps: https://okt.to/bjnAPs #eCQM #MSSP #ACOs #QualityReporting #ClinicalData

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