MDS Alert
Follow ICD-10-CM Guidelines for Sepsis Versus Septicemia
PDF
Question: I coded MDS item I1200 for a resident as septicemia, but a colleague said that a diagnosis of “sepsis” was more appropriate. However, I thought that the two words meant different conditions. Who’s right? Pennsylvania Subscriber Answer: According to the ICD-10-CM guidelines, sepsis and septicemia are used interchangeably. Code A41.9 (Sepsis, unspecified organism) includes the note “Septicemia NOS.” If you look up “septicemia” on Codify by AAPC, the program takes you to A41.9 (Sepsis, unspecified organism). Make sure you’re recording as the diagnosis whatever the resident’s clinician included in the resident’s medical record. Beware that there are several Excludes1 and Excludes2 notes for A41.9, including situations where a person has sepsis due to bacteremia (R78.81) or streptococcal sepsis (A40.-).
MDS Alert
- Emergency Preparedness:
Include Active Shooter Scenarios in Your Emergency Preparedness
‘Shelter in place’ plans may be a crucial tool. Gun violence happens in many places [...] - Assessments:
Check These Boxes for Comprehensive Assessments
Follow these tips for comprehensive assessment basics. Assessments’ timelines are carefully designed for collecting important, [...] - Covid-19 :
Focus on Vaccination Education, Too, to Remain Compliant
Some nursing homes have reached a 100% vaccination rate for staff. Many experts say that [...] - Reader Questions:
Explore Muscular Dystrophy Diagnosis Codes
Question: What is the diagnosis code for a patient with muscular dystrophy? Alabama Subscriber Answer: That question [...] - Reader Questions:
Beware Phishing Attempts
Question: The organization I work for takes the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance [...] - Reader Questions:
Remember ‘100’ When Defining Short Stay
Question: What’s the cutoff for a resident’s time in a facility being considered a short stay [...] - Reader Questions:
Follow ICD-10-CM Guidelines for Sepsis Versus Septicemia
Question: I coded MDS item I1200 for a resident as septicemia, but a colleague said that [...]