Advanced Search

Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

INDUSTRY NOTES:

Screen Heart Disease Patients Carefully for Depression and Watch for Better Outcomes

Published on Tue Jun 23, 2009

Plus: Get ready for revamped Provider Statistical & Reimbursement system. The new depression screening questions in OASIS C may help you achieve better outcomes for your heart disease patients. Seniors who suffer from heart disease and are subsequently diagnosed with depression are at greater risk for heart failure, according to a new study by cardiac researchers at Utah's Intermountain Medical Center. Researchers also found that taking antidepressant medications to ease depressive symptoms did not appear to mitigate this risk, according to an Intermountain release. "Our data suggest that depression is an important and emerging risk factor for heart failure among patients with coronary heart disease," says Heidi May, an IMC epidemiologist and lead author. Researchers found that a depression diagnosis following coronary heart disease was associated with a two-fold increased risk for the incidence of heart failure. This risk remained but was slightly lower after adjusting for other cardiovascular risk [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

View All