Patient Discharge Status or Patient Disposition Assignment Course

Description

This course is designed to equip coders with essential knowledge and skills related to patient discharge status codes, formerly known as disposition codes. Throughout this course, participants will delve into the significance of accurate patient status coding, understand each patient status code and its practical applications, and gain insights into how reimbursement is influenced by the Post-Acute Care Transfer (PACT) rule and Special Payment DRGs. The curriculum covers topics such as the importance of patient discharge status, common errors to avoid, and facility abstracting.

Included Lessons:

Introduction
Importance of Patient Discharge Status
Patient Discharge Statuses
Patient Discharge Statuses and Facility Abstracting
Common Patient Discharge Status Errors
Summary
Additional Documents

Key Takeaways

Understanding of Patient Discharge Status Codes: Participants will gain a thorough understanding of patient discharge status codes, including their significance in healthcare coding and billing.
Importance of Accuracy: Coders will recognize the critical importance of accurately assigning patient discharge status codes to ensure proper reimbursement and compliance with healthcare regulations.
Knowledge of PACT Rule: Coders will learn about the Post-Acute Care Transfer (PACT) rule and how it impacts reimbursement for certain cases with short hospital stays.
Special Payment DRGs: Participants will understand the concept of Special Payment Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) and their role in determining reimbursement for cases with exceptionally high costs early in the hospital stay.
Common Errors Avoidance: The course will equip coders with the ability to identify and avoid common patient discharge status coding errors, ensuring more accurate and efficient coding practices.
Facility Abstracting Considerations: Coders will learn how to navigate facility-specific patient status fields and understand how to map internal facility selections to CMS patient discharge status codes.
Conflict Resolution: Participants will gain skills in resolving conflicting patient status information found in medical records, including the importance of validating patient statuses and querying when necessary.
Compliance with Facility Guidelines: Coders will be knowledgeable about following facility guidelines for accurate patient status coding, such as not using certain codes that may not be allowed by their institution.
Planned Readmission Awareness: The course will introduce coders to newer patient status codes related to planned readmissions, emphasizing the importance of reviewing discharge planning notes.

What is the significance of patient discharge status codes?

Patient discharge status codes are crucial in healthcare coding as they indicate where a patient is transferred or discharged after a hospital stay. These codes affect reimbursement and healthcare statistics. Accurate coding ensures proper payment to the facility and informs healthcare decision-making.

How does Special Payment DRG differ from PACT in terms of reimbursement?

Special Payment Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) are for cases with exceptionally high early costs. Unlike PACT, Special Payment DRGs don't involve a per diem rate. Payment includes 50% of the full DRG payment plus 50% of the calculated per diem rate for the first day, with 50% of the per diem for subsequent days.

Are there specific guidelines for choosing patient discharge status codes?

Yes, each healthcare facility may have its own guidelines for assigning patient discharge status codes. Coders must adhere to their facility's guidelines to ensure consistency and compliance with regulations.

About our Medical Coding Courses

HIAlearn, powered by Health Information Associates (HIA)—a leader in medical coding and auditing for more than three decades—offers a comprehensive online education platform for medical coders. With a catalog of over 200 medical coding courses accepted by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and a selection approved by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), HIAlearn caters to both beginners and experienced medical coders seeking to enhance their skills. The platform provides an array of training plans tailored to meet individual learning needs, from mastering challenging coding procedures to understanding broad conceptual frameworks within the coding world. Courses are available across various coding types including CPT, E/M, ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and are designed to cater to different coder levels and coding specialties such as inpatient, outpatient, profee, and CDI. Additionally, HIAlearn offers a Coding Updates bundle to ensure coders are up-to-date with the annual changes in ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, CPT, and IPPS. Beyond individual learning, HIAlearn supports organizations with group discounts, promoting enhanced coding accuracy, efficiency, and compliance across teams.