July 10, 2024
Quality and inequalities in sepsis measurement
CMS plans to start paying for performance on SEP-1. Sepsis quality experts have concerns and suggestions.
Pneumonia specificity
For reimbursement, pneumonia types are classified as complex or simple, and identifying the specific cause of pneumonia whenever possible is crucial for correct coding.
ED volume not the cause of recent hospital capacity issues, study of Medicare data finds
ED visits by fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries remained below 2019 levels in 2022, but length of stay for associated admissions was longer and discharges to postacute care were less common, according to an analysis of pre- to postpandemic hospital occupancy.
Discharge timing model identifies risk for readmission, death after COVID-19
Risk of death or readmission within 30 days was higher in patients with fever within 72 hours of discharge; tachypnea, tachycardia, or lack of improvement in oxygen requirement in the last 24 hours; and lymphopenia or thrombocytopenia at the time of discharge.
AHA offers guidance on palliative pharmacotherapy for cardiovascular disease
A scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) calls for use of guideline-directed and evidence-based palliative therapies in end-stage heart failure, pulmonary arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, and other cardiac conditions.
New model risk-adjusts sepsis patients for better mortality measurement
The model includes 13 physiologic variables, two physiologic interactions, and 16 demographic and chronic health variables, the most significant being age, metastatic solid tumor, temperature, altered mental status, and platelet count, and could be used to assess sepsis care, researchers said.
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