Catalog Number : crs1180
Title : The Alphabet Soup of DRGs
Speaker : Karen Scott

Webplay Recording Date : 9-19-07
Webplay Price : $ 225 for two weeks viewing

Teleconference/Webinar Presenter: Karen Scott, MEd, RHIA, CCS-P, CPC

Teleconference Webinar Title: The Alphabet Soup of DRGs

Teleconference/Webinar Level: Intermediate

Teleconference/Webinar Overview:

DRGs drive your inpatient reimbursement. And for Medicare’s FY 2008 (which begins October 1, 2007) there are significant changes to the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS). It's critical that coders and others (i.e., Case Management, and UR) have timely updates on regulatory changes for 2008 so they can be ready for the severity DRG system. Hospital finance and reimbursement specialists need to understand the impact that the changes will have on the entire system. The final rule created 745 new severity-adjusted DRGs to replace the current 538. Clear and timely documentation is paramount, as is understanding the major revisions to the comorbid/complication (CC) list.

Understanding the changes to the DRG system is critical for understanding the impact on medical record documentation, abstracting practices and reimbursement for hospitals. Increase your clinical coding skills by understanding how the changes will affect your coding practices. Take away the keys to understanding the new DRGs and know what information you need to cull from the medical record to improve DRG assignment practices and recover the appropriate payment for inpatient services. Be confident in your ability to manage the changes in coding and reimbursement for fiscal 2008.

Increase your clinical coding skills and understand the impact of the changes to the DRG system on your coding practices. This in-depth presentation will give you the details concerning the practical application of the new and revised DRGs. The focus is on the rationale for the changes and what you need to know to ensure accurate reporting. The revised official coding guideline changes will be covered as well. This is another important year of changes. Make sure you understand the impact on your coding practices and your bottom line.

Teleconference/Webinar Outline/Agenda:

• The rationale for the new and revised procedure codes for fiscal 2008
• How the changes will affect coding
• The new DRGs and changes to the current DRG structure for fiscal 2008
• How to manage the changes in coding and DRG assignment practices to recover appropriate reimbursement
• The DRG changes that every hospital needs to effectively manage the changes in coding and reimbursement fiscal 2008
• Explain the relative weight changes to the existing DRGs
• Managing DRGs for coding and documentation improvement
• Highlights of the most challenging DRGs
• Illustrate ideas to better manage the existing system
• Formulate plans to prepare for future changes in DRGs such as cost basis and severity adjusted
• A live question and answer session will follow the regular presentation

Prerequisites for Participating: General knowledge of hospital inpatient coding and billing

Target Audience: Coding Personnel, Billing and Claims Transaction Personnel, Nursing Staff, Outpatient Service Area Personnel, Chargemaster Coordinators, Financial Analysts, Compliance Personnel, Physicians and Other Interested Personnel

Attendance Certificate: Upon attending this course you will receive a 1.5 Contact Hour Attendance Certificate. There is usually a reciprocal agreement between state associations to allow these to count for each state. If you have any questions, please ask your state association.