The study is published in the June issue of Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
Researchers reviewed the medical records of 80 randomly selected adult patient discharges from May 2006-Sept. 2007 from the University of Michigan Health System with secondary diagnosis of a urinary tract infection. A physician-abstractor reviewed each case to classify the UTIs as catheter associated and/or hospital acquired, according to the study. Use of catheter-associated code 996.64 by UMHS coders was compared with state and national averages.
In 80 cases, coders identified 20 secondary-diagnosed UTIs as hospital-acquired, compared with the 37 identified by the physician-abstractors. Similarly, code 996.64 was never used by UMHS coders, but was deemed appropriate in 36 cases by the physician-abstractor, who determined 28 were hospital acquired and eight present on patient admission.
Reasons for the discrepancy could be due to the fact that catheter use was only documented on nurses’ notes, which are not used by coders to assign discharge codes. Use of code 996.64 at UMHS were similar to state and national annual averages (around 1 percent), according to the study.
Researchers concluded by saying the use of catheter-associated codes and documentation of catheter-associated infections are “fraught with error,” which may affect CMS’s policy of not paying for hospital-acquired catheter-associated infections.
Read the study on hospital-acquired catheter-associated infections.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.