• Article

    Coding Corner: Spoonful of Sugar

    October 1, 2024

    A 46-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring intensification of her inhaler regimen, initiation of corticosteroids,...

  • Article

    Coding Corner: Documenting Sepsis Accurately

    September 3, 2024

    A 64-year-old female is admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and started on IV antibiotics. You see her after she has been admitted and start some IV fluids for presumed sepsis. On day two, the...

  • Article

    Coding Corner: Breathless and Bleeding

    August 1, 2024

    A 62-year-old man is admitted to the hospital with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring intensification of his inhaler regimen, initiation of IV corticosteroids,...

  • Article

    Billing for a Critically Ill Patient

    July 1, 2024

    A 64-year-old woman with a history of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia one day ago and is being started on intravenous (IV)...

  • Article

    Coding Corner: Billing by Time

    June 3, 2024

    A 66-year-old man with a history of hypertension was admitted to the hospital with chest pain and shortness of breath. He was found to have an acute pulmonary embolism on CT pulmonary angiography...

  • Article

    Coding Corner: Dazed and Confused

    May 1, 2024

    An 84-year-old woman with a history of dementia was admitted for worsening confusion over the last two days. Her initial workup in the emergency department is unremarkable including a normal...

  • Article

    Coding Corner: A Critical Opportunity

    April 1, 2024

    A 17-year-old with a history of major depressive disorder who is new to the hospitalist service is being transferred out of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) after an intentional Benadryl...

  • Article

    Coding Corner: Billing for Straightforward Pneumonia in a Hospitalized Patient

    January 2, 2024

    A 64-year-old woman with a history of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) was admitted to the hospital with decompensated heart failure one day ago. On day two, the patient is still...

  • Article

    Coding Corner: HF and Physician Underbilling—Two Common Conditions

    October 2, 2023

    Coding Corner, a new section that will appear periodically in The Hospitalist, features common coding and/or billing issues hospitalists regularly face. If you have suggestions for upcoming coding...