HCC Blog by Caridad

Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock: Management Bundle (Composite Measure) Severe Sepsis Present Data Element Version 5.14a Questions and Answers Effective for July 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023 "Participants will be able to understand and interpret the guidance in Version 5.14a, effective for July 1, 2023, through December31, 2023 discharges, of the specifications manual, specific to the Severe Sepsis Present data element, to ensure successful reporting for the SEP-1 measure for the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program." A few highlights from the document include: To establish the presence of severe sepsis by clinical criteria , all three clinical criteria (a, b, and c) must be met within six hours of each other. The three clinical criteria do not need to be documented in any particular order.  a. Documentation of an infection  b. Two or more manifestations of systemic infection according to the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria  c. Organ dy...

The Medicare Program Integrity Manual contains the guidance around signature requirements.  They are  found in chapter 3. 3.3.2.4 - Signature Requirements  This material was also covered in the Part AB November 2025 webinar by Noridian entitled: Signature Requirements Disclaimer: This guidance is to be used for an easy reference; the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM code books and the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting are the authoritative references for accurate and complete coding. This blog may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other policy materials. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations.  The information presented herein is for general informational purposes only and is accurate as of the date of publication.

In ICD-10-CM code book, osteomyelitis, M86, is subdivided into these body areas:       shoulder      humerus      radius and ulna      hand      femur      tibia and fibula      ankle and foot      multiple sites then each is further subdivided by:   acuity (acute, subacute or chronic)  and  laterality (left or right) Use additional code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent and any major osseous defect, if applicable (M89.7-) Disclaimer: This guidance is to be used for an easy reference; the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM code books and the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting are the authoritative references for accurate and complete coding. This blog may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other policy materials. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations.  The information presented h...