Article
Coding Corner: Type 1 MI, Type 2 MI, or Non-Ischemic Myocardial Injury
October 1, 2025
An 82-year-old female with a history of hypertension and stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) was admitted with fever, hypotension, and confusion. The workup revealed Escherichia coli bacteremia due...
Article
Coding Corner: Prolonged Services Billing
May 1, 2025
A 66-year-old man with a history of hypertension and stage 4 chronic kidney disease was admitted to the hospital for acute pulmonary embolism and started on a heparin drip. It is day two of his...
Article
Coding Corner: Come on In (Patient)!
December 2, 2024
A 38-year-old woman with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) is admitted to the emergency department-run observation unit at a local community hospital for a severe UTI and is...
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: 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
Secrets of Satisfied EHR Users
November 1, 2023
A report released earlier this year by KLAS Research identified more than 3,000 “highly satisfied” users of their hospital’s electronic health record (EHR), which has also been shown to be a...
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...