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Sept. 11, 2020 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
There has been much focus on all of the manifestations of COVID-19, not only physically, but mentally on all of us. Like many of you, I have struggled with the […]
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Aug. 24, 2020 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Although our knowledge of COVID-19 is growing, there is a great deal that we still do not know about this disease and its full effects on the body, both acutely […]
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May 11, 2020 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I hope this blog finds you and your loved ones safe and well. One of the most frustrating aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is dealing with the unknown. Our understanding […]
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March 30, 2020 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Like many of you, I am bunkered down at home with my family. Normally I try to fill my blogs with a bit of humor but instead, like others, I […]
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March 4, 2020 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Music continues to be a theme in my life. I especially enjoy musical theater and one of my top 20 shows is Aida. A favorite song is “A Step Too […]
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Jan. 15, 2020 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
As I noted on my previous blog, the Hippocratic Oath has been in existence since anywhere from 200-500 AD and is still relevant today. I discussed how a proposed eCQM […]
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Dec. 16, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
The Hippocratic Oath has been in existence since anywhere from 200-500 AD. One translation (which has been modified in a version with which we are more familiar) states: “I will […]
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Nov. 4, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
As I noted in my previous blog on the changes to the IQR program, fall brings joy to some and sadness to others. With the fall comes changes to the […]
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Oct. 28, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
“A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” Ecclesiastes 3:4 Fall brings joy to some and sadness to others. I […]
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Oct. 7, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
As I mentioned in my previous blogs, the sign of the times in health care can often be reflected in the proposed (and confirmed) new electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs). […]
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Sept. 16, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
As I mentioned in my previous blog, the sign of the times in health care can often be reflected in the proposed (and confirmed) new electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs). […]
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Sept. 9, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I have to confess I am starting to show my age. When someone mentions sign of the times, I think of Petula Clark Sign of the times, not the Harry […]
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Aug. 21, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Iceland, the location of my daughter’s destination wedding (at the base of a waterfall!) What a marvelous country. Most surprising were the waterfalls […]
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March 20, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Happy spring everyone! One of my clients recently made the statement “We don’t know what we don’t know.” I wholeheartedly agree. If only all organizations and team members shared that […]
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Jan. 9, 2019 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Happy New Year everyone! I am terrible at New Year’s resolutions, but I did make one this year that I hope to stick to: I want to increase my intake […]
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Dec. 21, 2018 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Happy Holidays! Sorry this is not a Charles Dicken’s Christmas story, but it does reflect an equally powerful story: A Tale of Two Cities. This Dickens novel has a well-known […]
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Nov. 5, 2018 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN, Beth Wolf, MD
It is very easy to get aggravated with providers who do not appear to be engaged with CDI programs. But let’s hold on. Where should their focus be? Sorry, but […]
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Sept. 24, 2018 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I did NOT enjoy the disco years, but as I was thinking about this blog, a song lyric popped into my head: “How deep is your love…I really need to […]
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Sept. 5, 2018 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
It has been two years since AHIMA updated the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting with a statement about clinical validity. You would think with lessons learned plus time and […]
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July 27, 2018 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
As a rabid theater-goer, I love Sondheim. Note the quote below: “Bit by bit, putting it together… Piece by piece, only way to make a work of art. Every moment […]
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May 23, 2018 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
There is a lot of confusion among coders and CDI specialists about the status of PSI-90. I hope to clear up a little of the confusion in this blog post, […]
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March 28, 2018 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
As a child, I loved playing the game telephone. It was always hysterical to hear the message that the last person heard as compared to the message the originator sent. […]
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Feb. 26, 2018 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
HCCs are a “problem.” By that I mean no organization can ignore the impact of HCCs. No CDI specialist, HIM professional, quality specialist, provider or billing auditor can remain uneducated […]
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May 10, 2017 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Is your CDI program in a rut? Has your performance plateaued or even diminished? Maybe your program has a case of the “same-ole-itis,” otherwise known as “the way we have always done it” disease. In the words of the song from the musical Auntie Mame,* “Open a new window, open a new door!”
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March 6, 2017 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I have found that the best topics for my blog are those that I care most passionately about (see “Collaborating with Kindness” as an example). As I thought about this […]
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Feb. 3, 2017 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
As you all know, I am a fairly opinionated blogger. As a person who takes pride in what I do, I certainly can become easily defensive when someone challenges my […]
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Dec. 21, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
As usual I have a song in my head and this month is no different (rock ‘n’ roll tunes are so catchy)! As we are about to navigate through uncertain […]
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Nov. 14, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
So, this month I am taking a slight detour. Instead of continuing to dissect AHRQ version 6.0 changes, I would like to reflect on providers and quality. I promise to […]
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Oct. 12, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
So, that minor fender bender? When you take your car into the shop, sometimes there is much more damage under the fender than previously thought. Sometimes changes to the official […]
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Oct. 7, 2016 / By Sue Belley, RHIA, Cheryl Manchenton, RN, Donna Smith, RHIA
Cheryl: Hey fellow bloggers, have you heard what people are saying about the new ICD-10-CM coding guideline 19? Sue: I’ve heard a few things. . . Donna: There’s certainly a […]
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Sept. 19, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I have to give Sir Isaac Newton and his Third Law of Motion a nod: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Does this law apply to […]
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Aug. 24, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I had the pleasure of attending another couple of conferences lately where I heard some whispered statements such as “Did you hear about all the new codes? Who needs this […]
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July 11, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN, Donna Smith, RHIA
Cheryl: So Donna, I have been getting a lot of questions from clients about ICD-10-CM and PCS lately. I was in elementary school when the last code switch occurred. Can […]
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June 22, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I have been quite deficient in blog posts over the previous couple of months. This is partially due to the work involved in preparing my presentations for the recent 3M […]
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June 10, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
In my previous blog, I addressed concerns about the new Sepsis 3 definitions. In this blog (part 2), I will further flush out implications for specific quality metrics and also […]
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June 8, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
How do you know what you don’t know? That’s the conundrum of the new Sepsis 3 definitions and the impact on measurement of quality outcomes. As I am quite passionate […]
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March 14, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
So I typically have a tune stuck in my head and when thinking about my recent quality projects, the “song” that keeps popping up is to “get granular” (flashback to […]
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Jan. 29, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
I had the privilege of attending the HFMA Region 11 conference this week. Although there were many great seminars and speakers on healthcare topics, the best presentation was by Johnny […]
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Jan. 13, 2016 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Happy New Year to all! As we make (and break) many New Year’s resolutions this month, I’d like to talk about resolutions for quality. I appreciate the challenges and pressures […]
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Nov. 30, 2015 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Let me start by saying Happy Holidays to everyone. However, I am feeling a bit like Mr. Scrooge. I have heard from many clients lately regarding their struggles with obtaining […]
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Nov. 2, 2015 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Ever wonder how states (or CMS) set thresholds for readmission rates? Much has been said about and written on the subject, but there a few things I think are highly […]
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Oct. 12, 2015 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
We’ve all heard the phrase…”what you don’t know won’t hurt you.” That might be true in some settings, but in the world of documentation improvement this is definitely not the […]
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Sept. 4, 2015 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
WIFM (what’s in it for me) is a common question in health care. With too many patients and not enough hours in the day, compounded by requests for additional documentation […]
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Aug. 3, 2015 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
So there are PPCs and HACs, PPRs and PPAs, PSIs and VBP just to name a few. But please don’t forget or underestimate the importance of HCCs. Why should you […]
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July 6, 2015 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
When thinking of quality outcomes improvement, much focus is on the particular quality concern (such as a readmission, accidental laceration, etc.) and reducing the incidence through better practice, improved documentation […]
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May 13, 2015 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
Pardon the bad play on words, but “it was the best of hospitals, it was the worst of hospitals.” Within the past week I interacted with two healthcare organizations and […]
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Jan. 7, 2015 / By Cheryl Manchenton, RN
At the start of the New Year, I can’t help but reflect on how much patient care has changed in my 25+ years. Many things that were common practice back […]