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Pulmonology Coding Alert

Avoid Unnecessary Ire from CMS:

Don't Overuse VAP Diagnosis

Published on Fri Nov 20, 2009

While not yet a 'non-event,' CMS has its eye on VAP. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is in the undesirable category of hospital-acquired conditions -- but if CMS has its way, the need for making the diagnosis would occur much less frequently. CMS has tried to place VAP (997.31) into the "nonreimbursable event" category of hospital-acquired diseases and conditions that carriers will not pay for. This category includes events such as operating on the wrong limb, leaving equipment in the patient, etc., says Alan L. Plummer, MD, professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "So far this attempt has been blocked from happening by the pulmonary and critical care community ... but most feel that CMS will attempt to place VAP back on the list in the future." Given VAP's potentially negative ramifications, hospitals are wise to use VAP-preventive [...]
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