In review of a clinic record, a CDI specialist notes the provider has directly copied and pasted a previous inpatient problem list into the current ambulatory visit note. Which of the following is the CDI specialist’s BEST course of action?
A.
Do not code conditions that were pasted from the problem list.
B.
Query the provider for each of the conditions on the problem list.
C.
Educate the provider regarding the concerns with copying and pasting this list.
D.
Assume the conditions are all relevant for this visit.
Copy-and-paste of an inpatient problem list into an outpatient note creates significant documentation integrity risks: outdated diagnoses may be carried forward, resolved conditions may appear active, and the note may not clearly show which problems were actually evaluated or managed during the current encounter. Outpatient CDI best practice is not to assume relevance (eliminating D) and not to reflexively query every listed diagnosis (B), which can be burdensome, non-targeted, and may lead to “query fatigue.” Likewise, blanket instruction to “not code” anything pasted (A) is not appropriate because some conditions may still be active and reportable if the provider documents assessment/management (e.g., monitoring, evaluation, addressing, or treatment). The most effective and sustainable action is provider education: explain why indiscriminate copy-forward threatens accuracy, compliance, medical necessity support, quality reporting, and risk adjustment validity; reinforce documenting current status and care provided for each active condition; and encourage updating the problem list and assessment to reflect what is truly addressed at the visit. Targeted queries can still be used when specific contradictions or high-impact ambiguities are identified.
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