Congratulations to this week’s winner, Scarlet Wheeler, CCA, clinical documentation improvement specialist at Shands Stake Regional Medical Center, in Starke, Fla. Scarlet correctly answered this question (even though the correct answer was inadvertently omitted from the choices).
What is the correct ICD-9-CM code for acute gastric ulcer with perforation but without mention of obstruction?
Here’s a little bit about Scarlet:
What are your current job responsibilities?
My current position at Shands Starke Regional Medical Center is clinical documentation improvement (CDI) specialist. I code all observation and inpatient charts concurrently, and query the physicians accordingly for more specific diagnosis to improve reimbursement. I also review charts for Joint Commission for quality.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in health information management?
I started out as a clerk in Health Information Management. I soon realized that I absolutely loved this department. I had a close friend who was an inpatient coder, and I would always find myself asking her questions about coding. After working in the department as a clerk for approximately a year, I ventured into the coding program through AHIMA. After receiving my coding license, I was given the amazing opportunity to become the CDI specialist for our hospital.
What do you like most about your job?
What I love about my job most is the constant learning opportunities. Every morning we have a meeting with the physicians and supporting staff to discuss each patient, and decide the patient’s current course of care. During this meeting I’m like a sponge, soaking up every bit of valuable information I can from the knowledgeable physicians and nurses that attend these meetings.
What is your favorite area of coding?
My favorite area of coding is mental, behavioral and neurodevelopment Disorders.
What is your least favorite area of coding?
My least favorite area of coding is obstetrics only because if your toe hurts when your pregnant, the reason your toe hurts is because your pregnant (LOL).
What are some of your hobbies?
Some of my hobbies include spending quality time with my family, couponing, going to yard sales, and baking.
Do you have a personal motto that you live by?
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away” - Unknown