A patient is admitted for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. The patient is on 3L of home oxygen and is treated during admission with 3L of oxygen. The most appropriate action is to

A patient is admitted for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. The patient is on 3L of home oxygen and is treated during admission with 3L of oxygen. The most appropriate action is to
A . query the provider to see if acute on chronic respiratory failure is supported by the health record
B . query the provider to see if chronic respiratory failure is supported by the health record
C . code the diagnoses of COPD exacerbation and chronic respiratory failure
D . query the provider to see if respiratory insufficiency is supported by the health record

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Answer: A

Explanation:

According to the AHIMA/ACDIS Query Practice Brief, one of the scenarios that warrants a query is when there is clinical evidence of a higher degree of specificity or severity1. In this case, the patient’s COPD exacerbation and oxygen therapy may indicate a higher level of respiratory impairment than chronic respiratory failure alone. Therefore, a query to the provider to see if acute on chronic respiratory failure is supported by the health record is appropriate and compliant. Acute on chronic respiratory failure is a more specific and severe diagnosis that may affect the patient’s severity of illness, risk of mortality, and reimbursement2. The other options are not correct because they either assume a diagnosis without querying the provider, or query for a less specific or severe diagnosis than what the clinical indicators suggest.

References:

Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice (2019 Update) – AHIMA

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