I'm sorry I mean to say the Abstractor said the patient did NOT have evidence 
of organ failure because CMS does not recognize AMS as organ dysfunction so 
they did not proceed with examining the case for compliance because it did not 
meet SEV-SEP criteria. They placed it in the Excluded column.

Thanks


Susan Cooke MSN RN NEA-BC
Sepsis Program Coordinator

University Medical Center New Orleans
2000 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

O 504.702.2924
F 504.702.2119

[email protected]@LCMChealth.org<mailto:[email protected]@LCMChealth.org>
umcno.org<https://www.umcno.org/>


From: Cooke, Susan
Sent: Wednesday, February 3, 2021 10:41 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: I need some clarification and would appreciate some input

Hi everybody,

I am going round and round with our Abstracting company related to a UTI sepsis 
case. Patient came to ED meeting SIRS criteria and a change in mental status 
which was reported as definitely improved after antibiotic administration. The 
Bundle elements were met. The coding was for Sepsis and UTI with a primary of 
Altered Mental Status. All were POA.  The Abstractors excluded the case because 
they say the patient did have evidence of organ dysfunction because CMS does 
not recognize Altered Mental Status as Organ dysfunction (but SCCM does).

  1.  Is this correct that the case should be excluded even though the patient 
clearly had sepsis. Improved with antibiotics and it was coded as such by the 
physician?
  2.  In my email to the Abstractor I had mentioned (because I'm somewhat new 
to this level of detail and didn't realize the altered mental status wasn't an 
organ dysfunction) that it was clearly stated in the Discharge Summary that the 
patient had Altered Mental Status that improved with Antibiotics and the source 
was a UTI. I was told that -Also,any documentation in the discharge summary is 
not to be used to determine the presence of severe sepsis/septic shock. Is this 
true? Isn't the entire chart a possible source for a sepsis diagnosis?



Any insight to this type of scenario would be so helpful!!




Thanks  so much.

Sue

Susan Cooke MSN RN NEA-BC
Sepsis Program Coordinator

University Medical Center New Orleans
2000 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

O 504.702.2924
F 504.702.2119

[email protected]@LCMChealth.org<mailto:[email protected]@LCMChealth.org>
umcno.org<https://www.umcno.org/>


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