The fifth most common type of health-associated infections is urinary tract infection.
What seems to present itself as an easily identified query opportunity can lead to an unnecessary Hospital-Acquired Condition, commonly known as HAC 06: catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). The fifth most common type of health-associated infections is urinary tract infection. Knowing how to identify a CAUTI and recognize the clinical criteria for the type of urinary tract infection is imperative before a query is crafted.
The first step in identifying a CAUTI is knowing the definitions. This includes the type of urinary tract infection connected to a CAUTI.
What is a catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI)? National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) defines it as a UTI where an indwelling urinary catheter was in place for more than two consecutive days in an inpatient location on the date of the event, with a day of device placement being counted as the first day and the indwelling urinary catheter was in place the date of the event or the day before.
Are all catheters considered indwelling urinary catheters? NHSN states an indwelling catheter is a drainage tube that is inserted into the urinary bladder through the urethra, is left in place, and is connected to a drainage bag (including leg bags), also known as Foley catheters.
What is not considered an indwelling catheter: Condom or straight in-and-out catheters are not included nor are nephrostomy tubes, ileoconduits, or suprapubic catheters unless an indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) is also present.
What is the type of urinary tract infection that meets CAUTI criteria? A symptomatic UTI. What is a symptomatic UTI? One where at least one of these signs/symptoms are present:
Urine culture has no more than two species of organisms identified, at least one of which is a bacterium of >105 CFU/ml.
Clarification that a UTI is due to an indwelling catheter is a common query practice. It’s so common that we must be able to identify the definitions of a CAUTI before presenting a query to a provider. Don’t get CAUT querying without knowing the ins and outs.
Reference:
https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/pscmanual/pcsmanual_current.pdf
In 2024, a wave of new CPT® code changes swept charge masters, delivered by the American Medical Association (AMA), officially effective at the start of
Have you or your coders ever gotten lost in the intricacies of coding for endoleaks in interventional radiology? Endoleaks, which occur post-graft placement to seal
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Subscribe to receive our News, Insights, and Compliance Question of the Week articles delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to receive our News, Insights, and Compliance Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox.
Address: 5874 Blackshire Path, #13, Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076
Phone: (800) 252-1578
Email: support@medlearnmedia.com
Hours: 9am – 5pm CT
Copyright © 2024 MedLearn Publishing. Powered by MedLearn Media.
Happy World Health Day! Our exclusive webcast, ‘2024 SDoH Update: Navigating Coding and Screening Assessment,’ is just $99 for a limited time! Use code WorldHealth24 at checkout.
