A Look at Subject Matter Expert Laurie Johnson

For the last 30-plus years, MedLearn has earned and maintained a reputation for reliability in the mercurial and unpredictable world of coding and compliance. In our mission to cut Non-Patient Outcome Spending (NPOS), we’ve sought out the top experts in the medical coding realm. With each of our books and webcasts, you can be certain that we’ve connected you to the best minds in the field. With that said, we decided to highlight the authors and contributors of our books.

Our trusted Essentials for Clinical Documentation Integrity book has been updated annually for several years, and provides insight into the critical role that clinical documentation plays in getting paid correctly and improving patient outcomes. The book includes plentiful amounts of helpful information including instruction, updated tables, and case studies. Not only is it a consistent source of valuable information for CDI professionals, but it has also been used as a textbook to teach the subject to nurses, coding staff, and physicians.

Laurie Johnson
Laurie Johnson

Our subject matter expert Laurie Johnson, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA, AHIMA, is the senior healthcare consultant at Revenue Cycle Solutions. Her career in Health Information Management (HIM) spans 35 years. She’s a well-known speaker at HIM conferences and a regular contributor to our sister site ICD10Monitor and their weekly broadcast, Talk Ten Tuesdays.

The CDI book was first conceived by another coding professional, but Ms. Johnson took the reins and has ensured its quality since then. Speaking of the original author, Ms. Johnson commented, “She had the vision that guidance was needed for clinical documentation integrity professionals.”

Don’t let “essentials” in the title Essentials for Clinical Documentation Integrity lead you to think it’s not comprehensive; the book covers a whole lot of ground, as is necessary for as broad a subject as CDI. It’s a subject that changes all the time and requires frequent revision. Leading the rigorous updating process each year Ms. Johnson commented, “The topics that are included are based on experienced coders’ input to what are the most frequently missed CC/MCCs.”

Asked how CDI has changed in recent years, she says, “CDI began as coders asking questions of physicians to assign the correct codes. Next it morphed into finding CCs/MCCs. The next change was moving into the outpatient world. Now, a sophisticated CDI program focuses on provider education, quality issues, and documentation concerns.” MedLearn is dedicated to continue to provide up-to-date material as the medical world continues to evolve, and CDI will remain integral to that mission.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Jason Henninger

Jason Henninger is the managing editor of MedLearn Media. In nearly twenty years as a writer and editor, he has worked for Advance Local, the Los Angeles Times, Macmillan, and World Tribune Press.

Related Stories

United Health to Denial Claims Based on ICD-10

United Health to Denial Claims Based on ICD-10

UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Medicare Advantage will begin reinforcing denialsbased on its interpretation of the International Classification of Disease, 10 thEdition, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) Excludes 1.(https://www.uhcprovider.com/content/dam/provider/docs/public/policies/medadv-reimbursement/rpub/UHC-MEDADV-RPUB-JAN-2026.pdf) As

Read More

Leave a Reply

Please log in to your account to comment on this article.

Featured Webcasts

Mastering Principal Diagnosis: Coding Precision, Medical Necessity, and Quality Impact

Mastering Principal Diagnosis: Coding Precision, Medical Necessity, and Quality Impact

Accurately determining the principal diagnosis is critical for compliant billing, appropriate reimbursement, and valid quality reporting — yet it remains one of the most subjective and error-prone areas in inpatient coding. In this expert-led session, Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, demystifies the complexities of principal diagnosis assignment, bridging the gap between coding rules and clinical reality. Learn how to strengthen your organization’s coding accuracy, reduce denials, and ensure your documentation supports true medical necessity.

December 3, 2025

Proactive Denial Management: Data-Driven Strategies to Prevent Revenue Loss

Denials continue to delay reimbursement, increase administrative burden, and threaten financial stability across healthcare organizations. This essential webcast tackles the root causes—rising payer scrutiny, fragmented workflows, inconsistent documentation, and underused analytics—and offers proven, data-driven strategies to prevent and overturn denials. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen documentation and coding accuracy, engage clinicians effectively, and leverage predictive analytics and AI to identify risks before they impact revenue. Through real-world case examples and actionable guidance, this session empowers coding, CDI, and revenue cycle professionals to shift from reactive appeals to proactive denial prevention and revenue protection.

November 25, 2025
Sepsis: Bridging the Clinical Documentation and Coding Gap to Reduce Denials

Sepsis: Bridging the Clinical Documentation and Coding Gap to Reduce Denials

Sepsis remains one of the most frequently denied and contested diagnoses, creating costly revenue loss and compliance risks. In this webcast, Angela Comfort, DBA, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, provides practical, real-world strategies to align documentation with coding guidelines, reconcile Sepsis-2 and Sepsis-3 definitions, and apply compliant queries. You’ll learn how to identify and address documentation gaps, strengthen provider engagement, and defend diagnoses against payer scrutiny—equipping you to protect reimbursement, improve SOI/ROM capture, and reduce audit vulnerability in this high-risk area.

September 24, 2025

Trending News

Featured Webcasts

Top 10 Audit Targets for 2026-2027 for Hospitals & Physicians: Protect Your Revenue

Stay ahead of the 2026-2027 audit surge with “Top 10 Audit Targets for 2026-2027 for Hospitals & Physicians: Protect Your Revenue,” a high-impact webcast led by Michael Calahan, PA, MBA. This concise session gives hospitals and physicians clear insight into the most likely federal audit targets, such as E/M services, split/shared and critical care, observation and admissions, device credits, and Two-Midnight Rule changes, and shows how to tighten documentation, coding, and internal processes to reduce denials, recoupments, and penalties. Attendees walk away with practical best practices to protect revenue, strengthen compliance, and better prepare their teams for inevitable audits.

January 29, 2026

AI in Claims Auditing: Turning Compliance Risks into Defensible Systems

As AI reshapes healthcare compliance, the risk of biased outputs and opaque decision-making grows. This webcast, led by Frank Cohen, delivers a practical Four-Pillar Governance Framework—Transparency, Accountability, Fairness, and Explainability—to help you govern AI-driven claim auditing with confidence. Learn how to identify and mitigate bias, implement robust human oversight, and document defensible AI review processes that regulators and auditors will accept. Discover concrete remedies, from rotation protocols to uncertainty scoring, and actionable steps to evaluate vendors before contracts are signed. In a regulatory landscape that moves faster than ever, gain the tools to stay compliant, defend your processes, and reduce liability while maintaining operational effectiveness.

January 13, 2026
Surviving Federal Audits for Inpatient Rehab Facility Services

Surviving Federal Audits for Inpatient Rehab Facility Services

Federal auditors are zeroing in on Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) and hospital rehab unit services, with OIG and CERT audits leading to millions in penalties—often due to documentation and administrative errors, not quality of care. Join compliance expert Michael Calahan, PA, MBA, to learn the five clinical “pillars” of IRF-PPS admissions, key documentation requirements, and real-life case lessons to help protect your revenue.

November 13, 2025

Trending News

CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 1 with code CYBER25

CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24