It’s kind of crazy right now, with the pandemic’s ups and downs, stores opening and closing, employment in certain sectors in the toilet while other sectors are booming, and unrest in some parts of the U.S. and the world. Yet there is a bright sun shining today. The birds are eating the grass seed my husband sowed last weekend, and a deer with her fawn are lying under the shade of one of our trees. For some, all is well!

Sometimes it feels like we’re in a lost world and just venturing outside for the first time. I had hoped to go to Bob Evans this weekend for some of their biscuits and gravy. Man, they are so goooood, but so baaaaad for my hips! But the restaurant side hasn’t been open for long, and I’m just not ready to take the chance. Does anyone else feel the same? Open it up for others, but don’t plan on seeing me at the door. I’m secure in my terrarium. How confusing can our lives be?

I recently had outpatient surgery and was so impressed with how compulsive everyone at the surgery center was about distancing, cleaning their hands, cleaning the rails on my bed each time I touched them, cleaning the notebook of my medical record, cleaning the rails on my bed again, cleaning the plastic bag they gave me for my clothing and then placing it under the bed AFTER they cleaned it, cleaning the blood pressure cuff that nearly cut off my arm…made me wonder what wasn’t cleaned before COVID-19. I have that same question about restaurants…what didn’t they do before COVID-19? 

I’m thinking we need to give the sanitizing manufacturers some ideas. I’m hoping that there will be purse- or travel-size Clorox or Lysol sanitizing wipes in little round plastic containers. Maybe they can sell the containers in decorative colors. And if the cap opens while in my purse, when I open my purse, it will release that wonderful clean fragrance. Imagine how helpful that will be if you have a cubicle mate that ate too much spicy food for lunch! 

For the parents out there, by now you may be thinking that the Surgeon General should stamp those babies on the way out with something like “hazardous to your health.” Hopefully, you can send your kids outside to play in this nicer weather. But with the kids spending more time in the backyard, the opportunity to catch poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac is calling. Be sure to have some rubbing alcohol, calamine lotion, non-prescription hydrocortisone cream, or an antihistamine on hand. Since finding rubbing alcohol is as difficult as finding toilet paper, some alternative options, other than something from your liquor cabinet, are cucumber slices, banana peels, apple cider vinegar, and baking soda. And please tell your kids not to do what I did when I was a kid. I ate poison oak and ended up being hospitalized!

Keep safe and healthy!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Rose T. Dunn, MBA, RHIA, CPA, FACHE, FHFMA, CHPS, AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer

Rose T. Dunn, MBA, RHIA, CPA, FACHE, FHFMA, CHPS, is a past president of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and recipient of AHIMA’s distinguished member and legacy awards. She is chief operating officer of First Class Solutions, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm based in St. Louis, Mo. First Class Solutions, Inc. assists healthcare organizations with operational challenges in HIM, physician office documentation and coding, and other revenue cycle functions.

Related Stories

Compliance as a Revenue Strategy

Compliance as a Revenue Strategy

Grab your pens, alert your billing teams, and cue up your electronic medical record (EMR) vendors, because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Read More

Leave a Reply

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

Featured Webcasts

The Cost of Ignoring Risk Adjustment: How HCCs Impact Revenue & Compliance

The Cost of Ignoring Risk Adjustment: How HCCs Impact Revenue & Compliance

Stop revenue leakage and boost hospital performance by mastering risk adjustment and HCCs. This essential webcast with expert Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, will reveal how inaccurate patient acuity documentation leads to lost reimbursements through penalties from poor quality scores. Learn the critical differences between HCCs and traditional CCs/MCCs, adapt your CDI workflows, and ensure accurate payments in Medicare Advantage and value-based care models. Perfect for HIM leaders, coders, and CDI professionals.  Don’t miss this chance to protect your hospital’s revenue and reputation!

May 29, 2025
I050825

Mastering ICD-10-CM Coding for Diabetes and it’s Complications: Avoiding Denials & Ensuring Compliance

Struggling with ICD-10-CM coding for diabetes and complications? This expert-led webcast clarifies complex combination codes, documentation gaps, and sequencing rules to reduce denials and ensure compliance. Dr. Angela Comfort will provide actionable strategies to accurately link diabetes to complications, improve provider documentation, and optimize reimbursement—helping coders, CDI specialists, and HIM leaders minimize audit risks and strengthen revenue integrity. Don’t miss this chance to master diabetes coding with real-world case studies, key takeaways, and live Q&A!

May 8, 2025
2025 Coding Clinic Webcast Series

2025 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic Update Webcast Series

Uncover critical guidance. HIM coding expert, Kay Piper, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, provides an interactive review on important information in each of the AHA’s 2025 ICD-10-CM/PCS Quarterly Coding Clinics in easy-to-access on-demand webcasts, available shortly after each official publication.

April 14, 2025

Trending News

Featured Webcasts

Medicare Advantage 2026: Navigating New Rules, Denial Protections & SDoH Shifts

Medicare Advantage 2026: Navigating New Rules, Denial Protections & SDoH Shifts

Stay ahead of Medicare Advantage’s 2025-2026 regulatory changes in this critical webcast featuring expert Tiffany Ferguson, LMSW, CMAC, ACM. Learn how new CMS rules limit MA plan denials, protect hospitals from retroactive claim reopenings, and modify Two-Midnight Rule enforcement—plus key insights on omitted SDoH mandates and heightened readmission scrutiny. Discover actionable strategies to safeguard revenue, ensure compliance, and adapt to evolving health equity priorities before the June 2025 deadline. Essential for hospitals, revenue cycle teams, and compliance professionals navigating MA’s shifting landscape.

May 28, 2025
Navigating the 3-Day & 1-Day Payment Window: Compliance, Billing, and Revenue Protection

Navigating the 3-Day & 1-Day Payment Window: Compliance, Billing, and Revenue Protection

Struggling with CMS’s 3-Day Payment Window? Join compliance expert Michael G. Calahan, PA, MBA, CCO, to master billing restrictions for pre-admission and inter-facility services. Learn how to avoid audit risks, optimize revenue cycle workflows, and ensure compliance across departments. Critical for C-suite leaders, providers, coders, revenue cycle teams, and compliance teams—this webcast delivers actionable strategies to protect reimbursements and meet federal regulations.

May 15, 2025
Audit-Proof Your Wound Care Procedures: Expert Insights on Compliance and Risk Mitigation

Audit-Proof Your Wound Care Procedures: Expert Insights on Compliance and Risk Mitigation

Providers face increasing Medicare audits when using skin substitute grafts, leaving many unprepared for claim denials and financial liabilities. Join veteran healthcare attorney Andrew B. Wachler, Esq., in this essential webcast and master the Medicare audit process, learn best practices for compliant billing and documentation, and mitigate fraud and abuse risks. With actionable insights and a live Q&A session, you’ll gain the tools to defend your practice and ensure compliance in this rapidly evolving landscape.

April 17, 2025
Utilization Review Essentials: What Every Professional Needs to Know About Medicare

Utilization Review Essentials: What Every Professional Needs to Know About Medicare

Dr. Ronald Hirsch dives into the basics of Medicare for clinicians to be successful as utilization review professionals. He’ll break down what Medicare does and doesn’t pay for, what services it provides and how hospitals get paid for providing those services – including both inpatient and outpatient. Learn how claims are prepared and how much patients must pay for their care. By attending our webcast, you will gain a new understanding of these issues and be better equipped to talk to patients, to their medical staff, and to their administrative team.

March 20, 2025

Trending News

Happy National Doctor’s Day! Learn how to get a complimentary webcast on ‘Decoding Social Admissions’ as a token of our heartfelt appreciation! Click here to learn more →

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