For our coding, it's important to categorize certain comorbidities the patients have very specifically, because quite simply, it allows us to get paid more and for the patient to get more time in the hospital. For example, if a patient has congestive heart failure, we have to specify if it is systolic or diastolic.
One problem that many of our patients have is dysphagia. If I write down that a patient has dysphagia, I receive a letter asking me to categorize it, and gives me some options; for example, oral or pharyngeal.
When they showed us the form, one of the options for dysphagia was spideropenic. We were all looking at the form, trying to guess what this word meant. Our best guess was that the patient didn't have enough spiders in order to swallow properly.
Or too many spiders on his penis?
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna assume you all in fact knew it was a typo for sideropenic but just thought the spider idea was hilarious. Which it is.
ReplyDeleteYes, we did.
DeleteTry Plummer Vinson syndrome. I have 2 out of the 3. Sad isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWow, I finally get an invite in the mail and it's to a Measles party!
ReplyDeleteWhat's this? RSVP....BYOM?!
-Paul
The spiders in their throat are making too many webs and the food is getting caught up in them obviously. More spiders would just make the problem worse unless they were jumping spiders and ate the web spinning spiders. Unfortunately, swallowing jumping spiders for the condition would likely lead to more serious problems requiring the ingestion of a bird, a cat, a dog, a goat, a cow, and a horse. After which the patient would die, of course.
ReplyDelete