Problem: Due to increased patient volumes in the facility, the coding manager at Community Hospital is faced with an increased discharge not final bill (DNFB) rate. The management staff of the health information management department has brainstormed the following list of potential solutions to rectify this problem.
Potential Solutions - Pick one of the following
- Implement computer assisted coding (CAC)
- Send coders home to work remotely
- Implement flex time
- Perform a work imaging study to see how the coders are spending their time
- Hire a coding support person to handle the clerical activities
- Have all coders code only one patient type (i.e., inpatients, outpatients, emergency room, ancillary)
- Hire more coders
- Provide more coding training
- Change encoders
- Change the coding workflow
- Train coders to code more than one patient type
- Send all coders to a regional coding meeting
Using the potential solutions listed above; determine the appropriate categories for the brainstormed solutions. Next, create an affinity diagram using the categories and potential solutions.