This study compares documentation and reimbursement rates before and after provider education in nutritional status documentation. Our study aimed to evaluate accurate documentation of nutrition status between registered dietitian nutritionists and licensed independent practitioners before and after the implementation of a dietitian-led Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam intervention at an academic medical center in the southeastern US. ICD-10 codes identified patients from 10/1/2016-1/31/2018 with malnutrition. The percentage of patients with an appropriate diagnosis of malnutrition and reimbursement outcomes attributed to malnutrition documentation were calculated up to 24 months post-intervention. 528 patients were analyzed. Pre-intervention, 8.64% of patients had accurate documentation compared to 46.3% post-intervention. Post-intervention, 68 encounters coded for malnutrition resulted in an estimated $571,281 of additional reimbursement, sustained at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. A multidisciplinary intervention improved physician documentation accuracy of malnutrition status and increased reimbursement rates.

BackgroundPatients who are critically ill may receive suboptimal nutrition that leads to weight loss and increased risk of functional deficits.MethodsOur overarching hypothesis is that nutrition in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the early recovery phase associates with functional outcomes at short‐term follow‐up. We enrolled adult patients who attended the University of Kentucky ICU recovery clinic (ICU‐RC) from November 2021 to June 2022. Patients participated in muscle and functional assessments. Nutrition intake and status during the ICU stay were analyzed. The Subjective Global Assessment and a nutrition questionnaire were used to identify changes in intake, ongoing gastrointestinal symptoms, and patient's access to food at the ICU‐RC appointment.ResultsForty‐one patients enrolled with a median hospital length of stay (LOS) of 23 days. Patients with 0 days of nil per os (NPO) status throughout hospitalization had a shorter LOS (P = 0.05), were able to complete the five times sit‐to‐stand test (P = 0.02), and were less likely to experience ICU‐acquired weakness (P = 0.04) at short‐term follow‐up compared with patients with ≥1 day of NPO status. Twenty (48%) patients reported changes in nutrition intake in early recovery compared with before hospitalization. Eight (20%) patients reported symptoms leading to decreased intake and four (10%) reported access to food as a barrier to intake.ConclusionBarriers to nutrition exist during critical illness and persist after discharge, with almost half of patients reporting a change in intake. Inpatient nutrition intake is associated with functional outcomes and warrants further exploration.

No abstract