The agency is putting in effort to better assist SDOH data capture in the revenue cycle.
In a push toward its broader goals of improving healthcare quality and reducing costs, CMS recently published an infographic illustrating methods to improve the way providers and revenue cycle staff collect social determinants of health (SDOH) data.
Revenue cycle leaders have begun placing more focus on capturing SDOH data to better predict healthcare utilization patterns and allocate resources more efficiently, potentially reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions, thus lowering healthcare costs. Keeping up with new guidance will ensure your teams are best collecting data on the back end.
This infographic plays into CMS’ recent focus on streamlining SDOH capture. The trend suggests CMS will be placing a heavier focus on future reimbursement for these services as well.
The infographic provides fundamental information on Z codes and how they align with SODH in a flow chart format, along with a list of new codes and their descriptions, including those recently added in August.
Z code categories Z55-Z65 are used to document SDOH data, like issues related to a patient's education and literacy, whether they have adequate housing and utilities. For children, the codes will enable providers to keep track of their custody and any domestic conflict within the home.
According to the infographic, documentation from social workers and case managers can be used if they're included in the patient's official medical record. SDOH data can be screened at each health care encounter to keep up with changes in a patient's status.
Jasmyne Ray is the revenue cycle editor at HealthLeaders.