![]() ![]() The character limitations are imposed by the various patient accounting systems (PAS) in use. These are text descriptions that identify the item or service being charged, and they're usually compressed to 26 to 36 characters in length. Things like a chest x-ray, a drug like Zofran, or a device, such as a pacemaker. ![]() This is a unique code that identifies a specific charge for a specific device, service, or drug. Department numbers are hospital-specific and not nationally standardized. The department number reflects the department from which the service, drug, or product was supplied to the patient. Refer to the figure below for some examples, and we’ll go column by column and discuss each data field. The data in the CDM describes the nature and price of services provided. This will help us better understand how it works. We’ll pick that train of thought up in more detail later, but first, let’s go over some of the data that the chargemaster manages. Hopefully it’s already becoming clear why the chargemaster is so important to the hospital’s financial health. The opposite is also true, any service that’s not represented in the CDM can’t be charged for, and won’t result in a charge. The data is used to charge accurately for those services or products in accord with regulations and payor requirements. Procedures and services provided by hospital personnel and supported by hospital facilitiesĮvery clinical department that provides a service or product to a patient will have representation in the CDM. ![]() Broadly speaking, the chargemaster includes charge data about: The chargemaster will have a record for everything in the health system that relates to patient care. The chargemaster, or charge description master (CDM), is a database that contains a comprehensive listing of items that could produce a charge. Bookmark this page for future reference and to provide to new hires as they are onboarding. We put this resource together to help you provide an overview for these folks, covering the hospital chargemaster – aka charge description master, CDM - or EAP if you use Epic. We know that hospitals are continually adding new people to their teams, and some may have limited experience in healthcare revenue cycle.
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