Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

How would an unplanned surgery cancellation due to pregnancy affect Susie Sunshine's RIW?

1. Higher than the typical RIW

2. Lower than the typical RIW

3. The same as the typical RIW

4. None of the above

The correct answer is: Lower than the typical RIW

An unplanned surgery cancellation due to pregnancy would likely result in a lower than typical Resource Intensity Weight (RIW) for Susie Sunshine. The RIW is a measure used to assess the resource consumption in relation to a patient's care and management. When a surgery is canceled, the expected use of resources associated with that procedure—such as surgical team hours, operating room usage, and postoperative care—does not occur. Consequently, the overall intensity of care in this scenario would decrease because the intervention that typically drives higher resource usage is no longer taking place. In this context, pregnancy-related complications could contribute to greater healthcare resource needs, but in cases where a surgery is canceled, the immediate impact is a reduction in those anticipated resource expenditures for that procedure. Thus, Susie's RIW would reflect this decrease, leading to a lower than the typical RIW for her situation.