Medical Coding with Artificial Intelligence: The New Frontier of Medical Coding

Artificial intelligence has solved countless human challenges – and medical coding might be next.
As organizations prepare for ICD-11, medical coding is about to become more complicated. Healthcare organizations in the United States already manage 140,000+ codes in ICD-10. With ICD-11, that number will rise.
Some propose artificial intelligence as a solution. AI could aid computer-based medical coding systems, identifying errors, enhancing patient care, and optimizing revenue cycles, among other benefits.
Today, we’re highlighting some of the ways in which artificial intelligence could change medical coding in the future.

How Artificial Intelligence Could Smooth the Launch of ICD-11

It’s impossible for humans to memorize the 140,000+ codes in ICD-10. With ICD-11, we’ll see more codes, making things even more complicated.
The coding of medical diagnosis and treatment has never been easy. In fact, it’s one area where many organizations struggle. Poor coding can lead to missed revenue opportunities. It can impact patient safety, increase insurance denials, and harm reputation.
Could artificial intelligence solve these problems? According to a report from Forbes, medical coding with artificial intelligence is closer than you think – and AI is already solving medical coding challenges for organizations around the world.

First, it helps to understand what ICD-11 is and why it’s important.
International medical organizations currently use the ICD-10 medical coding standard. It’s the tenth version of the International Classification of Disease codes. ICD-10 was created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has 10,000+ codes available for diagnosis and treatment.
The next version of ICD has already been approved for implementation. WHO member states voted to implement ICD-11 in May 2019, and implementation will begin in WHO member states – including the United States – in January 2022.
ICD-11 is a significant change from ICD-10. It contains four times more diagnostic codes: instead of the 10,000+ codes in ICD-10, healthcare organizations will have 55,000 diagnostic codes from which to choose.
In America, medical coding is even more complicated. There is an enhanced version of ICD-10 specific to the United States. This version has over 140,000 classification codes, including roughly 70,000 codes for diagnosis and 70,000 codes for treatment. It’s possible the American version of ICD-11 could have several times that number.

Could Artificial Intelligence Help?

It’s already impossible for a human being to memorize the 140,000 codes in America’s ICD-10 medical coding system. In fact, it’s impossible for someone to memorize the 10,000 codes in the international version of ICD-10.
That’s why medical coders rely on code books. They thumb through a book or scan a database of codes to find the most appropriate code for the services performed.
Complicating things further is the fact that the same medical service can qualify for multiple codes. Depending on interpretation, there may be multiple ways to code a service.
Some suggest using artificial intelligence to help. As AI becomes smarter and more powerful, many healthcare organizations are turning to artificial intelligence.
Over the past 20 years, healthcare organizations have increasingly adopted computer-assisted coding systems. These systems recommend codes and identify coding errors.
By enhancing these systems with artificial intelligence, organizations can optimize revenue cycle management, avoid coding errors, and enhance patient care.
Artificial intelligence could:
• Identify inconsistent code usage within an organization
• Spot coding errors
• Identify the use of a rare or unique code
• Automatically recommend codes based on the services performed
• Provide actionable data on code usage, patient activity, and medical services performed
• Track codes within a patient’s history to avoid manual code entry with every visit
Overall, artificial intelligence could perform a role similar to contract medical coding specialists, helping healthcare organizations identify missed opportunities.

How Contract Medical Coding Specialists Help

Artificial intelligence will aid medical coding in the future. Today, however, healthcare organizations rely on medical coding specialists to help.
Contract medical coding specialists can implement better systems for inpatient, outpatient, same-day surgeries, ancillary departments, and physician E/M.
Unfortunately, not all medical coding services are alike. Some medical coding specialists have just a few months of training. Others have years or decades of experience.
By hiring the right medical coding specialist, healthcare organizations can optimize revenue cycle management, avoid coding issues, and enhance patient care.

Final Word: Hire a Medical Contract Coding Specialist Today

Like it or not, medical coding is becoming increasingly complex. With the launch of ICD-11, things could become more complex in the near future.
To help your organization prepare for future medical coding challenges, contact our medical coding specialists at HMI, LLC today. With decades of experience optimizing medical coding, HMI, LLC helps healthcare organizations capture missed revenue opportunities and avoid coding errors.

How Small, Rural Hospitals Can Benefit from Revenue Cycle Management Consulting

When some think of revenue cycle management, they think of larger healthcare organizations with complex needs. But healthcare organizations of any size can benefit from revenue cycle assessments.
Yes, smaller hospitals can benefit from revenue cycle assessments and healthcare consulting. In fact, these assessments could have a greater proportional impact on smaller, rural hospitals.
Rural hospitals need the help. In 2016, 41% of rural hospitals in the United States operated with negative margins. As populations age, this problem is getting worse – not better.
Today, we’re highlighting some of the ways that small, rural hospitals can benefit from a revenue cycle assessment.

Understand the Unique Challenges Facing Smaller, Rural Hospitals

The first and most important step is to understand the unique challenges smaller hospitals face. Smaller, rural hospitals face challenges that don’t exist with larger hospitals in big cities:
• 20% of the US population lives in rural regions, yet only 10% of physicians practice in rural regions, leading to a consistent physician shortage for smaller, rural hospitals
• Nearly half of all rural hospitals in the United States operate with negative margins
• Rural hospitals deal with different, more challenging patient demographics than larger hospitals in metro areas; rural areas tend to have older populations and higher rates of unemployment, creating problems for smaller hospitals seeking to optimize revenue cycles
• Hospitals in rural areas deal with more challenging patients than hospitals in urban areas; there are more patients over 65, higher rates of childhood poverty and premature death, and increased childhood mortality rates, among many other issues
Smaller, rural hospitals cannot change these factors: they’re inescapable parts of rural life in many parts of the United States. Instead of complaining about these challenges, good rural hospitals have learned to surmount these challenges by optimizing revenue cycles.

Get Creative When Attracting Physicians

Smaller, rural hospitals may already be operating with negative margins, making it harder for them to attract physicians. Typically, organizations that struggle to attract physicians can increase pay or other benefits. With smaller, rural hospitals, that may not be an option.
Instead, organizations seek other solutions.
Many rural hospitals implement team-based care models that depend on advanced practice clinicians, for example.
One 2016 study by the American Academy of Physicians Assistants found hospitals that used a higher physician assistant-to-physician ratio reduced care costs more than other teams in the same hospital using a traditional staffing model. These care teams had 3.5% lower costs, for example.
A separate study found that team-based care improved overall organization productivity. A recent MGMA survey, for example, found that implementing physician assistants into patient care led to a 34% boost in productivity compared to similar organizations.
While physicians may be the cornerstone of patient care, many rural hospitals are achieving success by switching to a team-based care model.

Get the Best ROI from Health IT Investments

Rural hospitals also face challenges on the IT side. While larger hospitals have the resources for full-featured IT departments, smaller hospitals do not. This can create technology headaches for patients and staff. It could impact patient data and organizational security.
2016 MGMA report found that a typical health IT implementation costs up to $32,500 per physician. That’s a 40% increase in costs over the last five years. That’s a challenging cost for rural hospitals to cover.
Some rural hospitals take a different approach, using paper-based systems even in 2020 andbeyond. These clunky systems reduce productivity and reduce patient security, among countless other downsides.
Thanks to technology, there’s a viable alternative: cloud-based systems. Cloud-based health IT systems allow rural hospitals to access the power of a full IT department without hiring a full IT department. They can use cloud-based health IT systems to boost productivity and enhance patient care – all at a comparable cost to what their larger, more metropolitan competitors are paying.
A good healthcare consultant can analyze organizational needs, then recommend and implement the best health IT system.

Reduce Uncompensated Care

Rural areas tend to have higher poverty rates than suburban areas. They also tend to have more adults 65 and older. That means more Medicaid and Medicare claims for rural healthcare providers.
Uncompensated care continues to be an issue for rural healthcare providers. One study found that 6% of rural hospital budgets go towards uncompensated ‘charity’ care, while urban hospitals pay just 5.1% towards uncompensated care. It’s a disproportionate burden for rural hospitals to bear.
Patients are expected to cover the cost of care out of pocket. However, patients in rural areas tend to have higher rates of poverty and unemployment. Even when patients owe money to the healthcare provider, the provider may never get it. Hospitals may setup extended payment plans, only to leave themselves with bad debt.
Healthcare consultants can implement payment systems that enhance a patient’s likelihood to pay, making it easier for rural hospitals to capture lost revenue. Many rural hospitals have achieved success with value-based reimbursement, for example.

Other Revenue Cycle Management Tips for Rural Hospitals

Rural hospitals seeking to compete with larger competitors should implement the following strategies, according to the National Rural Health Resource Center:
• Expand primary care services and hours
• Build a larger primary care network by aligning primary care physicians with other providers, fostering relationships between departments and staff, and creating affiliations with neighboring healthcare organizations, among other partnership opportunities
• Boost market care quality and patient satisfaction scores to get a competitive edge
• Invest in facilities and health IT
• Maximize fee-for-service revenue by building on existing services and customer loyalty (like marketing services to local providers for referrals).

Final Word

Rural hospitals face many unique revenue cycle management challenges. Unfortunately, much of the revenue cycle optimization guidance published today is catered towards larger organizations – not smaller providers.
Fortunately, a healthcare consultant can help. A good healthcare consulting team can analyze an organization’s needs, then recommend actionable solutions.
Even small changes are magnified at rural hospitals. That means minor improvements can lead to proportionally significant results. Optimizing a single medical coding system can have noticeable impacts on the bottom line.
For all of these reasons and more, consider hiring a revenue cycle management consultant for your smaller, rural hospital. Contact HMI, LLC today to get started.

Single Department or New Service Chargemaster CDM Audit

Our consultant specialists will review and cdm audit single department or new service cdm line items for accuracy of the CPT©/HCPCS, UB revenue code, and modifier assignment for compliance with federal and MAC/FI rules and regulations, price comparison vs. allowable reimbursement levels, and review descriptions for meeting hospital’s internal standards. Line items will be noted for addition, modification, deletion, and/or allowable reimbursement levels. HMI perform new service/single department cdm review and Chargemaster Review Update. We can check your line items for accuracy and get your company the total reimbursement due in Nashville.

Comprehensive Chargemaster CDM Review Update

Our Comprehensive Charge Description Master CDM Review update includes analysis of inpatient and outpatient charges and all clinic charges maintained in the CDM and impacted by CMS PPS. HMI will review all CDM line items for accuracy of the CPT®/HCPCS, UB revenue code, and modifier assignment for compliance with federal and MAC/FI rules and regulations, price comparison vs allowable reimbursement levels and descriptions for meeting hospital’s internal standards. HMI will identify all line items for addition, modification, and deactivation, as well as price comparison vs. allowable reimbursement levels. Concurrently, we will provide a coding and billing helpline by phone, fax, or email for the term of the contract. With HMI’s leading Hospital Chargemaster Review , Compliance Review and Audit Services and strategic pricing solutions, you can optimize charges and model the net revenue impact to maintain the bottom line.

Medical Coding Audit Services

Our medical coding auditor specialists will validate the CPT©/HCPCS and ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding assignment for outpatient services. The medical record documentation is reviewed against the hospital final billed claim to confirm reporting accuracy. The audit will include an assessment of documentation quality for supporting medical necessity. Supporting medical record documentation including the physician order, physician progress notes, results for diagnostic tests/studies, and/or procedural documentation is reviewed for completeness. HMI is the best Medical Coding Auditing Companies and Medical Coding Services Companies, Performs Outpatient Medical Coding Reviews and Medical Coding Audit Services. Medical Coding Auditor Performs the Auditing for Clinical, Physician, Inpatient and Outpatient.

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Medical Coding Reviews

Our medical coding reviews specialists will validate the ICD-10-CM code sequencing of the principal diagnosis and the secondary diagnoses and ICD-10-PCS codes  for the assignment of the MS-DRG. A thorough review of the medical record documentation against the hospital final billed claim will confirm reporting accuracy. This reviews also addresses validating the coder assigned present on admission (POA) indicators and discharge status (disposition). HMI Performs Clinical Medical Coding Reviews, Physician Coding Reviews, Outpatient and Inpatient Medical Coding Reviews, Inpatient Medical Coder Companies and  Medical Coding Services Companies.

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The Importance of Hiring a Licensed Medical Contract Coder

The American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC) is America’s largest medical coding training and credentialing organization for healthcare contract coders.
Today, we’re explaining the importance of hiring a licensed medical contract coder for your organization.

 

Affordable Coding Without Compromising on Quality

Sometimes, outsourcing a job to a remote worker leads to issues with quality or security.
Medical organizations, of course, cannot afford to compromise on quality or security.

That’s why good licensing is crucial. Good licensing ensures your outsourced medical contract coders meet a certain minimum set of requirements for quality and security.

At the same time, these outsourced specialists cost significantly less than in-house employees. Your organization is saving money with no discernable drop-off in quality. That’s a net win for any organization.

 

Multiple Licensing Specializations Are Available

Some licensing requirements are too broad to be genuinely effective. The AAPC, however, provides multiple types of certification to address multiple aspects of the healthcare industry.

Types of AAPC certification available today include:

· Medical coding certification

· Medical billing certification

· Medical auditing certification

· Medical documentation

· Medical compliance certification

· Practice manager certification

· Specialty medical coding certification

Healthcare has become increasingly complex. Specialized AAPC certifications help licensed medical contract coders stay on top of the latest changes.

Instead of hiring a generalist to do a specialized job, it’s now easier than ever to hire a specialist to perform a specialized job.

 

Demand for Medical Coders is Rising, and Licensing is More Important Than Ever

Medical coding is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States. Job growth for medical records and health information technicians, which includes medical coders, is projected to grow 13% by 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. That’s significantly higher than the average growth rate among all other applications.

Of course, this high growth rate is a double-edged sword.

The high projected growth rate for medical coders will force organizations to compete for high-end medical contract coding talent. As demand rises, there could be an influx of inexperienced, unlicensed medical coders into the marketplace. Organizations desperate for medical coders may take a risk by hiring unlicensed coders – only to face serious consequences in the future.

 

Improved HIPAA Compliancy

Medical contract coders may work for your organization remotely, but they still have to abide by HIPAA requirements.

When you hire an unlicensed medical contract coder, you’re increasing the possibility of a HIPAA violation. Most licensing courses, including AAPC licensing courses, cover HIPAA in-depth to ensure licensed medical contract coders remain compliant.

 

Ongoing Education is Required

As with many licensing organizations, the AAPC offers ongoing licensing opportunities to help medical coders stay relevant.

The organization allows medical coders to subscribe to lectures throughout the year, for example, and access ongoing continuing education courses.

 

Certified Coders Are Simply Better at Their Jobs

Put simply, a certified medical coder is a more efficient medical coder. Certified and licensed coders can ensure:

· Coding accuracy and specificity that translates to more efficient processes at every stage of the organization

· Ongoing internal audits to identify high-risk areas and areas of improvement

· Compliancy and security from top to bottom

 

Other Things to Know About Licensed Medical Contract Coders

Other things employers need to know about licensed medical contract coders include:

 

Understanding Different Medical Coding Licensing Systems

When searching for a licensed coder, look for the following designations:

CCS-P: Certified Coding Specialist – Physician Based

CCP: Certified Professional Coder

COC: Certified Outpatient Coder

CRC: Certified Risk Adjustment Coder

CPPM: Certified Physician Practice Manager

CPCO: Certified Professional Compliance Officer

CDEO: Certified Documentation Expert – Outpatient

CPMA: Certified Professional Medical Auditor

 

The AAPC is the World’s Largest Medical Contract Coding Credentialing Organization

In some industries, there are multiple licensing organizations and it can create confusion among employers. Fortunately, medical coding has one clear licensing organization: the AAPC.

The AAPC is the world’s largest training and credentialing organization for the business of healthcare. It has more than 190,000 members worldwide.

The next time you need to hire a medical contract coder, make sure the coder is licensed by the AAPC. Otherwise, you’re exposing your organization to significant risk – and missing out on all the benefits listed above.

 

HMI Corp is a Leading Licensed Medical Contract Coding Specialist

At HMI Corp, every coder must be credentialed as one of the following: RHIA, RHIT, CCS, or COC.

Because of our credentialing requirements – and for many other reasons – our medical coding specialists are qualified to assist clients quickly and efficiently in a variety of settings. Our team has a proven ability to identify and solve complex medical coding issues.

Our medical coding services specialists are experienced in the use of TruCode, Meditech, VISTA, 3M, McKesson, Cerner, Epic, and CHCS/CHCSII. Contact HMI Corp today to discover how our licensed medical contract coders can optimize your healthcare organization.

7 Advantages of Hiring a Case Management Service Provider

A good case management service providers in Healthcare, optimizes multiple aspects of your operation. Today, we’re highlighting some of the most important advantages of hiring a case management service provider in Healthcare.

 

Improved Processes at Every Stage

The first and most important benefit of a case management service is that it improves processes at every stage of your operations.
A well-designed case management system implemented by a knowledgeable team is a guaranteed way to improve internal processes.
Customizable dashboards, for example, allow an organization to create a system that works for its unique needs. Instead of shoe-horning an outdated solution into your organization, a well-designed case management dashboard can improve organizational efficiency significantly.
Many organizations use customizable dashboard to highlight items that need immediate attention, for example, and keep patients flowing at an optimal rate.

 

Meaningful and Efficient Information Organization

Good case management services present all relevant information in a coherent way. Patient information from multiple specialists, healthcare systems, and organizations can be presented within one convenient dashboard.
When employees have all of the information available within a single case file, it allows them to work efficiently on every patient while equipped with the knowledge they need.
You wouldn’t want a carpenter to build a house using a half-empty toolbox. So why would a healthcare provider work on a patient without having all available information?
Instead of having to search through a database or find a paper document, employees can view information at-a-glance from an efficient, all-in-one dashboard. Better information management leads to smarter, more confident, and more accurate decision making.

 

Improved Chargemaster Services

The hospital chargemaster is the heart of an organization’s revenue cycle. A good chargemaster service keeps that heart pumping smoothly.
Improved chargemaster services and case management services make every aspect of an organization more efficient.
A good chargemaster service contains a complete list of prices for every procedure along with the service, supply, prescription drugs, diagnostic tests, fees, room charges, and more. This list must be up-to-date with the organization’s in-house standards, but it must also be compliant with the latest medical billing and coding lists – including coding lists from the American Medical Association (AMA) and other organizations.
Failure to maintain an accurate, up-to-date list of codes and prices for services rendered means organizations are letting revenue escape.
With improved case management comes improved chargemaster services, and that means a more effective revenue stream for your organization.

 

Better Compliance and Reduced Risk of Errors

Manual processes increase the risk of compliance errors. Running a medical organization is already complex. Manual processes exacerbate this complexity.
Good case management services take significant manual labor out of the hands of employees, reducing the risk of compliance lapses. Thanks to effective case management, organizations are giving themselves the best possible opportunity to remain compliant.

 

Effective Code Review

Case management service providers can conduct code reviews to ensure your organization stays secure, compliant, and competitive.
Code reviews are critical for healthcare organizations seeking maximum efficiency. When an organization fails to maintain an accurate code list, it can cause the organization to quickly lose its competitive edge.
A third party code review from a case management service can ensure your organization is performing at its best while staying competitive with other regional providers.

 

Optimized Revenue Cycle Services

A good case management services provider can analyze your organization’s revenue cycle services to ensure efficiency at every stage of the cycle.
Integrated revenue cycle management systems, for example, can integrate directly with your case management system, allowing seamless end-to-end billing and improved patient accounting management.

 

Better End Results Via Better Decision Making

Ultimately, a good case management system leads to better decision-making at both the individual and group level.
When staff have the information they need in front of them at the right time, it allows them to make the best possible decisions.
Better decision making leads to better end results and better health outcomes. It’s that simple.

 

Final Word

In recent years, the healthcare industry has used case management to create a more optimized healthcare experience from start to finish.
With a good case management system, your organization can make the best possible decisions while ensuring every employee is equipped with the best possible information.
Does your case management system need to be reworked? Contact HMI Corp. We have 30 years of experience implementing modern case management solutions into organizations across the United States.

Unique Strategies Today’s Top Medical Organizations Use to Maximize Revenue Using Revenue Cycle Management Consulting Services

Smart medical organizations do everything in their power to maximize revenue – from implementing new technologies to minimizing unnecessary costs.
Today, we’re highlighting some of the unique strategies America’s top healthcare organizations are using to maximize revenue by Revenue Cycle Management Consulting Services

They Get E/M Coding Right

The evaluation and management (E/M) patient visit is a crucial part of any healthcare organization.

Good healthcare organizations can maximize revenue by understanding how to properly document and code E/M patient visits.

Proper documentation and coding does more than just boost revenue; it also reduces the stress of audits and boosts the efficiency of staff.
A July 2019 article published in Medical Economics highlighted four ways healthcare organizations can boost revenue by getting E/M coding right, including:
Ensure the E/M code supports the specific patient encounter. Not every patient with asthma, for example, will justify reporting CPT code 99213.
Refer to E/M guidelines when assigning codes. Assigning E/M codes is not a subjective process. Many physicians under-document E/M level 4 and 5 visits for new patients, for example. Follow E/M guidelines for coding and billing.
Use copy and paste functionality carefully. Some healthcare organizations get into trouble by over-utilizing the copy and paste functions. A physician who automatically copies and pastes historical information from a previous encounter into a current note, for example, may accidently inflate the E/M level.
Be cautious with pre-populated EHR templates. Pre-populated templates can lead to upcoding – say, when certain body systems are always indicated as having been reviewed even when they’re not relevant to the current encounter. These templates can also lead to contradictions that lead to red flags with payers – say, if a physician diagnoses a patient with strep throat and uses a default ear, nose, and throat exam template, opening the door for a post-payment audit.
Implement better E/M coding practices into your healthcare organization to boost revenue.

They Optimize Charge Capture Services with Artificial Intelligence

recent study showed most healthcare executives believe charge capture is essential, yet 40% discuss it just once a month or less and only 8% discuss it daily.
Charge capture is obviously critical for revenue generation within healthcare organizations.
That’s why some leading healthcare organizations have started using unique strategies to optimize charge capture services: they’ve started to implement artificial intelligence.
AI-powered charge capture audit services are helping to boost staff efficiency for providers while also encouraging greater self-sufficiency for consumers.
It’s part of a widespread trend of healthcare organizations using AI to enhance revenue. Today, AI is helping companies revamp everything from registration to scheduling to billing.
Artificial intelligence automates significant parts of the charge capture service cycle, freeing staff from tasks that are important – but also time-consuming and redundant. Thanks to the latest AI technology, organizations have reduced labor costs and recovered leaked revenue while focusing on both high-dollar and low-dollar accounts.

They Comprehensively Maintain the Chargemaster to Prevent Revenue Leakage

The hospital chargemaster is the heart of a hospital’s revenue generation. That’s why it’s so surprising to see some healthcare organizations fail to adequately maintain their chargemaster.
Inadequate or poorly-maintained chargemasters can lead to overpayments and underpayments, claims rejections, and compliance violations, among other issues.
Chargemaster maintenance is a continuous process that ensures all services are accurately charged. Good maintenance involves reviewing and updating the chargemaster to ensure the hospital is compliant with government pricing regulations, for example, and ensuring the organization receives accurate reimbursement.
As public and private payers continuously update or change coding and reimbursement rules, chargemaster maintenance can become particularly challenging. Smart healthcare organizations, however, solve these challenges to optimize revenue.

They Confirm Compliance with CMS and Regulations

Poor compliance can quickly lead to poor revenue. Smart organizations confirm compliance regularly to ensure revenue flow remains strong.
One of the best ways to confirm compliance is to conduct a code review.
HMI Corp specializes in code reviews for inpatients, outpatients, and E/M coding to ensure compliance. We can comprehensively review your organization for compliance issues, then explain exactly what needs to be changed to optimize revenue.

Final Word

One of the best ways to maximize revenue, of course, is to minimize costs. Medical organizations can minimize costs in all different ways.
Discover how your healthcare organization can minimize costs and maximize revenue. Schedule a consultation with HMI Corp today. We have proven expertise offering healthcare revenue cycle management consulting services and chargemaster reviews among other revenue-boosting services.

How Does Medical Coding Work? What Does a Medical Coder Do?

Medical coding is an in-demand profession at healthcare organizations across the country. Despite the surging demand for medical coders, however, many people do not understand how medical coding works.
Today, we’re explaining what medical coding is, how it works, and how a medical coder adds value to an organization.

What is Medical Coding?

Medical coding traces its origins all the way back 17th century recordkeeping in England. During this time, clinics kept crude records for each patient, using specific numbers and ‘codes’ to track the treatment received by each patient.
Today, the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) defines medical coding as, “the transformation of healthcare diagnosis, procedures, medical services and equipment into universal medical alphanumeric codes.”
In other words, medical coders translate important medical information into simple codes to document medical records and inform accurate medical billing.
Thanks to a standard coding system, medical records can be seamlessly transferred from one organization to another.

What Does a Medical Coder Do?

A medical coder is the individual responsible for translating a physician’s report into useful medical codes.
The coder will look at the physician’s report and determine the treatment that was provided to the patient. Then, the coder will translate all pertinent information into code. This code is used when referencing the treatment in the future and for billing purposes.
A medical coder’s job varies depending on the setting.
A medical coder working at a hospital will document and assign codes for each medical procedure received by a patient, for example.
A medical coder working for an insurance company, meanwhile, will verify the accuracy of incoming claims, checking to make sure the patient received treatment according to his or her insurance plan.
Some medical coders work remotely from home. Many medical coding jobs can easily be performed entirely over a computer and an internet connection, making the need for an on-site office irrelevant.

Why Do We Need Medical Coding?

Without medical coding, doctors would use common language to describe each patient’s treatment plan. That may sound good in theory. However, common language is too inexact to give an insurance company the accurate details it needs.
That’s why a specific set of codes has been developed to define medical procedures. The medical coder’s job is to translate common language into code so information can be efficiently transferred around a hospital and between organizations.

Where Do Medical Coders Work?

Medical coders can work in all types of healthcare organizations, but they can also work in a number of other settings, including all of the following:
• Hospitals and doctors’ offices
• Healthcare consulting services
• Educational institutions
• Home offices
• Insurance agencies
• Law firms
• Government agencies
Obviously, people expect to see medical coders in hospitals, clinics, and urgent care facilities. But many people are surprised to see medical coders in other settings as well – from home offices to law firms to insurance agencies.

What Kind of Training Do Medical Coders Go Through?

Some medical coders have bachelor’s degrees or master’s degrees. However, no formal education is required to be a medical coder.
Some technical colleges have introduced medical coding programs that teach coders the intricacies of the profession. These programs take one to two years.
Prospective coders will also seek specialized certifications – which are similar to the ‘graduate degrees’ of the coding world. Specialized certifications make a medical coding applicant stand out.
Popular specialty certifications include Certified Professional Coder (CPC0, Certified Outpatient Coder (COC), Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC), and Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC).

Final Word

As the healthcare industry continues to grow, demand is increasing for medical coders. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects medical coding jobs to grow at a faster-than-average rate of 13% through 2026.
HMI Corp specializes in contract coding, including inpatient, outpatient, same-day surgeries, ancillary departments, and physician E/M.
All medical coding services are provided by credentialed coding staff based right here in the United States.