Providers and coders should work together to maximize reimbursement by ensuring accurate coding, which is validated by thorough medical documentation. By focusing on ways to improve medical documentation for better reimbursement, providers can enhance patient care and ensure accurate reimbursement. Here are five ways to improve documentation, patient care, and reimbursement: 1. Avoid EHR Shortcuts […]
Using surgery modifiers to accurately represent the role of assistant surgeons has become increasingly important over the past three decades. Initially, a simple mention of the assistant surgeon’s name in the operative note header sufficed. However, as the healthcare landscape evolved, payers began demanding more granular details about the assistant surgeon’s role and contributions to […]
Modifier 50 is used to indicate that a procedure or service was performed on both sides of the body during the same operative session. It’s essential to use this modifier correctly to ensure accurate billing and reimbursement. Key points for appropriate use: Bilateral Procedures: The procedure must be performed on identical, opposing structures (e.g., eyes, […]
Medical ICD-10-CM coding accuracy is crucial for efficient healthcare reimbursement. Even minor errors can lead to claim denials, delays, and lost revenue. Here are the top 10 medical coding mistakes to avoid: Accuracy is Key: 1. Don’t Skip the Details: ICD-10-CM codes often require specific details in the fourth and fifth digits. Using truncated codes […]
The Crucial Role of Medical Coding Compliance in a Value-Based World: Telling the Patient’s Story for Better Billing and Quality Care. Medical Coders: The Unsung Storytellers of Healthcare Medical coders play a critical role in hospitals, but their importance often goes unnoticed. They’re the storytellers behind the scenes, analyzing patient records, selecting billing codes, and […]
In this blog, you should know why healthcare providers need to be aware of the medical coding guide. 1. What is Medical Coding? Medical coding is the process of translating medical diagnoses, procedures, and services into universal alphanumeric codes for proper documentation and billing purposes. 2. Importance of Accuracy: Accurate medical coding is crucial for […]
In the world of healthcare, medical coding plays a crucial role in ensuring accurate billing and reimbursement for services provided to patients. As we look ahead to 2023, there are several trends that are expected to shape the landscape of medical coding. Here are five of the most significant trends to watch for: 1. Increased […]
The revenue cycle process within healthcare is intricate and has led to disconnections among various stakeholders, including physicians, coding teams, billers, and administrators. This has resulted in the diversion of time and staff resources away from patient care towards revenue collection efforts. This situation leads to lost revenue, diluted patient care quality, and decreased staff […]
While most maternal deaths are preventable, the rate has been increasing in the United States since 2000. As a matter of fact, the U.S. has twice as many maternal deaths than other high-income countries. To reverse this trend, The Joint Commission, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Agency for Healthcare Research […]
One billion dollars is a big number, but more astounding to me, as it pertains to a recent finding by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), was that hospitals were found to have incorrectly documented and/or coded severe malnutrition 86.5 percent of the time (173/200)! That’s […]