Unlike other service industries, healthcare has a complicated medical coding system for the services provided. For example, in accounting one hour of service is a specific cost. A simple tax return is another specific cost. In healthcare, it is rare that we can easily quote that a service will be a specific cost. This is due to the way that we are required to code the services we provide and then bill for them. The rules are dictated by outside agencies on how providers document patient encounters in a specific way, code the encounter a certain way, and then the payers may contradict that. Just another fun day in the world of healthcare coding and billing!

To optimize the coding step of the revenue cycle, medical practice administrators must

• determine who will be responsible for knowing the documentation requirements for the medical codes being used,
• assure that the documentation meets these requirements and
• that the code combinations also meet insurance regulations.

Once responsibility is assigned, how each of these steps will be accomplished must be determined.

5 a.m. hits like a semi truck when my alarm goes off. I begrudgingly get out of bed and begin my morning routine. Being "healthier" this year certainly feels a lot more like being "tired." Once I get my gym clothes on, I feel my way down the dark staircase to my kitchen and pull out my pre-workout supplement. 

Pour

Mix

Drink

Once this 3 step process is complete, I instantly feel a boost. My body responds and I know its time to get to work. I take this supplement combined with protein in the mornings to get the fitness results I want. Medical coding like my new years resolution can offer an extremely positive results on your practices financial outlook, or it can be bleak and discouraging. Lets take a look at how to boost your medical coding with supplements.  

Temporary Coding

Temporary medical coding is a great way to help keep things moving when a coder, office manager, biller, etc. is out on leave or vacation. July and December see an extreme uptick in employee vacation days, leaving administrators with a pile of coding work that needs to be done in order for claims to be submitted. Inevitably the large stack gets coded with a lower quality and higher denials as the recently returned personnel doing the coding is trying to play "catch up" in order to get back to his or her normal routine. Playing catch up is never a good thing when it comes to revenue. Temporary coding is a supplemental medical coding practice that can help providers maintain a level of excellence when coders are not able to perform due to leave.