Medical coding services are essential for a hospital or medical practice that wants to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). With private insurers and the federal government mandating physician documentation standards, it is very difficult for physicians to handle all of their documentation requirements without the help of a medical coder.
Most healthcare practices will find that there are many benefits to hiring HIPAA-compliant medical coders. Here are four of those benefits:
Improves Medical Documentation Processes
Because physician reimbursement in the United States is primarily based on documented outcomes rather than volume, physicians must follow up with patients and document positive outcomes after treating them.
Medical coders have the specialized training to make sure a physician’s documentation is easy to understand and comprehensive. Medical coders can sort through notes taken during patient visits, listen carefully to what the physician talks about, and organize everything into an easily understandable format for readmission purposes or future follow-up appointments with the patient. In addition, a medical coder will be able to go over each diagnosis made and ask questions if she needs clarification on anything.
Discharge Summaries Made Easy
Often, hospital discharge summaries are created by medical assistants or nurses instead of being completed by doctors themselves. Unfortunately, this means there is no way to ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations if they do not know how to properly fill out paperwork regarding health insurance claims.
Without having an experienced medical coder explain what needs to be included on these documents, mistakes may be made, and a HIPAA violation could result.
Suppose a hospital or medical practice hopes to save time and money while following HIPAA regulations. In that case, they should invest in hiring medical coders who are experienced in documenting high-quality patient records.
Find out more about medical coding services with GeBBS Healthcare Solutions – Medical Coding HIM and Billing RCM Services.
