Medical coding is converting healthcare procedures, diagnosis, equipment, and medical services into universal medical alphanumeric codes. Procedure and diagnosis codes are received from the medical record information such as laboratory or radiology results and the transcription of the physician’s SOAP notes. These codes are a vital part of the medical billing process, and a even slight mistake while using these codes may cause a considerable impact on reimbursements. Thus, it is essential to know the below things before hiring inpatient medical coding services.
What will inpatient medical coding services do?
Inpatient medical coding services will ensure that the codes are correctly assigned for each diagnosis and then are also grouped in the right order (IP/DRG validation). This process is carried out by certified coding professionals who will assign the appropriate codes based on the information from the documentation and assist in creating the claim that is likely to be approved and paid by insurance providers.
Responsibilities of an inpatient coder
Inpatient coders take care of medical coding in an inpatient setting like hospital/ASC admissions. Combined with remote processing automation, inpatient medical coding assures that your coding is both compliant and capable of delivering the reimbursements your practice/facility deserves.
Why hire inpatient medical service providers?
1. Expert Coders
Companies that offer inpatient medical coding services hire only professional coders with extensive expertise and experience. These inpatient coders are certified by either the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC) and have completed intensive training and certification to be effective and reliable on the job. Their training is related to applying and interpreting medical codes based on the surgery and/or treatment documents of the patient.
2. Up-to-date knowledge
Reputable providers of inpatient medical coding services understand the rules that must be followed to prevent expensive mistakes. They’re up to date with the modifiers and diagnoses related grouping (DRG) rules needed for inpatient procedures regardless of the state, specialty, or payer. This way, they can help maximize your returns and ensure your compliance every time.
3. Coding strengths
Inpatient service providers utilize both expert coders and automation tools. These include CAC (computer assisted coding) tools, robotic process automation and enhanced artificial intelligence while coding. Moreover, they conduct internal and external audits while constantly monitoring coding levels to provide opportunities to Providers to improve their clinical documentation. They provide analytics while monitoring KPIs too.
Plutus Health is a 15-year-old leading Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management organization based in Dallas, TX. Plutus Health provides Inpatient Medical Coding, pre-billing Audits, Billing, Insurance AR collections and Denial Management services. We address significant challenges facing Healthcare providers/facilities in the US with a combination well trained RCM/Coding experts and advanced technologies such as Machine Learning and Robotic Process Automation.
