Medical Coding Education & Training
Physician group acquisition by major health systems remains a common trend in the industry. One survey of over 8,700 physicians indicates that only 31% of physicians surveyed identify as an independent practice owner or partner as of 2018. This is down from 48.5% in 2012, a whopping 35% decrease in independently owned practices in only 6 years (Merritt Hawkins, 2018). In these acquisitions, the question remains: Who will manage the physician group?
CPT 2020 changes took effect on January 1, 2020. In Part 2, we continue with a discussion of revisions in the Evaluation and Management, and Medicine sections, along with an overview of updates in the Radiology, Pathology and Laboratory, and the new Category III codes.
The World Health Organization released the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). This release was presented at the World Health Assembly on May 25, 2019 for adoption by member states, and will come into effect on January 1, 2022. However, note that it is still unknown when ICD-11 will be ready for implementation in the United States.
As we turn the calendar to a new decade, the 2020 CPT code changes take effect. This year there are a total of 394 changes to CPT, bringing the total number of codes to 10,471. This includes 248 new codes, 71 deletions, and 75 code revisions, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). This is Part 1 of a 2-Part Series. In this article, we will discuss the changes in the Surgery Section.
Medical billing denials generate significant cost for providers and hospitals that could be avoided by improving claims data management and optimizing medical coding processes. Optimal quality coding effectively prevents medical claims denials by reducing the potential for manual error and addressing concerns over fast approaching time limits.
The implementation of ICD-10 brought about significant changes to the world of coding. With the additions for FY 2021 presently pushing the number of codes to over 70,000, it is crucial to follow the symbols, conventions, and guidelines mentioned throughout the book.
Medical coding and health information management can be an extremely rewarding and lucrative field, which makes the value of a coding education, priceless.
Ongoing coding education has proven to be a necessity in terms of keeping up with the industry’s constantly-evolving learning curve, but how do you ensure your organization is receiving the proper coding education that it needs?
This case study summary provides an analysis on the unique challenges a medical facility faces when merging with independent practices (I.E. the impact on overall medical coding quality, turnover rate, and productivity), and the solutions we have crafted to be implemented for maximum results.
With more and more companies looking beyond their own departments to outsource this task, it’s important to consider the key factors of choosing a coding audit vendor that is just the right fit.