Medical Coding Training on Updates Ensures Accuracy & Compliance Standards
Medical Coding Training on Updates Ensures Accuracy & Compliance Standards
Every year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) release updated coding and reporting guidelines. These make additions, deletions, and revisions to the ICD-10 and HCPCS code sets, and CPT codes, respectively. During Public Health Emergencies (PHE), such as the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS and AMA will release updates more frequently. By offering ongoing medical coding training to cover these annual updates, your coding team upholds an accuracy standard. They also stay compliant with these revised guidelines.
Each code set keeps growing as a result of these change; it would be impossible to keep track without the aid of a medical coding school program. There are well over 72,000 ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes and over 77,000 ICD-10-PCS codes, and CPT comes in well above 10,000 codes.
YES Education offers a robust catalog of medical coding updates. These refresh as the code set revisions are released, including annual updates for ICD-10-CM/PCS and CPT.
Benefits of Ongoing Medical Coding Training
Ongoing coding education updates, paired with audits on coding accuracy, ensure compliance standards are upheld according to current practices. Demonstrated in the Profee Coding Quality Improvement Plan Case Study by YES HIM Consulting, CPT coding accuracy rates increased by 17%. In addition, DX accuracy rates increased by 18% over 33 months. In addition, coder retention reached 100% with zero turnover for a full year. With a combination of education programs, quality audits, coder mentoring, coding support, and standardized coding policies and guidelines, this client organization was able to reach a new level of success and compliance.
Frequent education courses on coding updates not only make sure the coder is using the most accurate codes, but they also make the most financial sense. By taking these courses, it decreases the chances for claims denials, saving the organization money in the long run.
In our experience, ongoing education also leads to higher job satisfaction and coder retention. It also appears as an enticing recruitment tool to those looking for a new company that invests in their future. Since most coders work remotely, it’s important for their continued education to fit into their busy schedules without sacrificing production time. YES’ online webinars and other educational formats provide the cost savings that healthcare organizations seek to educate their coding teams quickly and efficiently.
“With YES Education, team supervisors would receive real-time insights and progress reports that track their team’s accuracy rates and provide recommendations on areas for improvement,” says Karen Youmans, YES President/CEO.
Our previous article, “Medical Coding Classes and the Importance of a Coding Education,” further explores why ongoing education is crucial for healthcare professionals.
Review Our Education Program Formats & Resources
YES HIM Consulting designs learning paths and training tracks with busy professionals in mind. Our team offers a variety of flexible formats to fit physicians’, coders’, and auditors’ schedules and learning styles. This includes on-site, online, and hybrid or blended models. Click here to learn more about our flexible education formats.
1) On-Site Format
Learners attend the on-site class in the location of their choice. Our subject-matter-expert (SME) will travel to the facility and provide the training workshop in addition to a Q&A session.
2) Remote or Online Formats
a. Live webinar and Q&A session (general group-based or by specialty groups)
We offer live webinars and Q&A sessions are offered at different dates and times to accommodate all learners. Live webinars can also be provided by specialty groups.
b. On-Demand / Online Format
The flexible online format allows physicians, coders, and auditors to access course content and medical coding classes online from any device, on their own schedule. Learners obtain access to medical coding training online for up to 12 months.
3) Train-the-Trainer Model
Organizations often prefer to provide training to coders and physicians in-house. However, they may lack the resources or experienced SMEs to teach in-house trainers new coding updates, best practices, or new processes in place. We provide training, teaching materials, and templates, in addition to Q&A sessions and coaching to Health System’s selected trainers. Training provided to all coding teams or per track, on-demand or live sessions.
Our team of experts is happy to discuss what the best learning path is for you or your team. You can also review our Coding Education page for more information on these medical coding classes, quality standards, and additional services.
