Technology In Medical Billing And Coding

Although EMR’s may be taking over the medical world, paper medical charts remain the most well recognized form for keeping medical records. There are however some things within paper charts that some medical personnel might argue make it a primitive aspect of the medical field. One argument in itself is that the abundance of paper that is utilized in paper charting doesn’t stand up to the “green” society we aspire to live in today. “Paper charting used to take so long, the papers would always get unorganized, they took up so much room in the nurses’ station and the worst was waiting for a doctor to finish with a chart so I could chart what I needed to” (Brittney Guggino LPN, 2012). Another acknowledged concern with paper medical charts is the illegible handwriting of clinicians, which is a common, longstanding problem. Being unable to read orders clearly creates an added risk when dealing with patients treatments, medications etc. Paper charts may be familiar but they come with many downfalls and it’s these downfalls which may sway a person’s decision in the opposite direction in regards to the

The most important element in becoming a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist is the training and certification need to enter the field and for advancement. You will need a program that provides an understanding of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. This program should also navigate the three topics: ICD, CPT and HCPCS. These codes help you document the conditions of a patient and describe the procedure performed on the patient. When you have completed your training there are several certifications you can test for. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) offer certification for the Certified Coding Associate (CCA). You will need AHIMA membership and an exam fee ($199- $299), a high school diploma or

“a paperless, digital and computerized system of maintaining patient data, designed to increase the efficiency and reduce documentation errors by streamlining the process.”(Santiago, n.d., para. 1)

My career that I am researching for my junior project is Medical Coding and Billing. Medical Coding and Billing are two different jobs. Medical Coding is when a patient has any medical procedure or exam such as going to the doctor for the stomach virus or even going to the hospital for a broken bone. They work with the insurance companies by putting a specific number into the computer. There’s CPT Codes which stands for Current Procedural Terminology which is “ Codes to better understand the services their doctor provided, to double check their bills or negotiate lower pricing for their healthcare services. (About Health, 2014).”

HCPCs or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System is used to represent procedures, supplies, products, and services that are provided to Medicare, Medicaid beneficiaries, and to individuals enrolled in a private insurance program. The setting I think you would use HCPCs codes in are Hospitals and in Doctor's Office. I think that would be a common setting in which you would use HCPCs codes because of everything that goes into each and every procedure. The doctor puts a lot of material into each and every procedure.

When I first read this discussion, it made me curious as to why it would be important to join a professional organization for Medical Billing and Coding. After reading about a few of them, I believe it is a pretty good idea. Joining a well known, professional association shows employers that you work to high ethical standards. It is also very hard to keep up with the quickly growing billing, coding, and compliance regulations. One of the organizations I read about joining is the MAB, Medical Association of Billers. This group provides members with the most updated information on Medicare and Tricare changes, coding & reimbursement trends, medical electronic claim submission, Healthcare Insurance Regulations, Medical ccounts Receivable strategies, managed care trends, and

Healthcare is one of the biggest and most important fields throughout the world. Within healthcare, there are several careers such as medical billing and coding which contribute for a better healthcare. Medical billing and coding plays an important behind-the-scenes that role in the health care system. The majority of medical billing and coding “specialists rely on their knowledge of anatomy, medical terminology, health conditions, and medications to assign diagnostic and procedural codes for each patient encounter” (Ewing, 1999).

The article Alternate Health Care Coding Systems gave brief descriptions and examples of alternate coding systems. All the alternative coding systems and medical nomenclatures are used as another way to properly diagnose patients, and proper billing and reimbursement. Although, I was a bit confused retaining all the information but in my take away from the readings is that nomenclatures and coding systems are used to allow medical terminology, codes, procedures, and diagnoses to be more descriptive. Two patients could have the same exact tumor but depending on size and where the tumor originated from could be the difference in coding that certain patient.

The use of informatics and technology have been really helpful in eliminating the use of paper in documenting care, however; it also came with its own challenges. At the nursing facility where I work we still use paper for medication administration record (MAR) but we use point click care (PCC) for all other documentations like the nursing notes, skin assessment and SBAR. The impact that these changes has on my practice is the fact it makes charting easier as oppose to writing, it also makes the information immediately available for the health care team.

What is Medical coding? (Herzing University, 2009) says, “Medical Coding is the act of billing patients and health insurances for the medical check up they received”. In other words, medical coding is the process of a medical coder recording a patient’s diagnosis. The medical coder has certain responsibilities when it comes to managing codes. Those responsibilities include: attaching health care codes, comprehending the codes, and meeting the guideline of the codes.

Medical billing and coding specialists help prevent our health care system from falling apart and succumb to a disorganized mess. Their work is creating detailed medical records and invoices with a special code that defines what was diagnosed. These specialists are the business side of health care, they make sure the medical care of the patient is not obstructed and the doctors can properly provide for the patient. Then they won’t have to worry about the billing and diagnosing process for the insurance companies. Medical billing and coding specialists have a variety of opportunities that make this field something to look into for a successful and thriving career. This career has a huge job growth rate in many regions and after gaining experience you can choose the ability to work from home.

Yes it very important to have employees who are trained in the medical billing and coding because without the proper training it can lead to many errors in billing and coding and it’s our responsibility in the medical billing and coding to have the proper coding. You are so right when it comes to Medicare because they do watch their claims very close. So it’s employees duty in making sure that all documentation and Dx and coding is up to date so that there are no errors in order to get paid.

I think I clearly explained a basic concept of my topic. Technology is improving step by step. And, I think the topic I choose clearly demonstrates how our world is changing and how some technologies have an impact in the future. I believe my topic will help the audience in some way. Many of us use transportation on our day-to-day basis. Thus, the topic I choose makes transportation more accessible. I could have done it more effectively by

Earlier, Medical Transcription was used to be done by using manual typewriters, but with the advancement of technology, electric typewriters replaced manual typewriters and further computers and word-processing software changed the whole system. Today, these medical reports are recorded in digital formats which allow efficient data storage, ready retrieval and provide remote access to patients’ medical reports.

Papers based systems work but are time consuming. The paperwork burden in hospitals is obvious. Unlike just about every other industry, health care still relies on an old-fashioned paper/fax/phone transaction process. These paper based systems