Top 5 mistakes with Medical Coding Services
Errors in medical coding can lead to unimaginable consequences to your practice’s revenue and can bring a huge loss to your business. It is all interconnected such that if you don’t submit your claims properly, it may lead to rejection or claim denial, which can impact your revenue, thereby resulting in the poor reputation of your medical practice. Where can your in-house medical coders go wrong; let us see in this blog today and gain some handful of knowledge.
Either way, the consequences of medical coding services are way costly. Here are the top five medical coding mistakes to avoid:
Unbundling codes
Unbundling means using multiple CPT codes for various components of a procedure instead of where a single CPT code could have been used, to capture all the components. Multiple codes for one single procedure can be used only for whichever it is applicable.
Upcoding
When the service provider attends the patient for a brief examination or a simple treatment, but the coder bills the patient for a full examination lasting for 45 minutes, it is termed as an upcoding error.
Unchecking National Correct Coding Initiative Edits
It is a mandated procedure for coders to check with the NCCI when reporting multiple codes since they are automated prepayment edits. The NCCI will deeply analyze every pair of codes provided to check whether an edit has been done. In such cases, if the NCCI finds an edit, it means that the claim is denied.
Improper Injection Code Reporting
Coders should report only one code for a session that involves injections. It should not be reported with multiple codes, and doing so, can lead to claim rejection.
Reporting Unlisted Codes without Proper Documentation
If a particular billing procedure requires any unlisted coding to be included, then it becomes highly crucial to get all the documentation perfect for the unlisted code. Therefore, it is ideal to crosscheck the codes double the time and include complete documentation of the procedure you are billing the patient for.
Conclusion
The list of issues you see in this blog is just one portion, but there are many coding issues that your in-house coders may commit, which could be painful managing your revenue. Since these codes keep changing every week or month and then, it becomes difficult for your practice’s staff to stay updated with all these codes and implement them while submitting claims. To handle such situations, outsourcing your medical billing and coding process to an expert medical billing company like 24/7 Medical Billing Services would be an ideal solution.
We are highly experienced in the healthcare industry serving hundreds of clients, making it easy to deal with all types of medical billing and coding chaos, ensuring your practice’s revenue is uplifted. If you wish to talk to one of our billing experts, call us at +1-888-502-0537 and fix an appointment for a free consultation.
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