Major changes in medical coding don’t happen often, but the conversion from ICD-9 to ICD-10 was a big one. It took a while for billing offices and physicians to get used to it, but things have calmed down. In the end, the change has been worth it. Here’s why.
Billing Made Easier
With the inception of HIM coding, billing for medical offices has become more streamlined. As medical diagnoses and procedures continue to become more complex, the need for more specialized coding is necessary in order to break each case down to the most specific description. Each new version of HIM coding makes the steps of medical billing move more quickly with better financial results for your practice. When HIM coding is used to narrow down a bill to a patient’s exact diagnosis, billing is less open to interpretation, which makes for less chance of discrepancy.
Keeping Up with Technology Changes
Medical coding not only simplifies medical billing, but it also helps physicians understand how the trends in the medical needs of patients are affecting their practices. There was a time before technology-based coding was used that the specifics of a field of medicine were so generalized that a doctor was forced to look at a bigger picture. For a specialty that requires knowledge of each nuance, this was not working. Each medical practice needs a coding program specifically for them. In medicine, one size does not fit all.
Better Understanding of Diagnoses
An early relative of what we know today as ICD coding began in the 1800s to keep track of diseases and causes of death. We have come a long way since then. There are fewer family doctors and more specialists. It has become necessary to break each diagnosis down to the very smallest detail. ICD-10 has taken that one step further and will continue to do so as long as necessary for the medical billing process to flow more smoothly.
For a quote on customizing the coding needs for your Culver City practice, please contact GeBBS Healthcare Solutions.
