Michelea Peech 19/02/2009

HOW TO FIND A COMPANY TO ASSIST WITH YOUR CODING TRAINING and EDUCATION

INVESTIGATE THE FOLLOWING POINTS TO ENSURE THE COMPANY YOU CHOOSE TO TRAIN AND ASSIST YOU IN ANY CODING ISSUES IS COMPENENT TO DO SO:

1.  Certified Coders: Make sure that they have Certified Coders on their staff. This Certification can be either American Health & Information Management Association (AHIMA) or American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). For further information on this subject see the following web sites:

  1. American Health & Information Management Association - http://www.ahima.org/certification/what.asp
  2. American Academy of Professional Coders - http://www.aapc.com/certification/index.aspx

2.  Experienced Coders in both ICD-9-CM and CPT: Make sure that the Certified Coders have the experience in the diagnostic coding (ICD-9-CM), procedure coding (CPT) and HCPCS codes. Some will only have experience in ICD-9-CM coding and not CPT and experience in both is imperative.

3.  Experienced Coders in both Out Patient Coding and In Patient Coding: Make sure that the Certified Coders have the experience in both OPD and IP. Some will only have the experience in OPD and because some of the rules and guidelines involved are different for IP than for OPD, it is imperative that they have both OPD and IP experience.

4.  UAE Local Knowledge: There are many coding guidelines and practices which are different in the UAE because of certain HAAD decisions. They must be knowledgeable in the Data Standards and Procedures guidance issued by HAAD as well as the coding requirements of the local insurance payers. Here are a few examples of which they should be fully conversant and knowledgeable on:

  1. Version of coding system being used in the UAE, i.e. 2008 for both ICD9CM and CPT4
  2. Modifiers – which ones are and are not used in the UAE.
  3. CPT codes – which ones are and are not used in the UAE.
  4. E & M (Evaluation & Management) - which ones are and are not used in the UAE.
  5. Auditing coding errors – i.e. auditing the coding errors which are relevant to the UAE and not Medicare or Medicaid.
  6. HCPCS codes – which ones are and are not used in the UAE.
  7. Guidelines and rules as related to Insurance Claims, such as coding for bilateral procedures.
  8. Doctor-related issues – i.e. must be familiar with all of the issues and problems faced in many facilities in the UAE, and in most facilities the doctors are doing the OPD coding, i.e. they will not be able to properly train the doctors if they are not aware of the following doctor-related issues:
  9. Some doctors are not computer-literate and have very “old-school” ideas on documentation
  10. Some doctors are totally unfamiliar with the concept of coding and find it very confusing and daunting
  11. Some doctors see a huge number of patients per day and find coding very time-consuming and therefore will ‘minimalize’
  12. Some doctors are not familiar with the strict rules of Fraud & Abuse as it relates to coding, i.e. coding to price and not documentation