Claim denials can be costly for any medical institution. The quality and accuracy of your medical coding solutions has a direct impact on the success of each claim filed.

Most medical practitioners opt to outsource their coding services to a third-party agency. Even if your coding is not done in-house, there are some things that you can do to help combat improper coding and reduce denied claims in the future.

1. Verify Coder Training Schedules

Medical coding regulations are updated on a regular basis. A major overhaul can leave current coding techniques completely outdated. You must take the time to verify that the coding company you partner with invests in ongoing training for its coding staff.

Coders need to be trained before new coding regulations are implemented to ensure that no claims are submitted on behalf of your medical facility using outdated or incorrect codes. This preemptive training will help to reduce coding errors and eliminate potential denials based on inaccurate information.

2. Check for Updated Systems

It's not just the quality of the coders that can have an effect on claim denial rates for your medical practice. The type of equipment coders are using can place limitations on their ability to code accurately.

One of the greatest benefits that you will enjoy when outsourcing your medical coding is access to comprehensive computer systems and software applications that make coding regulation updates easy to integrate.

Smaller practices may not have the IT expertise or funds needed to maintain an updated system. Talk to your coding partner to determine how often systems are updated so that you can rest assured knowing your claims will be coded accurately over time.

3. Ask About Corrective Action

Since it is likely that your practice will receive some denied claims as a result of coding errors at some point in the future, you need to ask a third-party coding company how they approach corrective action.

A quality company will have the coder that prepared the original claim complete all corrective work and resubmit the claim for processing again. Having the original coder complete corrective work allows the coder to learn from his or her mistakes and reduces the likelihood that the claim will be denied a second time.

Medical coding is a critical element in today's healthcare landscape. Be sure that the third-party coding company you are working with is prepared with the right training, employees, and computer systems to reduce claim denials in the future.

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