Medical coding systems are used to bill out to insurance companies by codes used to describe services rendered. It also helps doctors know what has been done for the patient by other practitioners.
It changes records like client diagnosis, medical services, and others into alphanumeric codes. According to https://www.geneca.com/custom-software-solutions-for-medical/ using these codes ensures efficient and effective documentation.
ICD (International Classification of Diseases)
This coding system is often used when dealing with doctors’ diagnoses of their patients. WHO established this code in the year 1940. The code describes patient records like diseases, injury and even cause of death. Though this code has been established for a long time, it is still widely used today. The National Center for Health Statistics made some modifications to this code. It is very important to apply this code accurately for correct patient billing.
CPT (Current Procedural Terminology)
The American Medical Association established the Current Procedural Terminology coding system. It’s a 5 digit numeric code which is divided into 3 categories dedicated to different medical terms. The first category has something to do with surgery, radiology, and others. The second is intended for performance measurement. And the last one is connected to recent medical technology.
HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System)
For the medical terms not covered by CPT, it goes to Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System. Some of these are Medicaid and medicare, chemotherapy drugs and hospital care for outpatients. This coding system is divided into 2 levels where the other level is divided into 17 sections. All of these are essential to medical coding in general.
Today, healthcare establishments use custom software for medical purposes in order to make coding easier and faster. With the different options presented online, it is very important to know which software company to trust. Remember that using this software is very significant so it has to be programmed or created by a reliable company. Companies like Geneca, are well known, tested, and reviewed.
Advantages of Electronic Records Using Software
Technology drives the world today including the medical field. With this, it is no surprise that certain software is used to do important tasks that include medical coding. The good thing about using the software is it makes information storage, access and transfer faster, more secure and efficient.
Though some establishments still practice the usual way of recording on paper, many today are already going for electronic records. As mentioned above, the use of software improves the efficiency of record keeping. It helps eliminate legibility issues and keeps medical errors at a very low percentage. Though this could not be completely eliminated, at least the chances of experiencing errors are lessened drastically.
The clinical process becomes faster since records or details could be accessed in real-time rather than looking for charts and checking paper records. And though it might sound that embracing technology is costly, it actually helps an establishment save a lot of money in the long run.
Since medical establishments differ, custom software for medical purposes is becoming popular. The software has to be custom made in order to fit the needs of the establishment. Before selecting a company to do this, make sure that you perform enough research on its credibility.
Also Read- How to Bill for Non-Credentialed Providers