By Larry Carr
Mar 28, 2024
In the world of medical coding, auditing isn’t just a goal but an absolute necessity. Given the complex and highly regulated nature of healthcare, conducting regular audits is imperative to ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficiency of coding practices within a practice. A research conducted by the Office of Inspector General to identify coding trends observed that physicians consistently billed higher level E/M codes. These errors in medical coding can compromise compliance and cost your practice thousands of dollars in lost revenue. That is why, performing regular medical coding audits is crucial to ensure that your practice has the proper policies and procedures in place to achieve quality medical coding.
What is a medical coding audit?
A medical coding audit is an evaluation of the coding processes of a practice, usually done by reviewing medical records and the codes that correspond to them. These audits are either performed internally by the practice’s coding department or outsourced to professional medical billing and coding companies. The main goal is to improve coding accuracy, optimize revenue cycles, and maintain compliance with regulations.
Why is medical coding audit important?
Medical coding auditing is important to maintain the accuracy, compliance and integrity of your medical coding process. It ensures that the codes assigned to diagnoses and procedures accurately reflect the care provided. This way it reduces billing errors, minimizes claims denials and facilitates proper reimbursement. Audits help your practice adhere to coding guidelines and regulatory requirements, reducing the risk of legal and financial consequences for non-compliance. Most importantly, regular coding audits promote a culture of continuous improvement within every practice.
What are medical coding audit goals?
Coding audit aims to:
How often should you conduct coding audits?
Generally, how frequently a medical practice should audit its coding process differs. It depends on various factors, like the size and type of the medical practice, changes in regulations, and internal compliance policies. Experts recommend that practices should perform external coding audits at least once a year to ensure they are compliant. However, majority of the practices go for monthly or quarterly external coding audits to ensure consistent quality from coders.
How Scribe4me can help you with your coding audit?
Errors in coding can have serious consequences, including financial losses, compliance issues, and negative impacts on patient care. That is why, Scribe4Me employs custom-designed coding review programs to detect error patterns early, take corrective actions, and reduce financial risks. Our team of medical coding auditors have the expertise, experience, and oversight that today’s complex coding requirements demand. Hence, partnering with us is a perfect way to remain compliant and increase the profitability of your practice. Hire us today and ensure that your coding operations function the way it should be. Stay away from compliance risks, legal hassles, and lost revenue! Enjoy compliant-rich coding practices!
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