WHAT IS MEDICAL CODING?

Medical coding is one of the most important aspects of the industry at present. Its use can be found in medical billing systems and in various other services.

Being one of the most important parts of the healthcare industry, medical coding takes diseases, injuries, and the treatment details that the patient receives or the doctor offers. Further, it converts that kind of information into a code, which is alphanumeric in nature. These codes accurately describe the medical diagnosis and the procedure followed by the doctors.

IMPACT OF MEDICAL CODING

Since the basics are covered, medical coding is quite important for the healthcare industry. As it is known, medical care can never be too accurate. Since there are so many things to take care of, and so many different paths to take, medical coding was developed.

With medical coding has helped in:

  1. Increasing accuracy,
  2. Eliminating mistakes,
  3. Aiding diagnosis,
  4. Improving treatments, and
  5. Better treatment of different ailments.

TYPES OF MEDICAL CODING

There are various types of medical coding systems. If your aim is to be a medical coder, then you must have an idea about these. Of course, knowing about the options of various areas of medical coding will allow you to choose your stream and work better to be a medical coder.

Here is a list:

  1. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT)
  2. International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
  3. Healthcare Common Procedure Coding (HCPC)
  4. International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF)
  5. Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG)

As you can see, there are various options for you. Some of these coding systems have been around since the late 1800s. All of these coding systems are used for various different purposes. For you to pick the correct choice for you, read and learn about the things that you need to.

MEDICAL CODING EXAMPLES: WHAT DOES IT INCLUDE?

Medical examples are used to help the coders understand the system and how it works. Usually, these examples allow the coders to understand what to include, how to include and how to input the information that is required. Here is a brief understanding of what you will find on a medical coding example:

  1. The name of the healthcare facility or hospital. This is always mentioned above everything else.
  2. Next comes the Clinical Data. Clinical data constitutes the illness and the severity of the disease.
  3. After that comes the exam, which includes stating the kind of procedure to be undertaken.
  4. Next is the sedation, the type of sedation medication and the time under sedation.
  5. Contrast is mentioned here.
  6. Right after that are the details of the medication given.
  7. Fluoroscopy time.
  8. Next is the part about complications.
  9. After that, there is a detailed list of the procedure followed for the patient.
  10. After that are the findings of the process.
  11. Followed by the impressions of the entire treatment.
  12. Lastly, it is signed by a couple of codes, that you learn while being trained as a medical coder.

 

A deeper understanding

Since there are different types of medical coding options, the medical coding examples for each type of coding stream will include various parts. For example, for ICD-10, codes are with numbers which are assigned to meanings as well as to the diagnosis.

Furthermore, the number of digits in the codes vary. The ICD-10 codes are seven-digit numbers, you would find the same even on the coding examples. The medical coding examples for CPT would include five digits. However, the codes differ from the category to category.

To grasp your medical coding training, it is suggested that you go through examples and learn. Medical coding examples help you learn as well as clear many doubts.