Practice Management Alert

Should You Promote from Within?

Question: We need a new coder because our current coder is retiring. Should we promote someone from within or hire outside the practice?

New Mexico Subscriber

Answer: The answer depends on the qualities of your current employees. If you have an employee inside your practice that has already shown dedication and dependability, and you have the ability to train that person, then you should go ahead and make her a coder. But otherwise, the more sensible decision is to bring someone in from outside.

Pointer: Coding is not an easy job to do these days, especially with the ICD-10 transition on the horizon. So finding a coder who understands coding rules is very important. Otherwise, you could find yourself coping with more denials and falling so far behind that you’ll never catch up.

Suggestion: If possible, it is good practice to have someone cross-trained for every job in your practice so that if someone is out unexpectedly or you have a hiring delay, your practice’s processes and reimbursement don’t come to a halt.

If your office bills for the same procedures on a regular basis, training will be easier, and having someone in-house who can provide coding training to interested employees is also helpful. Otherwise, it may be costly to train a new employee without knowing if they’re really worth the investment.

Office experience is a plus: Chances are if an employee has already been working in your office as a receptionist or scheduler, she already knows some of the terminology you use regularly, and she knows the ebb and flow of the practice. So training is just a matter of sitting down with her and going through the codes to teach her how to use them. If you want your coder certified, you’ll have to put in more work - sending her to seminars and helping her prepare for the coding exam.

If you hire an outsider, a background in some aspect of healthcare will allow an employee to train more quickly as a coder.