aslonsky
Networker
I work for a hospital system providing physician coding to our hospital-owned physicians. I am interested to discuss with other coders how their employers have set up coding policies and procedures.
Basically this is our current process:
1. Coder recieves charges to review in an EHR workque
2. If any change to the phyisicans code choices need to be made an internal message is sent to the MD to make the change in the EHR and why the change needs to be made.
Then one of 3 things happens:
1. If no response from the MD within 48 hours, the Coder can make the changes based on their review.
2. The MD makes the changes and the claim is released.
3. The MD disagrees with the change and a long drawn out discussion of why and proving why ensues.
The MD's are not required to respond, so most do not and the ones that do usually have a hostile attitude.
Our entire team agrees that it would be more adventageous if we reviewed the charges; made the changes; explained why - and the physicians were not allowed to put up a fight, but were instead required to learn from their mistakes. I'm just interested in finding out if this is the "norm" or does anyone work somewhere where the coder is actually allowed to code and have the final say?
Basically this is our current process:
1. Coder recieves charges to review in an EHR workque
2. If any change to the phyisicans code choices need to be made an internal message is sent to the MD to make the change in the EHR and why the change needs to be made.
Then one of 3 things happens:
1. If no response from the MD within 48 hours, the Coder can make the changes based on their review.
2. The MD makes the changes and the claim is released.
3. The MD disagrees with the change and a long drawn out discussion of why and proving why ensues.
The MD's are not required to respond, so most do not and the ones that do usually have a hostile attitude.
Our entire team agrees that it would be more adventageous if we reviewed the charges; made the changes; explained why - and the physicians were not allowed to put up a fight, but were instead required to learn from their mistakes. I'm just interested in finding out if this is the "norm" or does anyone work somewhere where the coder is actually allowed to code and have the final say?