You haven't outlined the scope of your consulting business, so I wasn't sure if you'll be billing as well as coding. You also say that you're familiar with office coding, but now are interested in facility coding. There is a huge difference, so I'm guessing that you're considering professional-fee coding for employed physicians, as opposed to inpatient coding where you abstract the DRG (which pro-fee coders typically aren't trained to do). That aside, here are some thoughts.
*How would the charts get to us? You have a couple of options. You can have records sent to you via protected CD or other protected electronic method, or you can be granted remote access to their endcoder, so that you do the work just as if you were at the facility. I would not recommend that you receive the records via Fed Ex, or other paper method. Too much can go wrong when paper records leave the facility. Ask Mass General about the time paper records got left by the billing manager on the T (subway). You could get sued for everything you've got.
*Would we have to have several software programs to accommodate all the facilities or would one be okay?
Are you going to be billing as well as coding? If they just need coding/auditing , then you can use single encoder software as long as you have the capability to separate their work as you code it within separate files on your harddrive. If you are going to be billing also, you'll need to set up your software so that you have separate companies so that you don't merge their data by mistake. Billing software with multiple-license capabilities is expensive though. And like anything else you get what you pay for.
* Looking at software programs Web-based looks like it would be the best for our company, does anyone know if it will work for multiple facilities
Why don't you query the software company? They can provide you with a list of features. If they don't have the features you want, beware of them telling you they can 'customize'. That's software lingo for 'we don't do it, but you can be our guinea pig'. And with web-based software, even though it's cheaper, your harddrive will need to be set up with top-of-the-line firewalls and protection, because of the sensitivity of patient medical records. Often a resident software is a better deal.
There is a lot of information out there, and not all of it is good, so you're smart to get as much knowledge beforehand. If I were thinking about doing this, I'd consult with a business attorney regarding your liability with regards to protected health information.
Hope this helps.
