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I just accepted a position as an Outpatient Medical Coder for an Air Force Base. Are there unique guidelines or specific differences that I should be aware of or need to study to prepare for this new position?
Yes there is a "spin" the military places on doing their coding. The military all branches, has a separate but inclusive manual to help with coding. This is because the military has active duty and special population that is tracked for healthcare statistical reporting purposes. Certain scenarios have added guidelines on how the military wants these events captured and reported in their systems. You may email me for the new guidelines which i keep because I never know when I might jump on a contract for extra work.
You still have ICD-10 guidelines and all outpatient regulation/policy to adhere to. Do not think for a second you don't. I have seen where others who start working for military think they can ditch the icd10 guidelines and code however they want with just the military guidelines. Nope! The military makes that clear to not do this. Unfortunately, there are many guidelines to outpatient coding in the military facilities and clinics