HCC Coders assists healthcare providers collect Medicare Advantage reimbursements and bring in revenues.
HCC Coders is an independent coding services company that offers assistance with staffing and software issues. We make it easy for health plan organizations to receive their full Medicare Advantage reimbursements by providing them with whatever level of assistance they may require to ensure accurate and complete HCC and ICD-9/10 coding. HCC coding is critical to the success of any major healthcare provider so it is important to understand what exactly goes into the process.
What Are HCC and ICD-9/10 Codes?
HCC and ICD-9 codes are part of a risk adjustment system set up by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The goal of the system is to compensate providers of Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans fairly by adjusting enrollees’ payments based on demographics and health status.
There are over 3,000 ICD-9 codes, which represent diagnoses of various needs and conditions. These codes are grouped together into about 70 categories called HCC codes or Hierarchical Condition Category codes.
On October 1, 2015 all healthcare providers are going to be required to begin using the ICD-10 code set which is much more detailed and in-depth than the current ICD-9 set. The ICD-10 code set will include over 68,000 codes making it drastically larger than the ICD-9 code set. The amount of new codes will pose another major problem for healthcare providers because their current coders are going to have to learn and adjust to the new system.
Why is HCC and ICD-9/10 Coding Important?
HCC and ICD-9/10 coding must be completed each year in order to maintain an accurate picture of the needs of the patients that are served by the healthcare provider. If the coding is incomplete or inaccurate, the health plan organization will not receive their full reimbursements. Some experts estimate that the average health plan organization could increase their reimbursement rates by 20 percent through the use of proper HCC coding. In other words, providers that follow best practices with their coding could earn much larger reimbursements which will benefit the whole facility.
What Exactly Do HCC Coders Do?
HCC coders helps take the burden off of doctors and staff members of healthcare providers by handling their HCC and ICD-9 coding activities for them. Doctors may not always have time to note the complete ICD-9 codes on each patient chart, but as long as the diagnosis is clearly stated, one of our HCC coding professionals will be able to determine the correct code and input it into our reporting tool. Our HCC coders can work from our offices or from the healthcare provider’s office because they usually utilize an online software portal to input the codes that are taken from the patient medical records and other documentation.
What Can HCC Coders Do for Me?
HCC Coders maintains a database of highly trained, pre-screened HCC coding professionals who are available to assist health plan providers with their HCC and ICD-9/10 coding needs. These HCC coders are available to work part time, full time, or on a per project basis in order to help make sure the coding work gets completed on time. By using HCC Coders for all of their coding staffing needs, health plan providers can avoid costly delays in processing codes, as well as improve their coding accuracy thus raising their reimbursements. Accurate coding is a critical component of a well run healthcare provider and it is something that should not be overlooked. If your facility’s coding needs are not being handled in the best and most professional manner, then contact the experts at HCC Coders today so we can help you start bringing in the revenues that you have rightfully earned.