Have you ever compared medical coding to other fields of work? It’s a pretty new profession, so a lot of people might not know what you’re talking about when you say you’re a medical coder. Help your introduction at cocktail parties, weddings, and other social gatherings really pop by thinking about how it’s like a highly specialized translator.
Huh? I don’t know any Spanish.
It sounds strange, but consider it—medical codes could be considered a language. Each physician—patient interaction is translated into a series of codes. These codes include any diagnoses made, treatments given, and procedures performed. Additionally, each medical code has a monetary value associated with it that’s used to determine the amount of reimbursement money a healthcare provider (such as a doctor’s office or hospital) should receive.
Why do we care?
This is important because healthcare providers receive the vast majority of their income by being reimbursed from medical insurance companies and government organizations such as Medicare and Medicaid. This translation of the medical codes is extremely important to ensure healthcare facilities receive the right amount of money. When facilities don’t receive enough money because of faulty codes, they become in danger of financial ruin and even closing. That’s why each medical coder should take his or her part of the medical coding system very seriously.
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Contact us to find out more information about HCCCoders and see if you’d be a good fit for our medical coding team.