Coding Guide
For every medical-related procedure there is a specific numeric code that matches it, whether the procedure is a symptom, injury, diagnosis, condition, disease, or medication prescribed. These numeric codes are used by medical billing professionals to prepare a formatted bill for a patient outlining the healthcare that was received, as well as for filing accurate reimbursement claims with the patient's insurance company.
Miscoding for a procedure or a health condition can wreak havoc and result in a medical insurance company denying a valid and legitimate claim, a healthcare provider not receiving payment in a timely manner, unnecessary expenses charged to an individual, and can generally create a potentially stressful situation to undo.
In addition to understanding the coding languages, a health care insurance coding professional must have a deep wealth of knowledge about anatomy, physiology, disease treatment and medical terms, be skillful at analyzing data and problem solving, be detail-oriented and able to catch any discrepancies in a patient's chart.
Medical Codes And Systems
There are currently three distinct medical coding systems that are being used by medical professionals: Current Procedural Terminology, or CPT, which is used by both hospitals and private practices, the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, or HCPCS, both Level I and Level II, which are used by Medicare and relate to medical supplies and equipment, and the third medical coding system, the International Classification of Diseases, or ICD, is used in conjunction with CPT medical codes to verify that specific medical services that an individual receives directly relates to an individual's health condition.An Explanation of Benefits is mailed to a patient after a medical bill has been sent and sometimes will list medical services provided by the numeric codes only and not explain what each code actually means in English. This is a disservice to the patient who deserves to understand what they are being billed for, and can make a person feel intimidated and disempowered.
Medical Coding References
Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services: Find HCPCS codes.American Medical Association: Find AMA / CPT codes.
Find-A-Code.com: It may be helpful to check with a medical billing advocate if a patient has reason to believe that the codes listed on his or her medical bill or Explanation of Benefits does not accurately reflect the medical services and equipment rendered. Use this site's free trial period to research specific numeric medical codes.