Are you getting any coding education?

It’s my opinion and experience that any investment you make coding education will yield a significant return on your investment. Various studies have estimated individual physicians can forego tens of thousands of dollars a year by undercoding. Many physicians undercode not only out of fear of penalties for overcoding or unbundling but also because they don’t fully understand how to bill for evaluation and management (E&M) services. For example, some physicians document E&M visits only on time spent, although the complexity of the visit could warrant a higher-level code than indicated by time. But when coding staff don’t know what actually occurred in the exam room, they code for the lower-level visit.

Physicians and coding staff also need to stay current with coding changes to avoid delayed and denied claims and to bill the appropriate amount with confidence. You might want to visit www.aapc.com for information about coding certification, check with your local community college, or search online for reputable certification or coding courses. The easiest way to make money in your practice is to make sure you are coding correctly and you are billing for all services you are entitled to.