What Is Medical Coding And How Does It Help In Improving Patient Care

In a hospital or medical clinic, there are also administrative tasks that need to be done. There are auditors, billing professionals, and medical coders. They are the ones who take care of the papers, bills, and other information needed for a patient to get on with his or her treatment. They are all important but let us focus on the medical coder.

What Is Medical Coding?

According to the American Academy of Professional Coders, medical coding is the act of transforming healthcare diagnosis, procedures, services, and machine results to the alphanumeric codes that are universally known in the field of medicine. These diagnoses and services are from the documents doctors, machines and other papers derive

Many professionals work in this field. Some people even study just to get a certification in this field. Those professionals make sure that every code is properly coded to make sure that there won’t be any error in the coding for the sake of the patients’ part and the hospital.

What Is Patient Care?

Patient care, by the Institute of Medicine definition, is “Providing care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.” It is very important to offer top-quality healthcare for every person in need.

According to the Center for Patient Safety, more than 98,000 Americans die every year because of human error in the hospitals. And an estimated $19.5 billion was wasted because of the same reason – medical error. All these can be prevented if the right people are working.

The number one priority in every hospital and medical clinic should be patient care. However, there is too much work in the medical field as the population is increasing. The ratio of every one physician to a patient is 1000. The medical practitioners have to work for more than the normal working hours to a full day, or working with people who easily get too cranky. Because of their situations, it can affect how medical practitioners perform.

What Medical Coding Can Do To Improve Patient Care

First of all, with medical coding, your hospital can work more efficiently. They can focus on providing the patient with physical comfort and emotional support. Second, not only revenue won’t be compromised but patients will be happier with your service. There will be fewer errors in everything because the administrative task is done correctly.

Outsourcing Medical Coding Service

There are many advantages to outsourcing medical coding services. First of all, it is cheaper. It helps you save money for your clinic or hospital. Second, BPO companies only provide top-notch employees and certified coders for your business.

Not only you will improve the way you take care of your patients but you will also improve your overall customer service. If you improve your customer service, that can mean that your hospital or your clinic’s overall performance will also improve and be upgraded.