A Patient's Guide To Medical Coding

Medical Coding is one of the growing sectors of the healthcare industry

. Through Medical coding, specific numeric and alphanumeric codes are assigned to different medical procedures as well as services. This coded information is then used for billing purpose by the insurance companies. So in short, without medical coding, the major stakeholders of the healthcare industry such as doctors, hospitals and health care providers have minimal chances of getting paid.

Medical coding is not just important to healthcare providers and insurance companies. It is vitally important for the patients as well. Medical codes are primarily used to avoid giving details of the treatments and diagnosis, and determine their costs and reimbursement and develop a relationship between diseases and drugs. For patients, it is even more important to know about their diagnosis, the practitioner's services, and double-check their billing from healthcare providers as well as insurance providers.

There are a number of medical codes that are essential for the patients to know, especially for those patients who suffer from a chronic disease. The first of these is the CPT or current procedural terminology codes. These codes describe the services provided by the healthcare providers. Patients must know the relevant codes so that they can understand the services better and can also double-check and negotiate the bills and prices for the services they have taken.

Patients must also know about the Healthcare common Procedure Coding system or HCPCS Codes. These codes are used by Medicare for services outside the doctor's office, such as ambulance, medical equipment or supplies. Then, there is another coding system called International Classification of Functioning, disability and health or ICF, which describe the outcomes from disability.

National Drug Codes or NDC are another type of codes that are assigned by FDA to identify and report a unique drug. Then, there are the CDT codes for dental procedures and nomenclatures, which are specifically for dentists. Specific codes for psychiatric illness called DSM -IV-TR are also applied for psychiatric illnesses.

All these coding systems are important for patients who are undergoing some kind of treatment. That way, they are better able to understand their treatment and the services and drugs they are using. For insurance purpose, this is even more important. If you know about all these, it will be easier for you to confirm the entire billing involved in your treatment. Sometimes, medical coders as well as insurance companies commit grave mistakes during the billing of a certain patient's treatment, which is sometimes very problematic for the patient and his relatives. So, it is also important for patients to know what is going on during the billing process.

by: Elyse Hartman

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