Gastroenterologists are some of the busiest healthcare providers in any practice, and according to a 2023 Physician Compensation Report, these providers spend up to 13 hours a week on administration and paperwork. A medical coding services company can help reduce the administrative load on these practitioners and help them focus on their skills and expertise.
Medical coding is a part of everyday RCM services and helps convert patient data and services into readable codes that the payers can use to process claims. CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes are undoubtedly the most common types of codes generated by coders for gastroenterology services.
Gastroenterology CPT codes
Gastroenterology CPT CODES are five-digit codes and are a combination of numerical and alphanumerical digits. There are three categories of these codes to know about.
Category I – these codes correspond to the actual services or procedures performed.
Category II – these alphanumeric codes are supplemental and correspond to performance enhancement.
Category III – these are for assessment and data collection and for payment of new services and procedures that aren’t included in the Category I codes.
Here are some of the commonly used CPT codes in gastroenterology.
Gastroenterology coding strategies for 2023
An Experian survey mentions that 42% of RCM experts rank coding errors as an important reason for denials. Denials directly damage the existence of practices, decreasing their potential for generating revenues and creating chaos in the revenue cycle.
Investing in the right coding strategies can instantly bring a difference to the denial numbers and help practices plant a firm foot in the industry they are in.
If you are a medical coding services company, here are the top coding strategies for the gastroenterology department to remember.
One of the vital strategies that will help healthcare practices financially and reputation-wise is focusing on coding compliance. Compliance refers to the codes meeting the state and federal laws and regulations and avoiding over-coding and under-coding.
Right now, the laws are rigorous, and the impacts of wrong codes are severe. Repeated issues with the codes generated by the medical coding services company can lead to the practice being audited for fraud and intentional errors. If this is proven, then the legal hassles can be huge.
Work only with coding companies that understand the severity of non-compliance and have practices in place to ensure the codes are perfect and compliant.
A study by Cisco states that 74% of patients are more comfortable using telehealth services instead of traditional in-patient visits. A survey by the American Hospital Association also mentions the same.
With telehealth going to be the future, medical coding services companies need the expertise to handle the codes exclusively for telehealth services.
Suppose you are a gastroenterology practice considering coding audits as mandatory sessions, this has to change this year. Coding auditing can change the existing coding processes tremendously, infusing efficiency and precision into the whole operation.
While coding audits are primarily for ensuring the practice follows proper policies and procedures, regular auditing can help improve the process too.
A medical coding services company that invests in internal and third-party audits can identify existing and possible problem areas before they blow up big.
It can throw light on revenue-affecting issues like unbundling and under-coding. Correcting these will instantly help improve revenues.
Modifiers can break or make the coding process. Modifiers are used when a specific alteration is done to the procedure that renders increased billing. When modifiers are not used correctly, the medical coding services company cannot justify why their client must be paid more for a service rendered.
The strategic use of modifiers in the gastroenterology segment will help practices improve revenues without changing services.
Any medical coding services company that invests in the training and development of its coders is a brand that practices can confidently associate themselves with. This is because the more training and learning the coders undergo, the better their expertise will be in handling complex codes.
Medical coding is a segment of RCM that keeps getting upgraded every year. When the CPT and ICD codes are reworked, the coders must update themselves to stay relevant in the market. Just like physicians, coders must constantly learn, unlearn, and relearn.
That’s why learning and development become a necessary investment that medical coding services companies must focus on. This is a long-term strategy that is going to build the reputation of these service providers among clients.
Takeaways
Gastroenterology is a busy and challenging department in healthcare with patients walking in for a multitude of health conditions. Gastroenterologists are already overworked, and association with an incompetent medical coding services company will add to their stress levels and bring down the department’s overall efficiency.
Quintessence Business Solutions and Services (QBSS) is one of India’s growing and competent RCM service providers, and our focus remains on end-to-end revenue cycle management, including coding and auditing services.
Our team goes through multiple levels of learning sessions, including traditional classroom training, on-the-job training, and monitoring and mentoring sessions.
Want to know the difference QBSS can bring to your coding process? Get in touch with us right away.
