Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Help your office get paid when doc makes your job easier. Coders ask questions all the time they could have answered easily, if only the physician had written his endoscopy report in language a coder understands. Some doctors just aren't fluent in Coderese. They know what belongs in a report from a medical standpoint, but they're not always thinking in a reimbursement frame of mind. Here are a handful of tips to help you teach your physician our ways. If your physicians follow these simple guidelines when writing up their endoscopies, the whole office will save time and trouble. 1. Don't Skimp on the Polyps Did your gastroenterologist remove several polyps? Or biopsy one and destroy others? The phrase "multiple polypectomies" confuses the issue and doesn't give you enough information to code. Your physician needs to get in the good habit of detailing where the polyps were and what method [...]