General Surgery Coding Alert

Question: The physicians and billers in my office don't practice open communication, and it's leading to a lot of red tape when reporting. How important is open communication, and how can a busy office achieve it?

New York Subscriber Answer: If the coders, billing staff and physicians in your office lead separate coding lives, you're bound to hit reimbursement snags you could have easily avoided.

To keep your office in compliance, billers, coders and physicians should work as a unit. It can be hard to keep everyone informed of new coding and billing policies, but hands-on, interactive training sessions can pack loads of information into limited time for busy physicians and other staffers.

Interactive chart reviews, for example, are a great training tool. During an interactive chart review, the physician sits down and reviews an E/M note to identify the key elements. This activity gives the physician a chance to see what information he needs to include so coders can do their jobs accurately.

-- Reader Question and You be the Expert were reviewed by Catherine Brink, CMM, CPC, president of Healthcare Resource Management in Spring Lake, N.J.