Wiki coding companies

[luvbuix]

we are a moderate size oncology practice which is hospital based. we are thinking of bringing on a surgical oncologist & will need someone to do our pro fee coding for that person. there are many coding companies out there. has anyone had positive experiences with these companies & if so, which ones??

 

[Orthocoderpgu]

Keep in mind that this is my experience. A large company that I worked for used an outside coding company. Their coding was frequently incorrect. The reason is that their CPC's just have to code any specialty that they get assigned. I code ortho surgeries, that's it. I would be lost coding other specialties. We had a different coding company do an audit for us, and the results were terrible. Again I chalked it up to coders being forced to code whatever specialty comes through the door. My suggestion would be to hire a coder for this, even if it's 1099 contract. I knew a couple of coders that worked for a coding company and they confirmed my suspicions, they had to code anything specialty that came through the door. It did not matter if they were proficient with that specialty or not. Hire a coder.

 

[csperoni]

I second the sentiment of @Orthocoderpgu. I would rather hire a less experienced coder who can be trained for surgical oncology coding than deal with an outside coding company that i cannot control. I am a very experienced gynonc coder with also some primary care, urogyn and obgyn experience. If I had a job where Monday I was coding for ortho, Tuesday GI, Wednesday neuro, Thursday peds, Friday cardio, NO ONE (myself included) would think I am a proficient and productive coder. When it's E&M services, the majority of leveling skills carry across specialties. But the diagnosis skills do not and the in depth surgery knowledge definitely does not. For surgical oncology, a coder will need to have or acquire skills in knowledge of several organ systems. If it were me, I would look for someone with some experience in general surgery or GI and a strong desire to learn and expand their skills. Good luck!

 

[amyjph]

I agree with the advice above. The coding is absolutely terrible, and wrong. Like Christine said, if you are talking only E/M office visits, maybe. My experience was also in orthopedics and the practice decided to try and outsource. The results were absolutely horrendous, even for very basic things like fractures and total joints. We had to check and redo most of it, so what's the point? I don't know if maybe you could find a company which can provide specialty specific coders or not, but you would want to audit and really keep a close eye if you decide to go that route.

 

[luvbuix]

that has been my experience also. i was just wondering if it was just me or everybody has had that experience. i've also found that some (most) companies are owned or operated by lawyers, CPAs, MBs, & a host of other non coders. those people are great at running a business but when it comes to coding & compliance not so much!! thank you all for replying & all your advice!!