Online Medical Coding Tools

According to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), "coding is the transformation of verbal descriptions of diseases, injuries and procedures into numeric or alphanumeric designations (www.ahima.org/coding/)." Aside from being a critical component of patient care, medical research and education, medical codes are the foundation for billing and reimbursement. Below are a number of online sites devoted to the different coding systems and tools to help you navigate through the coding process.

Coding Fundamentals

• To understand the coding process and be able to locate and assign a code, you need a basic understanding of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology. Medical terminology is used to signify parts of the body and their locations, medical diagnoses, instruments, procedures, protocols and treatments within the medical field. Medical terms generally involve the word root, prefix, suffix and combining vowel. The Classical World in Medical Terminology, from the University of Texas (http://sites.la.utexas.edu/medterms/), provides a comprehensive overview of medical terminology. The site is also a valuable tool for anatomy and physiology; covering the: Integumentary System, Musculoskeletal System, Cardiovascular System, Blood and Lymph Systems, Respiratory System, Nervous System, Endocrine System, Gastrointestinal System, Urinary System and Reproductive Systems. When it comes to navigating the coding manuals, having a familiarity with the above is important.

Coding Systems

• The most commonly used coding systems are Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), International Classification of Diseases (ICD), and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPSC). The sites and tools that will be most helpful to you are those containing data on the specific system you're using. Although complete coding manuals have to be purchased, the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, provides a list of the codes alongside links that take you to the organization or association which oversees the specific code. The best resources can be found by going straight to the source; visit the
  World Health Organization's (www.who.int/en/) site for ICD codes, the American Medical Association (www.ama-assn.org/) for CPT, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
  (www.cms.hhs.gov) regarding HCPSC. Furthermore, the American Health Information Management Association's "Coding Education Program Approval Manuel" is an invaluable tool that provides information pertaining to all of the coding systems, categories, and guidelines.

Additional Sources

• Sites such as DocOfficeRx (www.docofficerx.com) offer online medical coding and practice management tools, however, users are required to pay a fee after their free trial has expired. Though, JustCoding.com (www.justcoding.com) and the website of the American Academy of Professional Coders (www.aapc.com) are member-based, both sites provide a number of tools and links that can be accessed at no cost. Although not as thorough, FlashCode.com is a free site that contains information on the different coding systems; including Overviews, Section Headings and Guidelines, Alphabetical and Tabular Indexes, and Search Options to look up codes.