How to Improve Medical Coding Knowledge

Medical coders ensure that a patient’s medical diagnoses and procedures are assigned appropriate numeric or alphanumeric codes for reporting and billing purposes. A medical coder is not only responsible for understanding the billing side of health care, but also the clinical side with strong knowledge of medical terminology, diseases, and treatments. To accurately assign diagnosis and procedure codes that change annually, it is important for medical coders to work on improving coding and clinical knowledge on a continuous basis.

Things You'll Need

• Current medical coding books
• Medical dictionary (print or online)
• Computer and Internet access

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Instructions

• 1

  Use appropriate resources. It is important to have the most current coding books to provide accurate codes. Obtain a medical dictionary that not only has definitions, but pictures and diagrams of medical terms. Coding publications are also excellent resources. Although not focused solely on coding, publications like “For the Record” and “The Journal of AHIMA” dedicate significant space to coding education. In addition, the U.S. government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides free ICD-9-CM and HCPCS coding information and updates online.

• 2

  Take a seminar or online course. Seminars and courses through professional organizations like the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), American Hospital Association (AHA) or through local community colleges provide fast and often fairly inexpensive ways to improve medical coding knowledge. This education is provided on a regular basis and includes up-to-date information on the latest coding and billing changes within the health care industry. In addition, many are geared toward a specific area or specialty, making it easy to choose which educational opportunities will be the most beneficial.

• 3

  Network within the industry. Get to know other coders in the area. Many regional groups have coding workshops and regular meetings that work on improving coding knowledge. A strong network of coders can be of great assistance when coding questions or issues arise that would benefit from the input of others in the field.

• 4

  Join a professional coding organization. Becoming a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) provides online and print resources that are often included within the membership fee. Additionally, professional organizations have online forums and discussions, a database of coding resources, and ongoing educational opportunities.

• 5

  Become certified. For a commitment to the industry and ongoing education, become a certified coder through reputable organizations (AHIMA, AAPC) or through a local college. For certifications to remain active, they require meeting a set number of educational hours. This means that a certified coder will remain current and knowledgeable on coding topics.