The Increasing Role Of Technology In The Medical Coding Process

by SSR TECHVISION Outsourcing Services | Customer Support |

Medical coding refers to the process of reorganizing medical procedures, services, diagnostics, and equipment into alphanumeric codes. The medical codes which are created are therefore universal in nature meaning that the same set of codes exhibit the same meaning in different countries. This allows patients to easily travel to different foreign countries to get themselves treated at affordable costs. A few decades ago, medical coding professionals had to manually translate every single piece of information related to a patient’s visit into a set of medical codes that was required to be stored in hospitals in patient's databases for the purpose of insurance claims.

However, with the advent of technology, the job of medical coders has transformed dramatically in the last couple of years. The medical coding outsourcing companies seem to reap the most benefits of this technology and this has resulted in the coding process getting streamlined. The accuracy level of inpatient records has also been significantly enhanced which has significantly reduced the operational burden on healthcare institutions. However, the increasing number of provisions related to new medical codes every year has only made the life of coders more difficult. This is where the BPO companies have a huge role to play as they make extensive use of the latest technology to ease the work of medical firms. Let us look at a few factors that prove the role of technology in improving the medical coding process.

The Role Of Artificial Intelligence In Medical Coding

A a large number of hospitals and other healthcare organizations have looked to partner with healthcare BPO companies that can be seen exploring machine learning and artificial intelligence-backed Computer-Assisted Coding (CAC) systems. AI will be helpful in highlighting mistakes, fixing wrong codes and gradually assisting the coding experts with real-time feedback to improve the entire process. Some latest reports and surveys also point out that the market for healthcare AI tools will increase drastically in the coming years. Some experts believe that AI can act as a potential threat to medical coding as a profession. However, the leaders of BPO firms strictly believe that technology, especially, AI will only strengthen the work of humans instead of replacing them altogether.

Reducing Operational Costs With The Help Of Technology

The United States spends nearly twice as much on healthcare facilities and services as compared to other developed countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. A significant proportion of this budget goes towards medical billing and medical coding processes. It is also important to note that around 90% of the medical claims have errors which result in the loss of billions of dollars for the country. Healthcare BPO companies have been quick to recognize these figures and have strived to reduce their operational costs with the help of the latest technology. Such outsourcing firms can then transfer the cost benefits to Medical companies so that they can better manage their finances and focus on improving patient care and patient experience.

Training Medical Coders With The Latest Tools

BPO companies often leverage the latest video-conferencing tools to train remote medical coders. This helps them easily manage and train their employees who might be located in different branches spread across the globe. The outsourcing firms also leverage technology during the onboarding of medical coding professionals to improve compliance and improve their efficiency as well as knowledge. Technology has also helped in reducing the overall costs associated with the hiring and training of professionals. Most BPO companies have invested in a single tool that acts as a ‘knowledge center’ for both the new as well as the existing employees. Such tools include all international medical codes, information about medical practices, latest trends and updates in the field of medical coding, etc. Therefore, with the help of technology, BPO firms have become reliable partners for healthcare organizations.