When you receive your doctor小蝌蚪APP檚 bill in the mail, it may look like you have a math problem instead of a health problem. Every diagnosis and service rendered at your appointment is listed in detail along with a series of numbers that may as well be a foreign language.
These numbers - known as diagnostic codes - aren小蝌蚪APP檛 chosen randomly by the doctor小蝌蚪APP檚 office to confuse patients. They are, in fact, very important in charting your problem and may be even more important in figuring out how much of the cost your insurance provider will cover.
UL Lafayette faculty members Anita Hazelwood and Carol Venable know all about this coding system. They know the set of numbers for an appendectomy. They know the set of numbers if you break your big toe.
They also know how to explain this code to Health Information Management professionals in a manner that is easy to understand. Two of their recent training manuals garnered each a Legacy Award from the American Health Information Management Association for doing just that - providing informative information and ideas in a clear, concise manner.
小蝌蚪APP淏oth of their recent publications are an easy read for office employees while maintaining appropriateness for HIM course instruction,小蝌蚪APP according to the AHIMA. Industry professionals agree and have made these training manuals top sellers in the HIM field.
小蝌蚪APP淚n order for health information management professionals to use the coding system, they must understand the guidelines that have to be applied,小蝌蚪APP said Hazelwood, HIM associate professor. 小蝌蚪APP淭hey小蝌蚪APP檝e got to know the coding system and why you pick one code over another. Our manuals explain these guidelines and give examples of the most often occurring cases of miscoding.小蝌蚪APP
Venable explained that proper coding is a necessity for correct insurance reimbursement. 小蝌蚪APP淪o much of insurance reimbursement is tied to coding,小蝌蚪APP said Venable. 小蝌蚪APP淧roper coding ensures proper payment and helps prevent billing fraud.小蝌蚪APP
Hazelwood and Venable received Legacy Awards during the association小蝌蚪APP檚 annual Triumph Awards ceremony for ICD-9-CM Diagnostic Coding and Reimbursement for Physician Services and Basic ICD-9-CM for Physician小蝌蚪APP檚 Office Coding.
They were two of only six HIM professionals honored nationally for their contributions.
小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 very humbling to be recognized by one小蝌蚪APP檚 peers,小蝌蚪APP said Venable, head of UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Health Information Management Department. 小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 a huge honor.小蝌蚪APP
Each year, the pair tackle the issue of updating the manuals. Because diagnostic coding changes constantly, updating is mandatory.
小蝌蚪APP淓ach year, additional codes come out,小蝌蚪APP said Hazelwood. 小蝌蚪APP淪o we have to include these additions in each new edition we author.小蝌蚪APP
The pair noted the new codes are very reflective of what小蝌蚪APP檚 happening in the world at the time. 小蝌蚪APP淣ew codes for this year included bioterrorism, Anthrax and West Nile Virus,小蝌蚪APP said Venable.
Both faculty members have teamed up again to write a preview manual for the latest coding system - ICD-10-CM - which could be implemented as early as 2005.
The AHIMA described the new book as a practical introduction to the new system. 小蝌蚪APP淚n many ways, ICD-10-CM will be a huge improvement over ICD-9-CM, but implementation will require extensive training for healthcare professionals and coding professionals and students alike,小蝌蚪APP according an AHIMA review. 小蝌蚪APP(This book小蝌蚪APP檚) expert authors provide a useful way to introduce the system into the workplace with a variety of training and presentation options, including fact sheets, slides and chapter reviews.小蝌蚪APP
Bradd Clark, dean of the College of Sciences, isn小蝌蚪APP檛 surprised by the high praise for Hazelwood and Venable.
小蝌蚪APP淲e小蝌蚪APP檝e known for years that Carol and Anita are outstanding leaders in their field,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淏ut, an award from your peers is always the warmest accolade of all.小蝌蚪APP