1. How to Find an Ideal
Medical Coding Company
Various factors play an
important role in the
selection of a good medical
coding company. This article
lists the top considerations to
have in mind when choosing
medical coding services.

2. You may find this question repeating itself in your mind if you are
struggling to meet your coding requirements with your existing
in-house team. Medical coding is an intricate process that should
be handled very carefully and with utmost professionalism. That is
why many healthcare providers falter when it comes to accurate
medical billing and coding, and decide to outsource this complex
task to a reliable medical coding company.
Medical Billing and Coding Challenges
Let us take the example of a radiology coding. Now, there are
challenges highly specific to coding for the radiology specialty.
Diagnostic radiologists read and interpret a large number of
studies. Their dictations therefore usually comprise only a few
words, which makes it difficult for coders. Orders from physicians
needed to determine the medical necessity of the diagnostic study
may be unavailable. Sometimes there is high confusion regarding
what was ordered and what was performed actually. Among the
toughest challenges are using modifiers accurately, and
identifying obsolete diagnostic and procedure codes very often
used by hospitals/imaging centers that don’t stay updated.

3. When coding is done in-house by professionals who are not
trained, these challenges swell to mammoth proportions and lead
to erratic coding.
What Is the Solution?
The practical solution is to find a professional medical coding
company with many years’ experience in the field. However,
choosing the ideal medical coding services is not easy. While it is
true that outsourcing brings benefits such as improved revenue,
reduction in workload and better performance, hiring a medical
coding company is a serious task. To ensure maximum
reimbursement via submitting claims devoid of any errors, the
partnership should be with an experienced medical billing firm.
Understanding your actual requirements is important before
searching for a service provider. The hired medical coding firm
should be able to efficiently handle your medical coding. For
diagnostic radiology coding, you must be ensured the services of
a team of certified coders specialized in diagnostic radiology
coding. They should be able to provide accurate coding services
for subspecialties such as CAT, MRI, PET, ultrasound and
mammography, following the related coding guidelines and
regulations

4. Identifying the Right Medical Coding Services
Whether radiology or any other medical specialty, there are some
general guidelines you can follow to ensure that you are teaming
up with the ideal outsourcing partner. Interacting with their
staff and questioning them will help you learn more about their
coding proficiency and experience. Here are a few questions you
can ask your provider.
 Is the company aware about the applicable regulations?
 Does the company update itself on policy and code changes?
 Which procedures and diagnoses has the company coded the
most?
 How many cases dose the company code every day?
 What is the company’s accuracy rate in terms of coding?
 Is the company a certified one?

5. Some Important Factors to Take into Account
 Accuracy
A great amount of accuracy is required when coding medical
diagnoses and procedures. It is the only way of ensuring
maximum reimbursement. Checking the company’s statistics will
give you an idea about its accuracy percentage.
 Security
Importance should be given for maintaining the confidentiality and
security of sensitive patient information. Find out what reliable
security measures the medical coding company has in place.
 Data should be available round-the-clock
A reliable company is one which provides round-the-clock
accessibility to data, apart from ensuring accuracy and security.
 Experience
One of the major factors to be considered before hiring the
services of a medical coding company is their experience.
Company with long-term experience will ensure coding in
compliance with federal government standards and payer
requirements.

6. Reliability
Make sure that the company enjoys a good reputation. Only such
a company can provide consistent services and excellent ROI.
Technological aspects
As usage of the latest equipment and technology is important,
check whether the hired firm is utilizing the same. Also, whether,
they have the required state-of-the-art infrastructure.
Look for a company that can code your reports within your
required turnaround time. Reputable providers even offer free-of-
charge service to identify your documentation deficiencies and
thereby help to improve the quality of your medical records and
increase reimbursement. Choose medical coding services that
are customized and affordable, help to improve coding accuracy
and reimbursement, and reduce your compliance exposure.
Contact Us
8596 E. 101st Street, Suite H
Tulsa, OK 74133
Main: (800) 670 2809
Fax: (877) 835-5442
E-mail: info@managedoutsource.com
URL: www.outsourcestrategies.com