Major Healthcare Coding Systems Used In Medical Coding

Oct 12
08:19

2011

Kelsey Libby

Kelsey Libby

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The process of medical coding has become common place in healthcare facilities around the world. As such, the demand for certified medical coding professionals continues to rise. Read on to learn more about this growing industry and the benefits of medical coding training and certification opportunities.

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In today's medical world,Major Healthcare Coding Systems Used In Medical Coding Articles it is impossible to cater to all the patients and keep the system in order, without the help of medical coding. There are many diseases out there and they all have different symptoms and procedures for treatment, so there has to be a system which aims to collect all this information in one format and then make it easier to go through. With codes for all the diseases and treatments, it becomes much easier to keep a record of all the patients and what they are going through.

There are some major healthcare coding systems, which are used in medical coding. One of these is the Current Procedure Terminology, also known as CPT. These codes are developed by the American Medical Association and are numeric codes. These codes are used for the inpatient or outpatient procedures that a person has to go through. For example, if a patient needs outpatient psychotherapy, he will have a different code than one who needs a cancer biopsy. These codes are focused on the procedures that have to be done, not on the actual symptoms or the disease itself.

Another medical coding system used is the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System or the HCPCS. These also deal with the procedures, but go one step ahead to include all the supplies and tools needed by the patients. For example, if a person needs an ambulance, wheelchair or prosthetics, it can be identified by the HCPCS. These codes are also developed by the American Medical Association, and include the further details which are not included in the CPT codes. These can also include any medications, which are required by the patients.

The codes used for diagnosis and inpatient procedures are known as the ICD codes. Till a few years back, the ICD 9 was used, which is now termed as obsolete and the ICD 10 codes are now used. ICD codes are also used on death certificates in order to identify the cause of death. These codes are widely used by the World Health Organization as well for collection of data and comparison.

Medical coding is important not only for record keeping but for other purposes as well. Without proper codes, it is difficult to assess how much a patient needs to pay and how much the insurance company needs to pay for the claims. With codes, the whole process is made numerical which is much more organized and easy.