Revenue Cycle Management
Coding
With narrowing profit margins and increasing salaries of highly specialized coding professionals, medical coding efficiency and accuracy is paramount. However, reliance on paper-based documentation and manual processing is prone to time consuming delays and errors.
By digitizing documentation and standardizing the process, OnBase Workflow streamlines coding and improves accuracy; which, in turn, reduces days in A/R and increases cash flow.
Often, chart information may reach a coder in a deficient state, requiring the coder to wait for the information or set aside the chart to request the necessary documentation. If paper-based, the document in question may not easily be retrieved. Inevitably, the coder will move on to another chart having wasted valuable time.
OnBase Workflow applies rules-based routing to the coding process. Coder "worklists" can be created, sorting by rules such as "oldest first." Additionally, data provided from the billing system could allow for worklist sorting by charge information.
Provider organizations can pre-determine which documents must be present prior to having them electronically routed to the coder worklist. OnBase polls the system, automatically checking for the required document(s). Once all related documents are present, the documents for that patient episode will be consolidated and placed in a worklist for coding review. Incomplete charts are held by the system in a "pending" queue, awaiting all required documents. Timers can be set to trigger events while waiting for missing documents.
For example, if the transcription has not arrived 24 hours after receiving the ER Chart and Discharge Summary, OnBase Workflow automatically can send an e-mail notification to the Transcription Department requesting the report. E-mails additionally can be sent to coding supervisors, etc., to raise awareness of aging charts, charts awaiting completion prior to coding or charts with large revenue opportunities, thus preventing charts from getting "lost in the shuffle."
OnBase Workflow can be securely deployed via a thick client, thin client and Citrixå¨. Thin client as well as Citrix deployments allow users the flexibility to have coders work remotely, as well as from their homes, without the need for an outsourced ASP hosted implementation. This flexibility can be a key component as organizations are continually challenged with hiring and retaining coding staff.
Coders interacting with OnBase may do so through a customizable viewer that allows them to interact with the chart information and their encoder software from companies such as 3M and HSS, Inc., or directly with the billing system, often in a side-by-side environment.
By interacting electronically with the documents for coding, OnBase will provide productivity tracking and accountability not previously possible in most manual environments. From the moment a chart or summary enters OnBase it is tracked. Tracking is done at a user level, with time metrics that allow organizations to create productivity reports. In addition, each time a document is accessed or manipulated in any way, i.e., printed, annotated, etc., an audit trail is created, assisting with HIPAA mandates requiring audit trails for all individually identifiable health information.
Documents stored in the OnBase system are simultaneously accessible. Based on user-de?ned security, charts being worked by coders are accessible to other users throughout the hospital. In a manual/paper-based environment, a patient chart being coded would need to be tracked, located and returned or copied should that patient return for additional treatment. With OnBase, that chart will be available instantly by clinicians for secure viewing, while the coder continues processing through OnBase Workflow, increasing the efficiency of the coding process while improving patient safety.
Key Benefits for Coding
- Streamlines coding process with rules-based Workflow
- Coder worklists prioritized based on date of service, charge information, type of denial
- Eliminates re-work done on deficient charts
- Adds efficiency and employee retention with remote coding
- Enables productivity tracking and accountability, ensuring turnaround requirements are always met
- Facilitates HIPAA compliance
- Improves patient safety with instant, simultaneous viewing of chart information
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