With a looming October changeover to ICD-10 on the horizon, a well-trained group of medical coders will "make or break your transition into this new reality," writes Brad Justus, for ICD10monitor.com.
Mr. Justus, an enterprise account executive at himagine solutions, the largest coding company in the country, says that it's alarming that this crucial resource — capable medical coders — is in short supply, however.
To prove his point, Mr. Justus says that job postings for coders have more than doubled, going from 14,412 in January 2010 to 31,638 in December of 2013.
Mr. Justus' advice to allay your fears? Five bits of counsel:
1. "If you have not already, provide or invest in ICD-10 training right now."
2. "Start dual coding now, or increase the amount of dual coding you already are doing. Education is great, but practice makes perfect."
3. "In a world in which coder demand already outpaces supply, the time is now to offer incentives for your best coders to stay with your organization."
4. "If you do not offer remote coding and flexible schedules, do so now."
5. "Offer opportunities for cross-training and upward mobility. Many coders get pigeonholed into coding only one chart type and have to leave to get an opportunity to expand their knowledge base."
For more medical coding, billing and collection news:
Lincoln County Health System preps for ICD-10 update
Cassi Birnbaum elected president of American Health Information Management Association board
NurseWise signs agreement with Health Navigator