Coding is an integral function of the US healthcare system. It refers to the process of transforming medical information into alphanumeric figures. Today, hospitals use the ICD-10-CM code system to describe the type of services received by patients. However, the rules of coding vary between inpatient and outpatient services. Standardization improves efficiency with coding through the coordination of activities, faster sharing of patient information, and routinization of the process, which is significantly different from the inpatient versus outpatient coding.
A standardized coding system has a uniform set of rules and procedures, leading to improved efficiency in various ways. Firstly, similar procedures are used in the coding process; thus there is greater coordination of activities within the concerned department (Zijian, 2018). For example, the coding process can be divided into specific identifiable tasks and handled by different individuals in the hospital. Secondly, a standardized coding system improves communication efficiency in the organization through the establishment of a common ground of the stakeholders (Wears, 2017). Undoubtedly, health professionals are aware of the regulations of the coding process; thus, they provide the necessary information needed to complete the process. Moreover, standardization leads to the routinization of the coding procedures; hence institutions develop accumulated knowledge. When the same coding system is used over time, the risk of error significantly declines. Therefore, the hospital's efficiency increases. A standardized coding system is different from the inpatient and outpatient system that has different rules. A key difference in the latter is the coding of inconclusive conditions. Under outpatient coding, probable conditions are not recognized by the outpatient coding system, but they are included in inpatient services (Jurek, & Mosay,2017). Sop a standardized coding system is superior to the inpatient and outpatient approaches.
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References
Jurek, J. & Mosay, S. (2017). Conquer medical coding 2018 : A Critical Thinking Approach with Coding Simulations , F. A. Davis Company, 2017.
Wears, R. L. (2015). Standardisation and its discontents. Cognition, technology & work , 17 (1), 89-94.
Zijian, W. (2018). The influence of patient absorptive capacity and perception of technology characteristics on patients' satisfaction with medical services in Guangzhou, China: an affordance theory based approach.
