How computer assisted coding can lead to payer compliance and improve your bottom line

 The health care industry is full of acronyms that describe medications, organizations, procedures, and technology. If you are a part of an integrated health clinic you might be familiar with the acronym CAC, which translates to computer-assisted coding.  CAC is a type of software that analyzes health care documents and automatically produces medical codes for specific phrases within the documents.

CAC coding uses natural language processing (NLP) which can analyze and interpret unstructured, or free text health care data. Traditionally, medical codes were manually recorded by coders. But with the shift to technology-driven health care, there are several benefits to CAC software, including:

1. Effectiveness and ease. Are you a coder who scribbles down medical codes on countless sticky notes for easy reference? With CAC software, the burden of remembering countless medical codes is eliminated. CAC automatically identifies modifiers to populate the proper medical codes. The system also takes documentation context into consideration to determine whether a phrase or term needs to be coded. For example, the software can detect when “diabetes” refers to a diagnosis, which needs to be coded, versus when it refers to a patient’s family history, which does not.
2. Accurate and accelerated coding and billing. Around 15-45% of clinical documentation has missing or erroneous information, according to Open Minds The system relieves clinicians of the burden of remembering and guessing the proper code by highlighting terminology and recommending the right codes to use. Its primary function is to decrease coding errors with built-in alerts and required fields. This, in turn, saves time. When you save time on administrative tasks, it allows staff and clinicians to focus on caring for patients.
3. Cost efficiency. Automated coding ensures accurate billing, which lowers costs for both patient and payer. It also safeguards against inaccurate funding, which can prevent a clinic from offering or continuing to offer certain services.

AXiOM, automates the tedious tasks of a practice, breaking down barriers to patient care and employee satisfaction. With the artificial intelligent solution embedded into progress notes, it quickly processes claims and easily displays all information that’s easy for everyone in your practice to understand. 

By removing the need for providers and staff to take the time to accurately code all terms and phrases, AXiOM does the work for you, driving profitability, productivity and better patient outcomes.

Request an AXiOM demo today to learn more. In part two of the CAC blog series, we’ll look at how Covid-19 transformed medical billing and coding.

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