The healthcare industry has been unregulated for years, which has created a big hurdle in reimbursement and claims. Technological advancements in the healthcare industry have paved the way for accurate medical billing and coding. Medical coding is one such development that has been a crucial addition for healthcare providers and insurance companies.
Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) coding is a specific coding system that calculates diagnosis code by assessing and calculating patients’ risk scores. However, HCC coding is a complex process, and one needs to be assigned based on ICD-10-CM codes. This ensures that healthcare providers are getting paid appropriately for their care. This blog will highlight key facets of HCC medical coding.
Exploring Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) Coding
HCC coding is a risk-adjustment model that assesses the expected healthcare cost of a patient based on the severity of their illness. HCC systems classify the severity and complexity of a patient’s illness and assign a specific diagnosis code. However, patients’ demographic location is also considered while HCC coding, impacting reimbursement for healthcare providers and health plans.
Importance of HCC Medical Coding
Risk Adjustment
HCC medical coding plays a vital role in risk adjustment. This facilitates payment adjustments to healthcare providers according to the health status of patients. For instance, patients with complex health needs receive higher payments in their health plans. Based on the HCC medical coding, healthcare providers adequately pay for the care they provide. Moreover, these systems also protect health plans from adverse selection, as providers are incentivized to care for sicker patients.
Quality Improvement
HCC encourages an accurate diagnosis code that helps healthcare organizations improve patient care. This emphasizes managing the chronic condition more effectively.
Accurate Documentation
Healthcare providers must be aware of patients’ health conditions, and HCC coding helps achieve this. This promotes accurate and comprehensive documentation of patients’ conditions, justifying medical services. This encourages better patient care and improved outcomes.
Steps Involved in HCC Coding
Gathering Patients Data
As said, “data is new oil,” gathering patients’ comprehensive data is the first step. This includes patients’ medical history, severity, diagnosis, procedure, and demographic location. These data provide a complete and accurate picture of patients’ health status, aiding in proper medical coding.
Diagnosis Coding
This is the second step after collecting all the necessary information. This data helps to assign a diagnosis code based on. However, this demands a thorough understanding of ICD-10-CM codes sets. Also, one must apply the correct code in each condition. Since diagnosis coding is the foundation of the HCC coding process, it is essential to ensure the accuracy of the code.
Mapping to HCC Categories
This is the third step after assigning the diagnosis code. One must match the diagnosed ailments with the corresponding Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCC) for risk scoring. In different HCC categories, a patient’s medical conditions are evaluated based on the severity of illness, helping to determine the risk score.
Calculating Risk Score
The next and final step is to calculate the risk score of every patient. While calculating risk factors, one must consider the proper weighting factors and algorithms specified by the HCC model. The risk score demonstrates the overall health status of a patient, which is very helpful for reimbursement and risk adjustment.
Things to Consider for Successful Medical Coding
- Attention to Details
While doing medical coding and billing, one must be focused enough to grab all the details, including tiny ones. This empowers coders to identify and interpret medical procedures, helping in accurate diagnosis codes. A small mistake in coding can lead to significant errors in billing, resulting in lost revenue.
- Medical Terminology
Professionals who are responsible for medical coding and billing must have an understanding of medical terminology. Since they need to go through various medical terms, they must identify and comprehend them. A better understanding of medical terminology helps in accurate billing and effective communication of patients and healthcare providers.
- Understanding of Coding System
Medical professionals must be proficient in various coding systems. However, ICD-10-CM code sets are one of them and widely used for calculating the diagnosis code. Moreover, coders must be up-to-date with various coding systems, which help in accurate coding and billing.
- Analytics Skill
Coding and billing professionals must possess excellent analytical skills. This skill helps them analyze medical records and insurance claims without discrepancies.
- Understanding of Insurance Policy
A solid understanding of insurance policies and procedures helps professionals with accurate billing and coding. It is essential to be familiar with different insurance plans and policies.
Leveraging New Age Technologies
HCC coding is continuously developed in technological advancement to ensure accurate risk adjustment methodologies. New technology, such as AI and NLP, has paved the way for better and more accurate coding.
The NLP (Natural Language Processing) model analyzes and generates vast data. This identifies the pattern and predicts the risk score accurately. The new age technology has enabled real-time risk assessment, proactive intervention, and better resources.
Concluding Remarks!
HCC coding plays a vital role in medical billing and reimbursement. This ensures better resource allocation and patient care. With the help of HCC coding, healthcare providers are compensated adequately for caring for patients.