Question

Create a definition of coding accuracy in your own words and two examples of how inaccurate coding might impact billing or reimbursement for the facility and physicians. Next create a definition of data quality and two examples of how poor data quality might impact coding, billing, or the medical record.  

Answer 1

Coding accuracy

             * It is a measurement of correctness or exactness of a coded health information

               in medical coding.

Examples of inaccurate coding.

        * If a surgeon provide regional anesthesia before his surgical procedure for a patient

          then perfoming the surgical procedure and the coder fail to add modifier 47 to surgeons

         procedure code.

       * A patient undergo extraoral incision and drainage of abscess of the floor of mouth at the

         sublingual area which is represented by code 41015 but the coder code 41000 which is a

         code for intraoral incision and drainage of abscess in lingual area.

Data quality

       * It is a standard of data which is measured by checking the completeness,reliability,relevance

         and accuracy of data.

Examples of poor data quality

        * During recording of physical examination findings of a patient nurse begin to record only the

          positive findings observed during examination and fail to mention negative results in the physical

          examination.( If negative findings are not recorderd then it is considered as not done.)

       * A patient admitted in the hospital for the treatment of a HIV related condition and during coding

        of her health data coder avoid to use code B20 as a principal diagnosis code.( it result in billing

        problems during reimbursement process.)