As Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and medical coding automation grow, medical coders and billing staff may be fearful of technology taking over their jobs. At RCxRules, we’re big believers in automated medical coding, but we know that software can never replace a great billing and coding team.
Job responsibilities will inevitably change as teams integrate automation, but we see this as a positive for billing staff, coders, and healthcare organizations as a whole. With technology automating high-volume, mundane work like manual charge review (and, in some cases, charge correction), billers and coders will be free to perform work that is consistent with their level of expertise.
It’s also important to note that to successfully implement medical coding automation like the RCxRules Revenue Cycle Engine, we need your organization-specific billing and coding expertise. Every healthcare organization is unique, with their own medical billing and coding requirements and regulations. We know that no one knows these nuances better than billers and coders. That’s why we work with your teams to leverage this knowledge and use it to improve their day-to-day workload through automation.
Medical coding automation is your revenue cycle management team’s friend, not your foe. Not convinced yet? Here are some more reasons why:
Medical Coding Automation Elevates the Day-to-Day Work of Billing and Coding Teams
Revenue cycle automation frees billers and coders up to perform tasks more consistent with their levels of expertise. Medical coders have immense institutional knowledge. They have to understand anatomy, physiology, medical procedures, and payer procedures and policies on top of their coder-specific knowledge. By automating frequently occurring dull, repetitive processes, billers and coders have more bandwidth to focus on the higher-level work that engages this expertise and utilizes critical thinking. For example, a certified professional coder (CPC) might be tasked with reviewing only the most complex encounters like surgeries.
In addition to a feeling of professional fulfillment, this results in less overtime and stress, and leads to happier employees. As Jackie Bowlds, Billing & Collections Manager at The South Bend Clinic explains, after incorporating RCxRules Revenue Cycle Engine automation “…we increased our output by 31,000 encounters per month without needing additional staff. We couldn’t be happier, especially since morale has increased, too!”
Medical Coding Automation Leads to New Training and Growth Opportunities
This expanded employee bandwidth also opens new opportunities for billing and coding employees. Healthcare organizations can use this extra availability as an opportunity to cross train their team or help their team become more specialized. For example, coders can work towards focusing on specific provider specialties or specific revenue cycle goals.
RCxRules customer Crystal Run Healthcare was able to focus existing billing staff members on assisting in insurance follow-up. “The ability to transfer ten staff members to specifically work on appeals from insurance companies was a true win-win for us,” said says Sue Gillies, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Crystal Run. “The move definitely benefited our A/R and outstanding A/R functions.”
In short, embracing medical coding automation not only strengthens revenue cycle performance but opens up doors for your revenue cycle management and coding staff. Set up a 15-minute meeting to learn more.
