Testimonials
"I have had the privilege of working with HMI for twenty plus years and have always found their representatives to be professional and knowledgeable in all aspects of acute hospital and professional service charge master management. Additionally ongoing coding related reviews and billing reviews and associated report backs are timely and positively impact appropriate revenue capture - billing - and compliance." "I recommend HMI to be considered when choosing a partner to assist with the...
Greg Yost, PFS Director Princeton Community Hospital, Princeton WV
We have utilized HMI Corp. since 2002 for consultation services related to chargemaster review and updates and have always found their services to be professional of nature and valuable to our organization.
https://www.starrregional.com/
David Alley, CFO Athens Regional Medical Center, Athens TN
We recently transitioned to HMI from another Physician Documentation & Coding Compliance Review vendor, and the entire experience has been positive. HMI has been extremely accommodating throughout the process and has demonstrated a willingness to adapt to our workflows, leading to a seamless transition. We’ve received positive feedback from our providers about their experiences with HMI, and the Coding Hotline has been an invaluable resource. For anyone looking for a new consulting partner,...
http://www.heritagemedical.com/
Dawn Chrismer, RHIT, CHC, CCS-P Director of Business Services/Compliance Officer Heritage Medical Associates, Nashville, TN
HMI has been a very reliable resource for Princeton Community Hospital for many, many years. I have had the opportunity to work with many staff members and have found all to be reliable and courteous in every aspect. The staff is very flexible and provides Princeton Community with the support and coding stability needed. Thank you for the sometime short notices for coding coverage when unexpected situations arise with our staff. We thank you for your coding expertise as well as your...
Denise Moore, CCS Coding Manager Princeton Community Hospital
I’ve worked with HMI employing them to conduct audits of physician documentation and coding. They have consistently produced quality work in a very timely fashion with reports that were well written and easy to understand. Communication has always been prompt and effective. I have such confidence in their work that, over the years, I brought them from my prior location to my current location. I would recommend HMI to anyone in need of accurate and timely coding or auditing.
https://www.stchristophershospital.com
Robert C. Kay, RRT, MBA, MJ, CHC, CPC-A Chief Compliance Officer St. Christopher\'s Hospital for Children
“I have had the privilege of working with HMI over the past 10+ years with two different health systems. I have used HMI for hospital CDM and compliance reviews as well as physician coding reviews and education. I always receive top-notch service from the HMI team and I appreciate working with a partner that is always honest and responsive to my questions and needs. I have worked with Mary Quimby and Vickie Faler and both have proven to be very knowledgeable, accessible, and...
https://williamsonmedicalcenter.org/
Rodney Adams, MMCH, Associate Administrator of Finance Williamson Medical Center
HMI has been a great partner with MedStar Washington Hospital Center now for many years. We can always count on them to provide us with support on small to very large projects. HMI delivers consistent and honest results and additionally provides very thoughtful & targeted education to our physicians.
https://www.medstarwashington.org/
Purvi Jani AVP Reporting and Revenue Cycle MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Having worked in healthcare revenue cycle for more than three decades, I have partnered with many vendors. My vendor of choice for CDM Review, E/M Coding Compliance and Physician Education is without a doubt HMI, LLC. Mary Quimby and Vickie Faler are not only subject matter experts, they are true partners providing that extra level of service that sets them far above others in the industry. I have worked with them for 15+ years in 5 different acute facilities, and multi-specialty physician...
MaryAnn Hastings, CPMA, Director Revenue Cycle Operations, Galen Medical Group
We have been working with HMI since 2010 and have expanded the use of their services to include CDM and ED Coding. The HMI coding staff is extremely knowledgeable and has become an integral part of our coding team. Our consultant Beth never shies away from any CDM project that comes her way. We appreciate the professionalism and teamwork we have with HMI.
https://monadnockcommunityhospital.com/
Janet Willis, Director of Revenue Management, Monadnock Community Hospital
We have utilized HMI’s for chargemaster compliance and billing reviews for nearly 10-years. We have always found that their staff to be knowledgeable, resourceful and professional in all services provided to our organization.
https://www.muhealth.org/locations/university-hospital
Jessica Mayfield, Manager Revenue Management University of Missouri Health Care
Medical Coding with Artificial Intelligence: The New Frontier of Medical Coding
Artificial Intelligence could change Medical Coding in the future
Artificial intelligence has solved countless human challenges – and medical coding might be next.
As organizations prepare for ICD-11, medical coding is about to become more complicated. Healthcare organizations in the United States already manage 140,000+ codes in ICD-10. With ICD-11, that number will rise.
Some propose artificial intelligence as a solution. AI could aid computer-based medical coding systems, identifying errors, enhancing patient care, and optimizing revenue cycles, among other benefits.
Today, we’re highlighting some of the ways in which artificial intelligence could change medical coding in the future.
How Artificial Intelligence Could Smooth the Launch of ICD-11
It’s impossible for humans to memorize the 140,000+ codes in ICD-10. With ICD-11, we’ll see more codes, making things even more complicated.
The coding of medical diagnosis and treatment has never been easy. In fact, it’s one area where many organizations struggle. Poor coding can lead to missed revenue opportunities. It can impact patient safety, increase insurance denials, and harm reputation.
Could artificial intelligence solve these problems? According to a report from Forbes, medical coding with artificial intelligence is closer than you think – and AI is already solving medical coding challenges for organizations around the world.
First, it helps to understand what ICD-11 is and why it’s important.
International medical organizations currently use the ICD-10 medical coding standard. It’s the tenth version of the International Classification of Disease codes. ICD-10 was created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has 10,000+ codes available for diagnosis and treatment.
The next version of ICD has already been approved for implementation. WHO member states voted to implement ICD-11 in May 2019, and implementation will begin in WHO member states – including the United States – in January 2022.
ICD-11 is a significant change from ICD-10. It contains four times more diagnostic codes: instead of the 10,000+ codes in ICD-10, healthcare organizations will have 55,000 diagnostic codes from which to choose.
In America, medical coding is even more complicated. There is an enhanced version of ICD-10 specific to the United States. This version has over 140,000 classification codes, including roughly 70,000 codes for diagnosis and 70,000 codes for treatment. It’s possible the American version of ICD-11 could have several times that number.
Could Artificial Intelligence Help?
It’s already impossible for a human being to memorize the 140,000 codes in America’s ICD-10 medical coding system. In fact, it’s impossible for someone to memorize the 10,000 codes in the international version of ICD-10.
That’s why medical coders rely on code books. They thumb through a book or scan a database of codes to find the most appropriate code for the services performed.
Complicating things further is the fact that the same medical service can qualify for multiple codes. Depending on interpretation, there may be multiple ways to code a service.
Some suggest using artificial intelligence to help. As AI becomes smarter and more powerful, many healthcare organizations are turning to artificial intelligence.
Over the past 20 years, healthcare organizations have increasingly adopted computer-assisted coding systems. These systems recommend codes and identify coding errors.
By enhancing these systems with artificial intelligence, organizations can optimize revenue cycle management, avoid coding errors, and enhance patient care.
Artificial intelligence could:
• Identify inconsistent code usage within an organization
• Spot coding errors
• Identify the use of a rare or unique code
• Automatically recommend codes based on the services performed
• Provide actionable data on code usage, patient activity, and medical services performed
• Track codes within a patient’s history to avoid manual code entry with every visit
Overall, artificial intelligence could perform a role similar to contract medical coding specialists, helping healthcare organizations identify missed opportunities.
How Contract Medical Coding Specialists Help
Artificial intelligence will aid medical coding in the future. Today, however, healthcare organizations rely on medical coding specialists to help.
Contract medical coding specialists can implement better systems for inpatient, outpatient, same-day surgeries, ancillary departments, and physician E/M.
Unfortunately, not all medical coding services are alike. Some medical coding specialists have just a few months of training. Others have years or decades of experience.
By hiring the right medical coding specialist, healthcare organizations can optimize revenue cycle management, avoid coding issues, and enhance patient care.
Final Word: Hire a Medical Contract Coding Specialist Today
Like it or not, medical coding is becoming increasingly complex. With the launch of ICD-11, things could become more complex in the near future.
To help your organization prepare for future medical coding challenges, contact our medical coding specialists at HMI, LLC today. With decades of experience optimizing medical coding, HMI, LLC helps healthcare organizations capture missed revenue opportunities and avoid coding errors.