Charge capture scorecard: four numbers and five questions

By HMI LLC

Charge-entry delays and revenue leakage are common across healthcare facilities, particularly in high-risk areas such as the emergency department, operating rooms, and pharmacy. Because coders are often the final reviewers of the medical record, they are well positioned to identify missed or inconsistent charges.

Enter your four numbers, answer the five workflow questions, and see which targets you meet and which steps are missing.

This is a self-check, not an audit. It reflects your answers only. Do not enter patient information anywhere on this page.

Your four numbers

Charge capture rate

Target 98% or higher

Your number (%) We don't track this

Enter a number from 0 to 100.

Charge lag time

Target fewer than 2 days

Your number (days) We don't track this

Enter a number of days, 0 or more.

Clean claim rate

Target 95% or higher

Your number (%) We don't track this

Enter a number from 0 to 100.

Denied claims

Target below 5%

Your number (%) We don't track this

Enter a number from 0 to 100.

Your charge capture workflow

Service delivery: does documentation support the clinician's examination, all procedures performed, medications administered, and supplies used?

Yes Partly No

Point-of-care documentation: does your EMR generate charges from documentation for as many items as possible?

Yes Partly No

Charge entry and coding: do coders review the record against the charges, capture omissions, and query providers about incomplete, ambiguous, or conflicting documentation before releasing the claim?

Yes Partly No

Claim scrubbing: before final release, does a scrubber in your EMR or clearinghouse review each claim for payer-specific edits?

Yes Partly No

Coder quality reviews: does your coding team have quality reviews on a set schedule, at least annually?

Yes Partly No

See my result

Related reading: Charge Capture Best Practices for Acute Care