When Carolyn Taggett, RHIT, director of health information services at Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent, found that it sometimes took weeks for coders to receive answers to their physician queries, she decided there had to be a better way.
Establishing coder productivity standards can be challenging if you don't know where to begin. There are many factors affecting productivity levels, from record type to the tools coders have available to them.
However, establishing fair standards for your coders is important, as is knowing whether your department is running efficiently.
HCPro conducted a detailed benchmarking survey earlier this year of HIM directors and managers nationwide to bring you the latest information on coder productivity levels and standards so you can compare your department to its peers.
Test your knowledge of HIPAA: Is it permissible to leave voice messages on patients' home or work phones reminding them of appointments? Is it okay to use stickers on the outside of a patient's chart to remind us of his or her payer source? I need to take copies of documents home to finish up my clinical notes. Is this a violation of HIPAA?
