Senior Manager Traci Waugh and Project Coordinator Emily Grover recently published an article in the Journal of Health Care Compliance, a national bimonthly publication that provides current and emerging trends and issues related to healthcare compliance.
Waugh and Grover state, “Paperwork is often considered a distracting waste of valuable time” for medical professionals who are focused on providing needed care for patients. The authors suggest, however, that a deeper understanding of the goals regarding documentation can make paperwork less burdensome.
In the article, the authors provide helpful questions providers can ask regarding the coding and billing phases of documentation along with concise explanations about the necessity of each documentation requirement.
In the initial coding phase, for example, Waugh and Grover explain providers could ask several questions, including
“Does the documentation support the medical necessity of the treatment provided and billed? Those reviewing a patient through the documentation, rather than through interaction, can only judge the situation through those documents. Supporting medical necessity in them gives everyone a stable foundation for their review.”
The Journal of Health Care Compliance is published by Wolters Kluwer. The article is in the January/February 2024 issue, which is available to subscribers of the journal.
If you would like assistance in healthcare regulatory requirements or any other matter related to healthcare compliance and strategy, one of our executives would be happy to assist. You may email them below or call (800) 270-9629.
