Home » Blog » A Medical Practitioner’s Essential Guide to COVID-19
Now more than ever, accurate data capture and patient documentation are at all-time peak demand. No one can afford to have missing or misinformation in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic; when there is uncertainty in the world around us. Fortunately, being able to capture and record data accurately can help reduce the burden and alleviate stress for several providers. With the appropriate COVID-19 billing and coding solutions, it can be easier to get things moving with testing, treatment, and other future challenges that may come.
Equipping the medical workforce with the tools and resources that they need is going to streamline communications, which will thereby reduce the costs of reworking and administration. This is more critical now than ever, as budgets are thinner than they have ever been. Unfortunately, until recently, there was a severe lack of resources to help providers understand the value of effective coding and billing solutions during this uncertain time.
This guide will explore the new options available and guidelines that have been set forth regarding the coding and billing of cases related to the novel Coronavirus. It will help providers get a better sense of how to get their billing up to accurate standards, and how a third-party service can assist and cut their costs at the same time. Keep reading to find out everything that you need to know.
COVID-19 Coding and Billing is Evolving
There are many codes already in existence for COVID-19 related medical care and treatment, including the coding for the disease itself. Testing codes have also been created, along with telehealth codes for virtual visits, which is how people are seeing their doctors, primarily, during this time. Keeping up with all of these codes can be tricky, but it’s not something that companies have to do alone. You can enlist the assistance of outsourced medical coding and billing services that are well-versed in the new and upcoming requirements and guidelines related to this virus and how to handle the billing process.
The CDC and CMS are responsible for creating and recognizing the various codes and billing guidelines and have set out to make things as streamlined as possible, both for the sake of record-keeping and for the sake of tracking the virus for future educational purposes. Tracking this uncertain virus requires having as many potential options as possible, which is why dedicated coding and billing are being implemented.
As it stands, the current codes can be found in this document from the AMA on COVID-19 Coding Guidance. This will offer providers insight as to which codes are available when new codes are coming, and how administrators can handle billing and coding for various circumstances in the meantime. Again, with all of the complexities and uncertainties, it may just be best to outsource to a firm that has the time and resources to dedicate to keeping up with the constantly changing guidelines surrounding billing for COVID-19-related treatment and care.
Valenta Offers A Full-Suite Medical Billing and Coding Solution
Our solutions are designed to save effort, time, and money, helping to transform business outcomes and revolutionize the way that companies do business in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now is the best time to capitalize on outsourced solutions that allow you to improve your operations on a remote basis while also reducing your overall costs. In addition to our medical and dental billing services, we offer a full suite of healthcare RCM tools, including:
- EMR and EHR Software
- Collections Solutions
- Audit Software
- CodeMAXX Medical Coding Management
- Well-Care Services and Wellness Programs
- Credentialing
- Transcription and Document Management
- Patient Assessment Tools and Software
Plus, the entire suite includes Valenta’s Remote Data Backup & Recovery solutions, guaranteeing that your information is protected at all times and will be available to recover should anything go wrong. The only difference with our backup is that it sends your information to a remote, secure server instead of to a drive or other media available locally. This increases the security of the backup, as well as its accessibility in a crisis.
Why Adopt
Some people think that now is the time to hold still and do nothing. The uncertainty of the world around us can be intimidating, and some people aren’t sure they should make any serious business moves. However, when it comes to cutting expenses, you are always going to benefit. Especially now, when you may be out of regular operations or running on a limited budget, you need to save every penny that you can. By choosing digital solutions like outsourced medical billing and coding services, you will be preparing your business for any crisis and giving yourself more peace of mind than you might realize.
When you have 100% accuracy in your coding and billing, you can ensure that everything will be processed accordingly. Patients will get the treatment and services that they need, and efforts will be streamlined across the board. No one knows how long this pandemic will continue, or how much worse it will get before it starts getting better. This is the time to get things in order so that your healthcare workforce is ready to tackle everything that is coming your way.
It’s Now or Never
By taking the time to find appropriate billing and coding solutions now and ensure that your records are accurate, you’ll guarantee prompt payments and fewer issues down the road when it comes to billing and getting paid. There may eventually be restrictions put on the use of these codes, or the codes could be changed entirely as the virus evolves, or the situation changes. That’s why everyone needs to adopt and adapt as soon as possible.
With a virus that has never been seen before, it’s critical to have accurate, detailed documentation to assist with future research and prevention efforts. Without appropriate billing and coding in place, it will be difficult to do that.