LexiCode Urgent Care Provide

Challenge

This urgent care company is a multi-state medical services provider located in the South, with more than 50 facilities offering convenient access to urgent care, primary care, family medicine, preventive and occupational healthcare, and specialty services that include pediatrics, joint and orthopedic care, sports medicine, cryosurgery, outpatient surgery, and more.
Healthcare practitioners were tasked with assigning appropriate medical codes to their patient’s medical records during the patient encounter. They recognized the possibility of errors in these code assignments, since the providers were focused on patient care and did not have an in-depth knowledge of Evaluation and Management (E&M) coding guidelines. Errors in coding could result in underpayment, overpayment, or payment delays. The company wanted a partner that could provide them with coding experts who had the capability to provide expedited coding services.

Solution

The urgent care company outsourced coding to LexiCode, an industry leader in coding services and solutions. LexiCode’s credentialed, experienced coders in the Philippines perform coding for the healthcare practitioners within 10 minutes after the patient documentation is completed.
A process was implemented in which coding could be performed by LexiCode’s credentialed, experienced coders immediately after documentation was complete and before the patient left the facility. Real-time coding was accomplished by using a secure electronic medical record (EMR) and secure internet connectivity. The healthcare practitioner would enter notes on the patient visit in the EMR during the patient encounter. When their notes were complete, LexiCode’s coding team was able to access the record, review the practitioner’s notes, and assign the proper E&M code to the record following the appropriate E&M coding guidelines. The record was coded within 10 minutes after documentation was complete and before the patient was discharged or checked out.

Benefits

• Improved coding accuracy and cash/co-pay collection at the point of service
• Healthcare practitioners relieved from the additional administrative duty, thus allowing them able to see more patients
• Patient checkout times decreased by 73%, from 30 minutes to 8 minutes, within the first 6 months
• Substantial cost savings achieved using offshore coding resources