Dorothy Steed, a revenue cycle consultant in Atlanta, recently shared a tip with Medical Economics for avoiding claim denials.
In the tip, Ms. Steed advised medical practices to hire qualified coders to improve coding and billing compliance.
She specifically recommended that practices hire coders with a certified professional coder credential, at least two years of experience and a three-month evaluation period.
Ms. Steed said if a candidate cannot or is not willing to meet these requirements, the practice could move the person to a front-office or other role.
"You could still retain them to perform other office functions, but they won't have their hands in your finances," she added.
Ms. Steed advised practices that outsource coding to ensure that the vendor only hires credentialed coders.