Medical coding - Answers process of translating a healthcare provider's documentation of a patient
encounter into a series of numeric or alphanumeric codes
Health information coders, medical record coders, coder/abstractors, coding specialists - Answers
coders who specialize in coding inpatient hospital services
MS-DRG - Answers Medical Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups
MS-DRG are used to: - Answers determine the amount the hospital will be reimbursed if the patient is
covered by Medicare or other insurance programs using the MS-DRG system
Cancer (or tumor) registrars - Answers maintain facility, regional, and national databases of cancer
patients
EHR - Answers electronic health record
Other roles coders can have: - Answers consultants, educators, medical auditors
Outpatient coders - Answers use CPT, HCPCS Level II, and ICD-10-CM codes; work in provider offices,
outpatient clinics, and facility outpatient departments; also use Ambulatory Payment Classifications
(APCs); have more interaction with providers
Inpatient coders - Answers use ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS codes; also use MS-DRGs for reimbursement;
have less interation directly with providers
Remittance advice (RA) / Explanation of Benefits (EOB) - Answers explains the payer's determination in
payment
Scope of practice - Answers practice guidelines for each level of a provider individually dictated by states
Mid-level Provider (MLP) - Answers include physician assistants (PA) and nurse practitioners (NP); aka
physician extenders
Physician Assistant (PA) - Answers Works under the supervision of physicians; PA program takes
approximately 26 1/2 months to complete after completion of a bachelor's degree
Nurse Practitioner (NP) - Answers have a master's degree in nursing
Two types of payers: - Answers private insurance plans and government insurance plans
Medicare - Answers primary government payer in the U.S.; provides coverage for people 65 and older,
blind, disabled, and people with permanent kidney failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD)
Medicare Part A - Answers Inpatient coverage, home health, hospice, skilled nursing facilities; also
defines limits of Medicare usage