Coding Medical Records - What Medical Record Coding Means to You

The quality of the practice of coding medicalinformation supplied by your family or primary
records plays an essential role within any medicalcare doctor and whichever specialists have been
facility and could be of vital importance to you atinvolved. The finished result is a full and accurate
some time during your lifetime. This type of datarecord of any conditions which existed prior to
storage, be it in the local doctors office or theand including this accident, and any past and up to
large new medical center, keeps importantthe minute medications you may be taking. Of
information concerning treatment and costs in acourse, all of this information is required to assess
complete and up to the minute format enablingyour current condition and to ensure the most
you or authorized personnel to retrieve a detailedeffective treatment is administered in order to
medical record quickly and efficiently when youtreat you accordingly.
require treatment or to assess associatedWhen you are back on your feet again, medical
treatment costs.record coding carries on working for you. Apart
Take, for example, a situation where you havefrom the fact that a precise record of your
been involved in a bad road accident and youhealth treatments is created and maintained, (for
require immediate medical attention. You areuse the next time it is needed) the information
whisked away to the local medical center orstored in your records can be extremely helpful
hospital by ambulance and speedily admitted towhen you are completing your tax returns. By
the emergency unit. Upon arrival coding medical ofsimply filling out a medical records request form
medical records begins, information about you isyou are able to easily access records of your
immediately gathered together and you arespecific charges and deductible costs you have
assigned a personal medical record number toincurred.
form a unique medical record or if you haveBasically your coded medical record will offer you
previously been a patient at the hospital, youra clear and up-to-date picture of any amounts
existing medical record file or electronic medicalwhich you or your insurance company have
record (EMR) is retrieved from the archives usingincurred for the treatments, services or exams
your pre-existing unique medical record number.you received. They are coded during any hospital
The diagnosis and treatment of this latest incidentvisit and will be itemized within the coding of your
is completely detailed along side any earliermedical records.
treatments you may have received and with