Abstract
Introduction: Ever since the coding has been introduced in the NHS there has been lot of debate whether the trust is being paid accurately. There is no data available which compares the coding done by the surgeon and the one done by the coding department.
Material and Methods: A prospective study was done on 305 patients in an elective orthopedic hospital over a period of one month. All operations were coded separately by the operating surgeon and the coding department. The procedures included all upper and lower limb procedures other than elective hand, spine and paediatric procedures. The results were compared by an independent assessor in line with the national guidelines and the information originally available to clinical coders.
Results: The results showed a marked difference in reimbursement cost of complex procedures, revisions and co-morbidities as coded by the surgeon who took into consideration additional top ups which were available and these were often missed by the coding department. There was no difference in the primary hip and knee arthroplasty.
Conclusion: There is an increased need for correct coding as this can result in potential income consequences by applied tariffs. With the introduction of acute phase tariffs and marked difference in reimbursement to the trust if correct codes are not applied, there is an increased need for awareness for the coding and the top-ups available for complex procedures.
Correspondence should be addressed to: EFORT Central Office, Technoparkstrasse 1, CH – 8005 Zürich, Switzerland. Email: office@efort.org
