With the impact COVID-19 is having on global economies, many business leaders recognize that digital transformation is more essential than ever to ensure the survival of their companies. But digital transformation can be a massive technological and cultural undertaking, and dealing with something so expansive can leave many wondering where to even begin.

Here’s a good place to start: ask yourself what outcome you want out of your digital transformation.

Set Digital Transformation Goals

For many organizations, maintaining a competitive edge is the central motivation driving their digital transformation, but it helps to narrow your focus and be specific when it comes to what you’re hoping to accomplish. Some companies digitally transform in order to provide better value to their customers by offering new products and services. For others, the competitive edge comes from streamlining internal processes and capitalizing on new efficiencies digital technology can offer.

Establish a Baseline

Before you can start making changes to your business’s digital landscape, it’s important to assess it as it currently exists. Without a centralized digital transformation plan, investment in new technology at your company was likely done piecemeal, with many separate, smaller groups adopting various tools to solve their own challenges. Going from an inefficient and costly patchwork system to a streamlined company-wide solution is what digital transformation is all about.

Work with department heads and team leaders to develop a map of the digital tools and processes that are already in place throughout your organization. This will help you identify specific pain points and inefficiencies you can aim to resolve through digital transformation, and creates a grounded case for why your digital transformation is so important.

Get Leadership On Board

Digital transformation represents not only a technological shift, but a cultural one as well. So getting support from the highest levels of leadership early on is critical. Be prepared to demonstrate the ways that taking your operations digital will help your organization better meet the needs of your customers and keep up with the evolving marketplace.

Start Simple

In many ways, this is an important continuation of the previous step. Any major change to the way a company does business is going to have detractors. The type of changes a digital transformation brings will attract not only outright nay-sayers, but also plenty of entrenched internal stakeholders who are simply used to the way things have been done and are resistant to change. Even if they’ve agreed to the initiative, there are those who will be ready to abandon it at the first hint that it may not be working.

That’s why it’s important to start with a win - even if it’s a small one. Identify a simple digital project that has the potential to drive real cost savings and also enable further digitization of other business processes in the future.

Here are a few good entry points where you can kick-start an organizational digital transformation:

1. Digitizing paper workflows

Taking traditionally paper-based documents and transforming them into digital versions can immediately reduce costs and improve security, but can also enable further downstream digitization as your transformation gains momentum. One way to start this process might be transitioning to a digital mailroom, which enables remote workers, centralizes communications, and improves document security.

2. Cloud migration

Cloud storage enables users to access data and documents on any chosen device, anywhere in the world, connecting disparate business functions and teams and enabling greater communication and collaboration. Similarly, cloud-based systems and tools provide businesses a more agile, efficient, and cost-effective alternative to one-off, customized solutions.

Plus, like digitizing paper workflows, migrating your storage and processes to cloud-based systems is a great way to enable further digital transformation downstream.

3. Robotic Process Automation

Digital transformation seeks to streamline internal processes and produce better outcomes - two things robotic process automation (RPA) is very good at.

RPA bots are designed to perform rule-based tasks like data entry, data transfer, and data validation, and can often do so faster and more accurately than human workers. By putting these bots to work, businesses can streamline operations while keeping employees more engaged in their work and focused on their customers.

Conclusion

As companies all over the world face new, unprecedented challenges, the long-term benefits of digital transformation can provide much needed stability and even a competitive advantage. Getting started is just a matter of having a plan, getting support, and taking it one step at a time.

One of the key ways digital transformation helps companies maintain business continuity in the face of unexpected disruptions is by enabling remote workers. To learn more, check out How Digital Transformation Makes Working from Home Work.

What inspires you to give back?

There’s no shortage of reasons to contribute to charitable endeavors like Exela’s corporate philanthropy program, #ExelaGivesBack. But when it comes down to it, a lot of us become most passionate about causes that have somehow touched our own lives. For example, when our Mount Vernon, Kentucky team went all out in raising funds for cancer research in 2019, one of our most prolific fundraisers noted, “We’re passionate about this cause because we have all been affected by cancer in some shape or form.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, its impact is being felt by nearly everyone on the planet in one way or another. Here at Exela, many of our employees have found inspiration to give of themselves to help others in these trying times, whether it’s a loved one’s battle with the virus, a community’s group effort to stop the spread, or solidarity for our onsite workers keeping vital businesses operating each and every day.

Here’s how Exela supports its many onsite employees and how we hope other businesses are doing so too.

Exela Team Members Inspire Us

Today, we’d like to focus on some of our employees who have gone out of their way to ensure that our onsite team has protective face masks.

For example, Terri Vassey, from our Rochelle Park, New Jersey location, was inspired to make masks and share them with employees on the West Coast when she heard they were having trouble purchasing them locally. As an avid quilter, Terri had the materials and the skillset to help out and did not waste any time. She’s created over 200 masks and counting!

Lori McLoughlin from our Troy, Michigan location, has been sewing masks and distributing them to local businesses and hospitals. Lori was inspired to help because Michigan has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic.

Peggy Fisher began making masks for drivers who worked out of our Carson, California location, and then ramped up her mask production for other employees deemed essential, who had to return to work.

Laurette Nyambu has been sewing bright and colorful masks not only to keep her coworkers safe, but also to “bring joy” to them as they support the company and our customers.

Inspiration Through Adversity

These kinds of good deeds are not only inspiring; according to our Human Resources team, they’re also encouraging teamwork and camaraderie. Although these times are unprecedented and difficult for many, our employees have found the silver lining. More stories of mask-makers are rolling in every day, as are other stories of good deeds and acts of kindness. We hope to share these stories and inspire those around us.

As you work through these challenging times, we hope you’ll find this glossary of COVID-19 terms helpful, as well as our special edition of PluggedIN, COVID-19: A Tipping Point for Remote Work. If there is any way you think we can assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us at covidresponse@exelatech.com.

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 With companies taking steps toward digital transformation, numerous business process automation tools exist to streamline business operations. Automation offers many possibilities but it can be overwhelming to consider all the options. Deciding where to start when implementing an automation tool may seem daunting.

In implementing automation, each business has unique needs that greatly depend on the size of the company and the industry. With that being said, there are some common automation tools that most companies can consider as their first steps toward automation. First, let’s cover what business process automation tools are.

Brief Overview of Business Process Automation Tools

Business process automation tools take over repetitive tasks, streamline systems, increase accuracy in processes, and perform these processes more quickly. These tasks range from sending customer service emails to manually editing a healthcare claim. Automation tools step in and complete these daily operations thus freeing up employees' time to focus on more strategic or creative projects.

Also, most automation tools come with an auditable trail allowing leaders to find possible inefficiencies or bottlenecks. This visibility makes it easier to determine problem points the company may be facing.

Automation tools often can provide invaluable data that teams can use to make more informed decisions. So business process automation tools take control of repetitive tasks, offer visibility into the workflow, and often provide data into the operations.

Systems to Automate First 

While each company will have different needs, there is one specific automation tool that is applicable to most businesses and that is paper digitization. One study by the Statistic Research Department shows that 6.78 billion US dollars will be spent on document management systems by 2023 worldwide. 

Documents are ubiquitous in almost every business whether it's HR onboarding documents, important client information, or contracts. Not only does digitizing paper free up office space, but it also cuts down on the time that employees use to find these physical documents and offers a more secure way to store them.

There are a few ways to begin paper digitization. Various departments may use paper for different reasons so leaders need to decide what they'll be digitizing first.

Digital Mailroom - Digitizing Inbound Mail

With solutions like Exela’s Digital Mailroom (DMR), many documents can be transformed into digital documents including inbound mail, check deposits, and resumes. This is a great way to start the digitization process, especially with companies that have remote workers. Digital Mailroom offers an easy way for employees to access their mail and other documents regardless of where they’re working. 

DMR takes physical mail and turns it into a digital asset that can be stored securely and sent to the recipients with ease. This cost-effective solution is significantly more convenient than the recipient needing to retrieve their mail from a specific location or having a courier deliver it to them.

Digital Mailroom integrates with other systems including automatic check deposit and invoice management, accelerating downstream processes. With a solution like DMR, companies significantly cut down on time-consuming processes such as sorting through mail, confirming the right recipient receives it, and storing or destroying it.

Paper Digitization

Along with digitizing mail, another great first business process automation tool is document management. For companies that house and store multiple physical documents, Document Digitization may be just the solution they need. 

Documents are scanned, digitized, and can be stored in a secure web portal for employees to easily access. Many of these document management systems include the ability to grant or deny access to certain people to ensure the document remains secure. 

Physical documents can become damaged or lost and employees can spend a significant amount of time searching for physical documents that could be spent elsewhere. Digitizing and managing documents by using a business process automation tool makes it easier to share, edit, and store documents.

Industry or Business Specific Needs

From here on out, selecting a business process automation tool comes down to the industry and specific needs of the business. Here are some examples of systems that different businesses may want to incorporate as their first steps in digital transformation.

Healthcare - Claims Processing

Claims processing is a tedious and complex but extremely important task in the healthcare revenue cycle. Because of this, it is a process that cannot be overlooked and each error or slow processing time could result in delayed or inaccurate payments. 

A business process automation tool such as Exela’s PCH Global solution can streamline the claims processing operations. PCH Global can identify certain-to-deny claims speeding up the process of comparing claims to the benefits of coverage requirements. 

With its suggested edits, PCH Global can improve the first pass rate before a claim is submitted. Companies using PCH Global can experience a 35% reduction in administrative costs and at least a 25% reduction in denials and rejections.

Finances - Procure-to-Pay

Procure-to-pay (P2P) is the process of procuring goods and paying for the goods hence the term procure-to-pay. P2P is frequently automated using business process automation tools such as Exela’s P2P solution. A business process automation tool can streamline the P2P process helping to manage every step of the process from the purchase to receipt to invoice approval and payment. Exela’s P2P solution reduces non-PO spend and procurement errors while improving turnaround times and has reduced internal costs by 40%.

A P2P solution provides companies with AP automation which allows easy collaboration between buyers, suppliers, service providers, and financial institutions. While reducing costs and improving cash flow, it also creates increased visibility into the AP process.

Exela’s P2P solution captures, organizes, and refines data for buyers and suppliers that includes audit trails, transaction logs and authentications. It can also automate ordering, invoicing, approvals, and payments.

Marketing - Data Reporting

Many companies choose to start their digital transformation process since business process automation tools for marketing can increase the ROI significantly. Nucleus research discovered that for every dollar spent on marketing automation, companies saw a return of $5.44.

By using automation tools like Exela’s Predictive Modeling and Data Analytics, a component of Exela’s XME solution, companies can refine their target messaging and enhance customer experience. Marketing automation tools can collect and aggregate data, perform sentiment analysis, and help with customer segmentation and prediction. 

Marketing automation solutions often use AI to continually learn and improve their predictions. Exela’s XME solution offers even more including cross-media marketing campaigns, print and promotional item management, and marketing operations support.

Final Thoughts

Business process automation tools make daily operations quicker, more efficient, more accurate, and reduce costs. In our current digital-first era, businesses that don't implement digital solutions fall behind. If you're still feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities that business process automation has to offer, consider reaching out to Exela to learn more about how automation and technology can improve your business processes.

As healthcare providers continue to focus on revenue integrity this year, ensuring accurate medical coding is crucial. With the help of accurate coding, providers achieve proper reimbursement. In short, an accurately coded medical record tells a payer what illness or injury is being treated, past medical history as well as treatment provided and procedures performed.

Inaccurate medical coding leads to more denials, as well as over and underpayments thus preventing the providers from correct reimbursement. It's reported that one in seven claims are denied for various reasons but one of the most common reasons is medical coding errors. Also, medical coding requires compliance with government regulations as well as private payer policies. Inaccurate coding could cause significant challenges for a provider.

As providers move forward with their 2022 initiatives, accurate medical coding needs to be a priority. One way to do this includes outsourcing to medical coding companies such as LexiCode. We’ll detail five keys to accurate medical coding and discuss how LexiCode delivers on each one of them.

1. Medical Coding Education

Medical coding requires a vast knowledge of not only medical terminology, but also disease processes, anatomy, and physiology. This knowledge is imperative for coders to ensure they are providing the correct codes for medical conditions, diagnoses, and procedures. Since medicines and treatments continually change, ongoing education and training are vital to being successful.

With LexiCode, providers gain a dedicated team of credentialed medical coders that have access to many medical coding tools, references, and an education team. LexiCode provides the proper training and ongoing education of each coder allowing providers to focus on other aspects of the revenue cycle.

2. Staying Current on Medical Codes

Going hand in hand with education, providers need to be confident that the coders stay current on guideline changes since updates are published several times a year. Claims are often denied due to common issues including inaccurate code assignment, sequencing, or incorrect use of modifiers. Without assurance that coders are current in medical coding practices, providers are vulnerable to incorrect payments due to denial claims as well as potential compliance issues.

LexiCode participates in quarterly coding assessments and has a team of dedicated QA Analysts to ensure the coders are applying guidelines correctly. By staying up to date and using the proper coding practices, LexiCode enables providers to obtain clean claims resulting in fewer denials and appeals.

3. Proper Detailed Documentation

Documentation within the medical record becomes the source of communication between the provider and the coder. Without this documentation, coders lack the information to assign the appropriate codes reflective of the treatment and care provided. To enable accurate medical coding, providers need to make sure physicians provide detailed documentation with every patient. With the appropriate and correct documentation, medical coders can report the proper codes for accurate reimbursement. 

Another way to tackle this particular issue is to provide a way for physicians and coders to communicate with one another. Therefore, coders can reach out to physicians for any clarifying information needed to provide accurate coding.

LexiCode handles this seamlessly by beginning a physician query process when the medical record doesn't contain enough detail or needs further clarification. LexiCode follows any physician query process healthcare providers currently have in place. However, if a provider does not have a query process in place, LexiCode will follow its internal corporate compliance plan to obtain all the information required to enable accurate coding. Through physician queries, physicians help clarify items that are unclear in the record which leads to a more accurate reimbursement.

LexiCode also provides consulting services to include clinical documentation improvement (CDI) support and the development of education programs for physicians. LexiCode’s education program aids physicians by training them to provide the detailed documentation needed which results in fewer coding errors and queries while providing accurate revenue within a quicker time frame.

4. Consistent Staffing

The healthcare industry faced a multitude of challenges during the beginning and throughout the pandemic as emergency room visits increased and elective surgeries decreased. During times of crisis, healthcare providers often see drastic changes in their census which affects every aspect of the organization.

Hospital volumes fluctuate on a normal basis sometimes providing coders with inconsistent work. Understaffing leads to coders rushing and possibly making mistakes, overstaffing leads to additional overhead costs and not enough work. LexiCode meets healthcare providers’ needs no matter the current census. As the census fluctuates in an organization, LexiCode scales with it ensuring that productivity remains consistent with agreed-upon quality metrics and compliance.

5. Partnering with Medical Coding Companies

Partnering with a business process outsourcing (BPO) company comes with many benefits that providers should consider. With over 40 years of experience, LexiCode provides superior medical coding services to providers of all sizes. LexiCode scales to providers' needs with quality assurance and productivity monitoring. When they utilize LexiCode, providers can expect consistent staffing, high quality, and unparalleled staffing support.

LexiCode’s partnerships with hospitals, clinics, practices, or other healthcare providers allow for continuous cash flow with timely medical coding backed by our quality assurance and educational initiatives.

As companies continue to adopt digital technology, backfile scanning and document digitization are great steps toward digital transformation. In this blog post, we outline the many benefits of paper digitization including increased productivity and security along with solutions to advance digital transformation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the way that work gets done. One of the biggest, and potentially longest-lasting impacts of the pandemic on the business world is how it has motivated companies to adopt digital technology.

While the accelerated shift to digital solutions will ultimately provide many benefits, the abruptness of the changeover has left many businesses and organizations with sub-optimized setups. Quick action was necessary in the face of a global pandemic, but developing a digital transformation that will leverage the full might of digital technology and automation takes time - and data.

That’s why the next logical step in digital transformation for many businesses and organizations is backfile scanning or backfile paper digitization - the process of converting old paper documents into searchable, shareable, fully digital assets. Advanced backfile scanning solutions can unlock the valuable data trapped in your old documents - both structured and unstructured.

The speed at which businesses are digitizing and evolving makes now the time to move forward or risk falling behind!

Despite the widespread movement towards digital transformation, what keeps an organization from making a move—even now? In many cases, it’s simply a matter of not knowing where to begin.

Here is why you should start paper digitization and overcome that resistance:

Increased Productivity and Visibility

A study conducted by McKinsey found that workers were spending 19% of their time searching for and gathering information. This shows how inefficient document management can take up productive hours of employees and slow down processes affecting business.

Many organizations hire dedicated staff to manage physical records rooms. The often lengthy process includes the staff receiving a document request, walking to a separate and secure area to retrieve it, submitting the document for redaction, waiting for the redacted copy, then physically picking it up and delivering it to the requester. And this process is repeated at every request!

Backfile scanning and paper digitization makes content more organized and searchable, reducing the time it takes to respond to information requests and eliminating costly, time-consuming, and error-prone manual processes.

Streamlining processes through paper digitization can directly affect productivity and, ultimately, the bottom line. Fewer employees are needed to manage the documents, and you have the option to restrict users and define their roles. Another benefit is the audit trail that gives you complete visibility of who viewed or edited a document.

Downstream Integrations

Digital transformation is helping businesses optimize nearly every facet of their organization. Solutions that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) rely upon inputs of quality data to reach optimization and improve processes as they go.

With Exela’s Backfile Scanning solution features such as advanced optical character recognition (OCR) and intelligent data processing (IDP), you can make your old paper files into something that these systems can read and learn from. Even unstructured documents that were once beyond the reach of intelligent systems’ understanding can now offer a wealth of usable data.

In other words, paper digitization can make the rest of your digital transformation more effective.

Enhanced Security

Security is another crucial benefit of digitizing documents. In a world where data is king, keeping your documents at risk is not an option. Paper documents can be subject to theft, misplacement or mislabeling, and physical damage. Digital documents are much more secure in the event of a flood, fire, or similar disaster, and can be kept under strict security measures that limit access and visibility to only those with proper authorization, while facilitating easy document search and lookup. You can also track who has viewed, downloaded, or changed digital documents, creating a reliable audit trail and added security.

Digitizing Documents with Exela’s Backfile Scanning

For over twenty years, Exela has been helping businesses embrace digital transformation through its high-quality, high-volume document scanning service. Exela’s advanced scanners are capable of processing up to 654 pages per minute at lower resolutions and 87 pages per minute at high-resolution color settings. Using OCR and IDP, Exela’s document scanning service and digitization systems can accurately capture a wide variety of data types.

Exela’s document scanning service such as Backfile Scanning has converted hundreds of millions of documents and microfilm into more accessible secure digital records. With extensive industry experience, a global footprint, and a robust infrastructure, Exela is well positioned to handle your document digitization project, regardless of size or location.

Document digitization's powerful and visible impact makes it an important step towards digital transformation.

Want to know more about document digitization and backfile scanning? Contact us, and we can help you set up personalized solutions as per your requirement.

The past few years have seen a marked shift in the employment landscape. Businesses embraced greater digitization and remote work arrangements in order to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders remained in effect, what started as a temporary emergency measure eventually became more widely accepted as the norm.

Exela’s latest edition of PluggedIN: “Maintaining Your Greatest Asset - Your People,” takes a look at how COVID-19, the rise of remote work, and the “great resignation” have reshaped the relationship between employers and employees.

The full issue of PluggedIN is available for download now at:

https://www.exelatech.com/pluggedin.

Over the course of the past few years, healthcare organizations have seen their budgets stretched thin as they worked to battle an unprecedented global pandemic. Cost of care rose while incoming revenue fell, as people canceled elective procedures, routine checkups, and non-emergency visits. For the healthcare industry, financial recovery will require maximizing on accounts receivable.

Exela’s latest edition of PluggedIN: “Revenue Integrity in the Healthcare Industry” covers the processes in place to ensure healthcare organizations successfully recoup payments, and the rising importance of preventing revenue leakage as the industry recovers from the pandemic.

From improving the healthcare claims process to careful ongoing analysis of payer contracts and behavior, there are many ways to help healthcare providers receive full and accurate payments. Shoring up these processes has never been more important.

Learn more about the common concerns and Exela’s innovative approach to healthcare revenue integrity in the latest edition of PluggedIN.

The full issue of PluggedIN is available for download now at https://www.exelatech.com/pluggedin.

The shift from physical to digital has been accelerating in recent years - then COVID-19 came along and supercharged it. According to McKinsey, the adoption of e-commerce options among consumers shot up in the early months of 2020 to levels it would have taken ten years to reach otherwise.

In today’s competitive landscape, every potential customer touchpoint matters - even post-sale interactions. One critical, yet easily overlooked point of engagement is the presentation of the bill. When done right, it barely even registers, but even a minor complication can have an outsized negative impact on the buyer’s experience - as well as their impression of your company.

While many may not give the bill presentment process much thought, it's a ubiquitous and essential aspect of nearly all transactions. Digitizing bill presentment has had a tremendous impact on how business gets done in the modern day and is one step to creating an improved bill payment process.

What is ePresentment?

In simple terms, ePresentment services allow customers to access invoices, bills, and other documents via web portals and mobile devices. Not only is this a more convenient, immediate delivery option, it’s also environmentally friendly, as it reduces the need for paper and physical transportation - all three of which are major drivers of modern customer satisfaction.

It might sound simple, but ePresentment services offer some unique benefits to all parties involved in a transaction. Digital delivery allows for greater convenience, automatic payment options, and even improved bidirectional communication between payer and payee. The right ePresentment and electronic document delivery solution can significantly improve the overall process by reducing production costs, increasing return on investment, helping build brand equity, and more.

When built and implemented effectively, ePresentment can be a valuable feature that helps improve retention and lead to higher adoption rates, especially for those struggling with paper-based documents making it ideal as a starting point for digital transformation.

4 Things to Consider When Comparing ePresentment Options

Though there are plenty of service providers, here is what you need to look for while considering an electronic presentment solution for your company:

1. Payment Integration - The first and foremost consideration is ensuring the platform allows and makes it easy for customers to read and pay bills. Accessibility, ease of use, and how quickly users receive confirmation post payment are all key elements when assessing ePresentment options.
2. Interface - Look for how customers view documents. For example, do they have a single sign-on option (SSO), or are they required to log out to another site? Since many people tend to be extra cautious while paying online, you need to ensure that branding remains consistent and secure for users throughout the process.
3. Flexibility - Choose a partner that offers plans that work for your requirement and that can customize their services to best fit your needs. Consider user authentication, hosting options, presentment alternatives, as all these factors directly affect the cost.
4. Archiving - Maintaining easily accessible and well-organized document records can save you from major headaches down the road, not to mention help you ensure compliance with government and industry regulations. Quick access to historical records can also be useful when it comes to providing exceptional customer service. Consider the company’s experience with document management and how much storage space their plans offer.

With decades of refinement, Exela has optimized billing and payment processing by integrating communication channels, providing mixed-media payment processing and dynamic ePresentment. In addition, we help unify disparate data, align workflows, and increase enrollment in electronic payment systems to help you increase efficiency and reduce overall costs.

One of the biggest benefits of ePresentment is how it integrates with other digitally optimized processes within the procurement sphere. Exela’s ePresentment solution is a critical component of our comprehensive Procure to Pay (P2P) solution, which is designed to streamline and improve every step of the process from procurement, all the way to payment, for industries including healthcare, manufacturing, and retail.

Learn more about how Exela’s Billing and Presentment solutions can help your business provide a more convenient experience for your customers.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reached nearly every industry in the economy, but none more directly than healthcare.

Even as the pandemic subsides in many parts of the United States, healthcare organizations will be facing new challenges. Many people postponed visits and elective procedures in order to maintain physical distancing guidelines and avoid potentially crowded medical facilities, and these appointments are already coming back up.

While frontline medical staff bore the brunt of the pandemic, support and administrative staff have also been stretched thin and faced increased pressure over the past two years. One behind-the-scenes process that plays a critical role in maintaining a functioning healthcare industry is Health Information Management (HIM).

Why is HIM so important?

To understand the importance of HIM, it helps to start by defining what’s meant by “health information.” Simply put, any data pertaining to an individual’s medical history - from reported symptoms, to diagnoses and procedures, to lab results and X-rays, to clinical information and physician’s notes. Anything that helps track the patient’s health over time from any interaction with a healthcare provider goes into their health record.

Accurate health records provide doctors with valuable context for a patient’s condition and leads to better diagnoses and better health outcomes for the patient. On a larger scale, extensive health records for entire populations offer a bird’s-eye view of larger health trends and can help inform policy decisions.

Health information management is the critical process of acquiring, analyzing, and securing medical information.

What is Medical Coding?

The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) defines medical coding as “the transformation of healthcare diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment into universal medical alphanumeric codes.” In layman’s terms, it means translating complicated medical information into a widely-accepted shorthand.

Every time you see a healthcare provider, they review your condition, along with your medical history, and determine what they think the issue is and how to treat it. Accurate medical coding of this information is important not only to maintain reliable patient health records, but also to ensure the hospital, clinic, practice, or other healthcare provider receives proper payment.

Why Outsource Medical Coding?

Medical coding is a critical function for any healthcare provider - but it can also be time consuming. That’s why many providers partner with experienced and dependable medical coding companies like LexiCode to handle the task of medical coding, allowing healthcare professionals to focus on patient care.

In heavily-regulated and complex fields like HIM, where compliance is a constant concern, it helps to have dedicated experts in your corner. With over 39 years of coding and auditing experience, LexiCode’s team of seasoned HIM and medical coding specialists help healthcare organizations of all sizes maintain efficient coding practices and improve their coding efficiency while reducing administrative costs.

LexiCode maintains a distributed, global workforce of credentialed coders, which makes them better able to scale up operations in times of heightened demand, and stay productive even in the face of unexpected regional disasters.

What do Medical Coders do?

Medical coders are the ones who actually do the work of converting complex medical information into predetermined alphanumeric codes, and ensure that these codes are accurate for the medical billing process. In most cases, they’re also responsible for creating insurance claims for the healthcare provider, so accuracy and attention to detail are critical.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “they might review patient information for preexisting conditions, such as diabetes, to ensure proper coding of patient data. They also work as the liaison between healthcare providers and billing offices.” This access to medical information is part of why medical coders must get special training and certifications before landing the job.

How to Become a Medical Coder

Medical coding is an important role in a highly-regulated industry, so getting hired takes a little legwork. The growing demand and high-value skills you’ll develop make it well worth the effort. In order to become a medical coder, you have to get specialized training and a certification from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

While getting through the requisite coursework and passing the certification exam may take some time, it’s still considerably less time than it would take to get into other healthcare jobs. Plus, there are many online course options, which can offer more flexibility, allowing you to work at your own pace and when it works for your busy schedule.

Once you’ve completed an accredited medical coding training program, you can take the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) or Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) exam through AHIMA.

To get started on your Medical Coding journey, check out the courses available through LexiCode: https://learn.lexicode.com/

Computers have revolutionized the way that business gets done in nearly every sector of the economy, yet there’s one relatively simple task they’ve been struggling to master - reading. That is, taking unstructured data from a paper document and synthesizing it to useful information. But that, too, is changing with the advancement of Intelligent Document Processing (IDP).

Exela’s latest edition of PluggedIN, “Intelligent Document Processing: The Present and Future of Automated Information Management,” delves into the entire lifecycle of this powerful developing technology.

Beginning with optical character recognition (OCR) and intelligent character recognition (ICR), along with natural language processing and machine learning, IDP can unlock a vast and previously untapped resource: unstructured data. 

Find out more about IDP, how it fits in the growing data science as a service (DSaaS) marketplace, and how Exela is staying on the cutting edge of IDP advances, in the most recent edition of PluggedIN.

The full issue of PluggedIN is available for download now at https://www.exelatech.com/pluggedin.