The AMA reports that up to 5% of claims are denied, and that number is only expected to rise (perhaps by as much as 200%) with the initial implementation of ICD-10 later this year. Medical billing and coding, which is undergoing enormous changes with the implementation of ICD-10, is always an area where additional training for staff can be a positive investment in denial management. Providing continuing education for coders can help them be better prepared to identify potentially problematic documentation, and be able to code with the highest level of accuracy.
It’s often been said that the best defense against denials is — frankly — avoiding denials, but if that’s proving uneasy, if it seems to be near-impossible, the next best defense is to do a root cause analysis so that you understand why the denials continue.