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CODING & COMPLIANCE

Unmatched coding expertise

Salud has the experience, knowledge and skill base to meet all coding needs. Our U.S.-based coders have worked with single-specialty and multi-specialty providers of all sizes. We proactively track and analyze industry changes, providing alerts and job-aids to clients on specific problematic coding areas. Our staff are kept abreast of the latest coding updates.

Salud coders all maintain a minimum of core certifications, with over 50% holding specialty certifications in auditing, compliance, OB-GYN, cardiovascular, interventional radiology, emergency department, orthopedics, general surgery, dermatology, evaluation and management, and family practice coding. We pride ourselves on our dedication to educating our staff to better serve clients, including mandatory, AAPC-approved monthly training with assessments.

Salud’s team codes neurosurgery services, orthopedic services, trauma services for a large southern medical group, maintaining a less than 72 hour turn-around time of both surgical procedures, as well as hospital rounding services.

Clients love the connection to our coders, many of whom have expertise in key clinical areas, so they can speak with precision and professionalism with the clinician. Our comprehensive audit programs help organizations target areas of opportunity or risk in current coding practices and help to protect your revenue from any sanctions from the federal government.

Compliance
Our comprehensive audit programs can help organizations identify areas of opportunity or risk in current coding practices and strengthen internal compliance programs. Having a periodic third-party review to demonstrate compliance diligence is a highly effective strategy.

“Our partnership with Salud has been an excellent addition to our health information management processes. Salud coding staff are competent and up to date with all coding guidelines and initiatives. They are an excellent resource for our in-house coding staff, as well as backup when needed. We are very happy with Salud and the service we have received.”

Joshua A. Johnson, Director of Patient Financial Services, Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services, Gibson City, Ill.



"Working with Salud has been beneficial in several ways. Their coders are experienced in multiple specialties, and ensure coding abstraction is returned in a timely manner. They work hard with the physicians and practices to see that everyone understands the rules. They achieve accountability, accuracy and compliance. And they are a pleasure to work with.”

Kevin Boggs, Chief Operating Officer, Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group, Columbia, S.C.

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SALUD AT WORK:
Outsourced coding improves financial performance

Challenge
The in-house coding team at a 250-bed Midwest teaching hospital had fallen behind on accounts for a variety of reasons, so leaders decided to outsource the function. A backlog of 34,324 accounts awaited Salud’s arrival.

Solution
Salud put in place written processes, regular coding updates and alerts on specific problematic coding areas, which replaced what had been word-of-mouth information-sharing among staff. Salud stopped the highly ineffectual practice of coding for physician and hospital services on the same bill.

Results

  • 86% reduction in DNFB in 7 months
  • 22% reduction in AR
  • $2.5 million increase in collections

INNOVATIVE PROCESSES

Tactical work groups

In a traditional healthcare organization, medical coding staff are often siloed in the Health Information Management Department and have little or no contact with the accounts receivable team in the central business office, even though the coding process is instrumental to revenue cycle success. Salud’s tactical work groups, which take advantage of strong automation capabilities with extensive algorithms, gain tremendous efficiencies in the accounts receivable process, but have learned the need for coders to be active, engaged participants.

Putting AR and coders together can have a tremendously positive effect on the timeliness of account resolution and the cash collected. Communication is eased. Coding denials can be worked by coding staff, but they can also review many other types of denials, such as:

  • Does not meet medical necessity
  • Invalid procedure or diagnosis codes
  • Modifier not valid for procedure or place of service

Our coders, many of whom have backgrounds in key clinical areas, are able to work directly with providers. Thus, one of our cardiovascular coders works directly with a cardiac surgeon on clinical documentation for complex cardiac care. When this connection is made, it changes behavior, resolving backlogs and keeping people current on the rules.