Final answer:
In a physician's office, a medical coder uses ICD codes to classify patient diagnoses and treatments for various operations like laboratory tests, health-care management, and insurance reimbursements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The role of a coder in a physician's office is to use ICD codes to correctly classify diagnoses, treatments, and procedures documented in patient records. When a patient is treated, for instance, for a viral infection, the medical coder assigns the appropriate ICD code that correlates with the diagnosis. This coding is critical for various reasons. First, it allows clinicians to order the correct laboratory tests and prescribe treatments that are matched to the suspected virus. Laboratories use the ICD codes to determine the necessary tests to confirm the diagnosis. These codes are also integral to the health-care management system, as they help in verifying that all the treatments and procedures are fitting for the specific virus. Furthermore, medical billers employ the codes established by coders to process insurance claims for reimbursement.