Question

Medical coding allows for what?

Select one:
a. Uniform documentation
b. The uniform exchange of information
c. Efficient research and analysis
d. All of the above

Answer 1

Medical coding facilitates uniform documentation, information exchange, and research in healthcare, utilizing ICD codes for a variety of processes from treatment to billing and public health statistics.

Step-by-step explanation:

Medical coding allows for uniform documentation, the uniform exchange of information, and efficient research and analysis. These functions are essential in the healthcare system as they help maintain a standardized system of recording, reporting, and retrieving medical information. For example, when a patient is treated for a viral infection, ICD codes are used by various healthcare professionals to ensure that the patient receives appropriate and specific treatment. Medical coders assign these ICD codes for procedures, and medical billers use them to process claims. Furthermore, these codes are used by vital-records keepers and epidemiologists to maintain and analyze health data.

You would likely find an ICD code in a medical biller's claim documentation and on a death certificate maintained by vital-records keepers.