Final answer:
The insurance and coding specialist should record a professional courtesy in the adjustment column of a patient's account, as it reflects an alteration to the reported charges.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a professional courtesy is awarded to a patient's account, the insurance and coding specialist should record the courtesy under the adjustment column. A professional courtesy typically involves reducing or eliminating the charges for services rendered to fellow physicians, their families, or staff. It is important to track these adjustments properly for accounting and reporting purposes.
The journal entry for a professional courtesy does not involve actual payment (hence not under the payment column), does not reflect a new balance (hence not under the balances column), and is not a new charge for services (hence not under the charges column). Instead, it represents an alteration to the reported charges, which is exactly what the adjustment column is meant for.