Helpful Tips for Better Medical Coding in 2024

by  Find-A-Code™
Nov 6th, 2023

The end of the year is fast approaching. It will not be long before we are turning the calendar to 2024. As a medical coder, do you have any professional goals for the coming year? Hopefully, being a better coder is one of them. Medical coding constantly offers opportunities for improvement. We suspect you will be given plenty of them in 2024.

How you approach your job in the coming year will partially determine whether you become a better coder. We aren't here to make any sort of judgments about what constitutes improvement, but we can offer some helpful tips. If you want to be better at what you do over the next year, try as many of these things as possible:

1. Update Your Resources

This first tip is one that every medical coder can implement: update your resources for 2024. The quality of your work is only as good as the resources you use to look up codes. Make sure you use the latest resources for CPT, ICD-10, ICD-11, and even NPI codes. Also, be on the lookout for updates early next year. They are coming.

2. Become a More Knowledgeable Coder

The most accurate resources are not as helpful as they could be if your knowledge of coding is limited. To become a better coder in 2024, make a point of becoming a more knowledgeable coder. Take advantage of any additional training you have access to. Attend workshops and local coding courses. Utilize online webinars, blog posts, professional reports, etc.

You are obviously not expected to memorize all the codes you need to deal with. You couldn't anyway. There are literally tens of thousands of them. But you should be knowledgeable enough to find your way around every code set you interact with. And because code sets are constantly changing, there is always something new to learn. Take advantage of learning opportunities.

3. Be Open to Change

Change can be a medical coder's biggest enemy. You get into a routine; you establish a certain way of doing things. Then something comes along that forces you to change how you do what you do. Rather than getting upset and resisting the change, go with it. Embrace it. Find a way to leverage the change to make yourself a better coder.

Always remember that those who embrace change are quicker to adapt to it. They tend to be the most productive people because they use change to their advantage. Be that type of person.

4. Adjust Your Working Environment

One of the simpler things that coders can do to improve their performance in 2024 is to adjust their working environments. If your working environment is cluttered and disorganized, work on cleaning it up and making it more efficient. If you need help, ask for it.

If you find your work environment is too chaotic, do what you can to calm things down. If you find that you are physically uncomfortable while working, look for ways to make your environment more comfortable and ergonomic. Even the slightest modifications can make a significant difference in how you perform.

5. Take Care of Yourself

Finally, a big part of becoming a better medical coder in 2024 is taking care of yourself both physically and mentally. Good health translates into good things in every area of life, including work. Make a point of adopting a healthy lifestyle or improving on the healthy habits you already practice.

The new year is just around the corner. Are you ready for it? Here's hoping you become a better medical coder in 2024.