The Next Step: Advanced Medical Coding and Auditing, 2013 Edition

Learning advanced medical coding concepts is easy with Carol J. Buck's proven, step-by-step method! The Next Step: Advanced Medical Coding and Auditing, 2013 Edition provides an in-depth understanding of physician-based medical coding and coding services such as medical visits, diagnostic testing and interpretation, treatments, surgeries, and anesthesia. Patient cases reflect actual medical records - with personal details changed or removed - and give you real-world experience coding from physical documentation with advanced material. Enhance your clinical decision-making skills and learn to confidently pull the right information from documents, select the right codes, determine the correct sequencing of those codes, properly audit cases, and prepare for the transition to ICD-10-CM with the help of Carol J. Buck!

• Auditing cases in every chapter offer realistic experience with auditing coded reports.
• UNIQUE! Evaluation and Management (E/M) Audit Forms, developed to determine the correct E/M codes, simplify the coding process and help you ensure accuracy.
• Dual Coding prepares you for the switch to ICD-10 by accompanying all ICD-9 answers with corresponding codes from ICD-10-CM.
• Realistic patient cases simulate the professional coding experience by using actual medical records (with personal patient details changed or removed), allowing you to practice coding with advanced material.
• UNIQUE! Netter anatomy plates in each chapter help you understand anatomy and how it affects coding.
• From the Trenches boxes in each chapter highlight real-life medical coders and provide practical tips, advice, and encouragement.
• More than 175 illustrations and a full-color design make advanced concepts more accessible and visually engaging.

• Stronger focus on auditing cases prepares you to assign correct codes to complicated records, as well as audit records for accuracy.
• Updated content presents the latest coding information so you can practice with the most current information available.