AmeriVeri (http://www.ameriveri.com/) helps protect the integrity of Medical Records and saves patients from unnecessary, costly and possibly dangerous treatments resulting from medical coding errors. What many don’t realize is how shockingly common these errors are.
Real-life examples of how coding errors affect lives include the denial by John Alden of a health insurance policy because of a single coding error in the applicant’s permanent medical record. The applicant had to enlist both the original and a supporting physician to review and correct the error. During that time, the individual went without health insurance – a risky proposition.
In another case, a commercial pilot was denied re-certification as a result of a coding error in his medical records. Despite having over 8,000 hours of flight time, the pilot was grounded for 3 months while the mistake was sorted out. That was three months of needlessly lost income – which affects more than just the individual patient – and significant frustration.
Medical expertise and attentiveness were the only things that saved a physician from multiple unnecessary procedures as a result of an incorrect diagnostic code. Of course, ordinary people who visit the doctor don’t have that type of knowledge in reserve, and are trusting their primary care physician’s thoroughness. The frequency with which this kind of scenario unfolds is likely greater than anyone wants to imagine.
An erroneous diagnostic code was the factor that made an expectant mother’s experience anything but joyous. Her newborn’s delivery and subsequent testing were heavily influenced by this mistake, which could have been easily avoided. AmeriVeri’s mission is to prevent all of these coding errors and thus substantially enhance patient quality of care.