TurboCoder Digital Medical Coding Software and Publications

TurboCoder medical coding publications are digital versions of medical coding titles, including ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS and CPT (under development and review). All medical coder training courses use the books as training tools and as part of the student examination and certification process. The Two primary Certified Medical Coder trainers in the US are AHIMA and AAPC, both these organizations along with many other private training organizations require their students to use the ICD-9-CM/Vols 1,2&3, ICD-10-CM/PCS, CPT and HCPCS Volume II for the course work and Certification exams.

ICD coding books, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) publication, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, include the Index of Diseases with references to a Tabular of Diseases. The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Volume II have a somewhat similar structure to the ICD publications with an Index of Procedures coupled with a Tabular of Procedures.

The publications are coupled with a book of Guidelines that dictates how the medical coder should apply the codes for various combinations and permutations of diseases and procedures.

There are PDF versions of the books that are faithful representations of the print, but do not provide adequate searching and the required navigation logistics for a coder to apply them in the same manner as the printed publications. And there are many database representations of these publications, but they are structured with limited indexing, and do not have the look and feel of the printed publications to see codes in context and relation, and explore the Instructional Notes – See also/Code also/Includes/Excludes etc.

There are also automated coding tools that are designed to take the coder through a decision tree, or similar process so that the necessary codes can be assigned and included in the medical record for submission to the government/payers etc. But with the huge number of combinations and permutation that occur in morbidities of health practice, they are not perfect and so the medical coder has to refer to the books.

This requirement has become much more critical with the introduction of ICD-10-CM/PCS as the number of codes has greatly increased, ICD-9-CM has more than 6,000 codes, compared with ICD-10-CM which has more than 60,000 codes. So the books are basically ten times larger, and the complexity of the process much greater, this quantum increase in size and complexity coupled with pressure to reduce costs dictates a critical need to improve productivity.

The digital coding software, TurboCoder, is a unique tool that straddles print and indexed digital content. It has powerful, fast searching that enables the coder to find what they need very quickly, resulting in improved productivity and accuracy. But retains the look, structure and feel of the books necessary for teaching and learning the medical coding process.

Product Features and Functionality

Utilizing an embedded browser-style viewer, TurboCoder publications provide an alternative to hard copy books or internet-based/online medical coding content tools. The user interface retains a familiar look and feel of the coding books that are formally used by coders.

The primary objective of the technology and inherent functionality is to improve medical coder speed/productivity and accuracy compared to other methods, most notably hard copy books and web services.

Key TurboCoder functions include:

• Preemptive Search Spelling Help (PSSH)

The Pre-Emptive Search Spelling Help (PSSH), provides for pre-emptive suggestions in a pull down menu after the user has keyed in three characters into the search box. The dictionary that is used for PSSH is based on all the words in the publication, and so unlike most web pre-emptive tools, all suggestions are always medically relevant.

• Spell Checker – Enables a user to find what they need even if the search word is misspelt.

• Main Term Search – Enables a user to find the search word in the Index of Diseases and Index of Procedures at the Main Term level and then drill down to the required specific term. They can follow the correct coding process and proceed onto the Tabular following the linked pathway.

• Multi-Screen View – Enables a user to search and view up to four separate sections of the publication library on the screen at the same time.

• Annotation and Notes – provides for the user to add Notes as keyed-in text, dragged text and files, pictures, web addresses and e\mail addresses. Notes are ‘intelligent’ and can be shared by fellow TurboCoder users.

• Security & Compression – The eComPress software platform ‘locks down’ each copy of the TurboCoder publication protecting the integrity of the content, and permanently compresses it at a bit level for efficient online distribution.

Titles and Versions

The mostly widely utilized versions of TurboCoder titles include:

• ICD-10: the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases used by most countries around the world to report diseases, and more than 25 countries for reimbursement and resource allocation
• ICD-10-AM: the Australian Modification is currently in use throughout Australian, New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, Slovenia and Saudi Arabia
• ICD-9-CM/Vols 1, 2 & 3: the currently in-use version of ICD in the United States
• ICD-10-CM/PCS: the version of ICD that will be implemented on October 1, 2014 in the United States
• HCPCS: Utilized for Medicare/Medicaid coding and billing in the United States