Physician Documentation Training
The Coding Network has developed specialty-specific documentation training programs for each of the 57 physician specialties that we cover. The training programs can be conducted onsite or remotely via webinars.
Unlike some training programs, our E&M documentation training utilizes examples with presenting problems pertinent to the specialty of the physicians being trained. Furthermore, when an audit has been previously performed for the physicians attending the training, the examples used in the training will be selected from the audit which increases physician engagement and conceptual understanding. For surgical specialties, The Coding Network has developed courses for each specialty along with their respective sub-specialties.
Classes vary in length but E&M Services training classes are typically 2-2½ hours in length and surgical/procedural training classes approximately 1½-2 hours in length. In addition to the group classes, The Coding Network’s trainers can schedule one-on-one meetings with either coders or physicians. The trainers can also round with the physicians to provide real-time documentation training. Customized training topics are also available on a project basis.
The Coding Network charges on a per-day basis and our trainers can conduct 2-3 group classes per day at maximum. The size of the class is completely up to the Client. We welcome physicians, mid-level providers, coders, billing staff, and anyone else who would like to improve their knowledge of documentation from a billing perspective.
Provider documentation training from The Coding Network shows physicians and other providers what the medical record needs to contain so that it supports the services they report. The goal is not to turn physicians into coders; it is to fill the knowledge gaps behind many documentation problems, such as which details have to be documented separately to support a code or a modifier. Depending on the specialty, sessions can cover the components of E&M services and how a service level is selected, the structure and content of operative reports, team surgery and co-surgeon versus assistant surgeon documentation, global package requirements, and the documentation needed for commonly used modifiers.
To get the most from a training day, The Coding Network recommends grouping attendees by specialty, because every program is built for a specific specialty. Each program comes with a customized workbook of examples for that specialty, and each class ends with time for questions and answers.
FAQs
Q1: Who should attend documentation training?
A1: Physicians, mid-level providers, coders, billing staff, and anyone else who wants to understand the documentation that billing depends on. The client decides how large each class is.
Q2: How long is each class, and how many can be held in one day?
A2: E&M services classes usually run 2 to 2½ hours. Surgical and procedural classes run about 1½ to 2 hours. A trainer can hold up to 2–3 group classes in one day.
Q3: Is training onsite or remote, and what formats are available?
A3: Training can be held onsite or remotely by webinar. Besides group classes, trainers can meet one-on-one with coders or physicians, and they can round with physicians to give documentation training in real time. Customized training topics are also available as projects.
Q4: Can the training use examples from our own records?
A4: Yes, when the physicians attending have been audited before. In that case, the training examples are taken from the audit, so providers work through documentation issues from their own practice. Without prior audit findings, E&M training uses examples with presenting problems that fit the physicians’ specialty, and surgical courses are built for each specialty and its sub-specialties.
Q5: How is documentation training priced, and is a long-term contract required?
A5: The Coding Network charges for training by the day. It does not require long-term agreements, minimums, or exclusivity.
Q6: Why does provider documentation matter for payment?
A6: Payers can only pay correctly for what the record supports. In its FY 2025 improper payments report, CMS said that most improper payments across its programs happened because a reviewer could not tell whether a payment was proper, due to insufficient documentation. The training is designed to help providers document their services completely enough to support the codes and modifiers reported, and one of its stated aims is to reduce denials caused by deficient documentation.
Solution Highlights
- Improve the quality of documentation
- Reduce denials resulting from deficient documentation
- Designed for the specialty being addressed
- Customizable to your providers
- E&M and procedural training options
- Address large groups of providers or 1-on-1 training
