News: AHIMA revises its ‘Standards of Ethical Coding’
Nearly every professional association provides some type of vocation-specific guidance regarding ethical behavior. Periodically such recommendations need to be revised or updated to meet the changing needs of the industry. Such revision now comes from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the 89-year-old organization for those working in the HIM and coding field, when its 25-member committee released its “Standards of Ethical Coding,” on Dec. 12, 2016, according to an ICD-10 Monitor article by founding ACDIS member Gloryanne Bryant.
“The prior version of the Standards dates back to 2008, and we all know a lot has occurred in healthcare and coding since then, not the least of which is ICD-10,” Bryant writes.
AHIMA’s Standards is separate from its Code of Ethics in that it provides specific actions healthcare coders and HIM professionals need to take in their day-to-day work and offers case examples of how such actions might be played out. While not inclusive, the examples “address a wide range of behaviors and situations that apply to all settings,” writes Bryant.
Similar to ACDIS’ own Code of Ethics, AHIMA’s Standards include 11 such principals among them to “query and/or consult as needed with the provider for clarification and additional documentation prior to final code assignment in accordance with acceptable healthcare industry practices;” and to “refuse to participate in, support, or change reported data and/or narrative titles, billing data, clinical documentation practices, or any coding-related activities intended to skew or misrepresent data and their meaning that do not comply with requirements.”
AHIMA encourages all healthcare professionals related to HIM, coding, and medical record review and analysis to follow its Standards, stating that it applies to “individuals, whether credentialed or not; including but not limited to coding staff, coding auditors, coding educators, clinical documentation improvement (CDI) professionals, and managers responsible for decision-making processes and operations as well as HIM/coding students.”
“The coding professional faces daily challenges that can influence one’s behavior and/or actions, so taking the Standards and applying them in an effort to foster ongoing ethical excellence will require strong dedication,” according to Bryant.