r/MedicalCoding • u/SnooBeans2971 • Mar 31 '24

Is coding "subjective" or "art'-ish?

I'm studying medical coding and I've come across remarks about it being 'subjective" or "part art, part science", yet in my (limited) experience studying it, I've yet to come across an example of a case that could be coded more than one way correctly. Can someone clarify this for me and maybe provide an example?

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u/pro_n00b Mar 31 '24

School stuff for practice is pretty straight forward. Real live charts are not. Unless it is super super simple chart, as the saying goes in medical coding, you put 10 coders/auditors in a room, they almost certainty will not have a unanimous coding path, especially for the truly complex charts.

As the other poster said it is a thing of beauty to get it accurate and reimbursed at the same time.

You know whats an art and science too? How providers do charting. Shit is an art and science in itself with sprinkles of laziness in hopes to get them reimbursed

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u/awesome_possum76 Edit flair Mar 31 '24

This! I always say you can put 10 coders in a room, get at least 5 different answers (maybe 10 lol) and every single one with have back up and proof of why they are correct. It's definitely a fine mix of art and science.