Delphi method for medical coding
Systems and methods provide confirmation of accuracy of determining medical codes for medical records. The technology may include processor control instructions or steps for establishing a collection of medical documents as a test sample and for determining a convergence of assigned medical codes for the sample that have been assigned by a plurality of coders to establish a standard of one or more accepted medical codes for the sample. The technology may include instructions for applying the sample to a coding system to obtain a determined medical code for the sample; and for comparing the determined code to the accepted medical codes to rate the coding system's accuracy. In some embodiments, the determining a convergence of determined medical codes may be obtained by a software coding algorithm that automatically assigns medical codes to medical records. Moreover, the comparing step may be performed by an algorithm that automatically calculates a rate of the coding system.
1. A method for confirming accuracy of coders comprising:
establishing a collection of medical documents as a test sample;
determining, with a processor, a convergence of assigned medical codes for the test sample that have been assigned by a plurality of coders to establish a standard of one or more accepted medical codes for the test sample, wherein determining the convergence comprises:
comparing, with the processor, each medical code assigned by the plurality of coders to other assigned medical codes;
calculating an agreement amongst a number of coders from the plurality of coders for a given medical code assigned to the test sample, wherein the number of coders in agreement meets a certain percentage of the plurality of coders;
applying the test sample to a coding system to obtain one or more determined medical codes for the test sample; and
deriving with the processor a rate of accuracy of the coding system based on a correspondence between the determined codes and the accepted medical codes.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determined medical codes are obtained by a software coding algorithm that automatically assigns medical codes to the collection of medical documents.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the deriving is performed by a software algorithm that automatically calculates a rate of the coding system.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of coders includes at least one automated coding system.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the determined medical codes are obtained by a computer system that assigns medical codes to the collection medical documents with a user interface of the computer system.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of coders includes at least one automated coding system that accepts data medical codes assigned with a user interface of the coding system.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of coders includes at least one automated coding system that includes a software algorithm that automatically assigns medical codes to the collection of medical documents.
8. An automated system for confirming accuracy of coders comprising:
a processor; and
a memory accessible by the processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor, comprising:
processor control instructions to establish a collection of electronic medical documents as a test sample;
processor control instructions to determine in a computer processor a convergence of assigned medical codes for the test sample that have been assigned by a plurality of coders to establish a standard of one or more accepted medical codes for the test sample, wherein processor control instructions determine the convergence by: comparing, with the processor, each medical code assigned by the plurality of coders to other assigned medical codes and calculating an agreement amongst a number of coders from the plurality of coders for a given medical code assigned to the test sample, wherein the number of coders in agreement meets a certain percentage of the plurality of coders;
processor control instructions to apply the test sample to a coding system to obtain one or more determined medical codes for the test sample; and
processor control instructions to derive with the computer processor a rate of accuracy of the coding system based on a correspondence between the determined codes and the accepted medical codes.
9. The automated system of claim 8 wherein the determined medical codes are obtained by a software coding algorithm that automatically assigns medical codes to the collection of medical documents.
10. The automated system of claim 8 wherein the deriving is performed by a software algorithm that automatically calculates a rate of the coding system.
11. The automated system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of coders includes at least one automated coding system.
12. The automated system of claim 8 wherein the determined medical codes are obtained by a computer system that assigns medical codes to the collection of medical documents with a user interface of the computer system.
13. The automated system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of coders includes at least one automated coding system that accepts data medical codes assigned with a user interface of the coding system.
14. The automated system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of coders includes at least one automated coding system that includes a software algorithm that automatically assigns medical codes to the collection of medical documents.