News: Pediatric providers stressed out over documentation, says study

Documentation and billing add stress to pediatric providers’ daily practice, according to more than 70% of respondents to a recent national survey of pediatric care providers published in Clinical Pediatrics. The survey highlights the increasing burden of documentation in practices and the need to include coding and billing skills as part of the medical curriculum, Revenue Cycle Advisor reported.

To assess the amount of time spent on documentation in pediatric practice and providers’ understanding and comfort level regarding billing and coding, survey data was collected from 601 members of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Pediatric Trainees practicing in the U.S.

A third of respondents reported spending more than half of their patient encounter time in the outpatient setting on documentation. This number was significantly higher at 62% for encounters in the inpatient setting.

Additionally, 59% of respondents indicated they are apprehensive about legal issues regarding charting.

The results also suggested a need for physician education on medical coding and billing. Sixty-two percent of respondents reported having no prior coding and billing training, yet more than 70% of respondents felt coding and billing education should be included in the medical curriculum.

The survey results have implications for hospitals and physician practices, which may benefit from taking measures to reduce documentation burden and increase providers’ knowledge of professional billing and coding.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Revenue Cycle Advisor. To learn about documentation concerns in the NICU, join us for a 90-minute webinar on the subject on Thursday, October 11. For tips related to CDI in the pediatric setting, click here.