Santosh Kumar Guptha
Dr. Santosh Kumar Guptha Medical Coding and Health Information Management MEDESUN Medical Coding Academy “There are more than 1,50,000 Medical codes for Diagnoses, Procedues, Drugs and Suppplies. There is not a single billing code for patient adherence or improvement, or for helping them stay well.” This profound and thought-provoking quote by Clayton Christensen points out the visible flaws in the healthcare system. Despite being the most important to the well-being of a nation, the field of medicine has many areas in which it is still lacking to date. However, Dr. Santosh Kumar Guptha is looking to change this reputation with the help of technology and Medical Coding. Most of the tech entrepreneurs who are associated with the field of medicine tend to specialize in computing and information technology which allows them to seamlessly make new equipment that they may think is suitable for the hospitals. With Dr. Santosh, things are different as he is one of the few innovators who are not just well-versed in medical coding but is also a professional doctor with over 18 years of experience. Emblem of Model Leadership Dr. Santosh Kumar began his venture at MEDESUN Medical Coding Academy in 2009 and has been able to train over 12,000 coders globally and certify them. The academy has a stellar placement rate as well. The majority of the coders have ended up becoming valuable assets to the top multinational companies across the globe. Dr. Santosh Kumar was always intrigued by the teaching profession; however, he is an overachiever, a man with immense talent, and an even better work ethic. To him, diversification is the way of life. This is why after his stint as a successful doctor, he learned medical coding in the USA and got his certification in 2004 from AAPC, USA. During his studies and after their completion, Dr. Santosh came across the imminent demand for medical coders who were talented and passionate about their job. This prompted him to learn and understand the global Medical Coding system and all the specialities that were there available to gain an in-depth understanding and to spread the knowledge amongst other up-and-coming coders. Subsequently, he went on to earn 43 International Certifications in Medical Coding and Health Information Management and he was certified in the USA Medical Coding System and the Australian Medical Coding System respectively. In 2009, he went on to earn the necessary qualifications for a trainer such as AHIMA, USA ICD-10-CM, and PCS becoming an approved trainer. The Hat of the Medical Coder What does a medical coder do? Dr. Santosh Kumar breaks it down for us and explains the duty of a coder in this field through a practical example. Consider yourself to be a patient and you consult a doctor in the USA, when you visit a doctor in the country, you will usually meet the nurses and administrators responsible for handling the appointment schedules. Due to this, the stigma is that only nurses and doctors make up the medical industry. While they do form the majority of it, many people are working behind the scenes to assist customers in finding out important information such as the status of their discharge as well as admission process and the cost incurred during treatment, breaking down the costs in a manner that the customer can understand them, and similar information. While processing such data, English is not the language used for processing. It is the universal alphanumeric language that is exclusively developed for this purpose that is used for medical diagnoses, procedures, drugs and medical supplies. Medical Coding requires special knowledge of this language and plays a big part in the insurance and medical industries. Medical Coders are experts that act as translators. They take the medical records available of the patient that the practitioner sends as a summarized version and then translate them to universal codes that insurance companies have. They assist the insurer to analyze data from the patient’s medical health records and convert them to the industry standard code. The code is of paramount importance as it is standard globally which means practitioners and the way they treat patients may be different and subjective in two countries such as the USA and India but due to the work of a medical coder, a doctor in India can understand what a doctor in the USA diagnosed the patient with and the course of treatment they have been undergone subsequently and vice versa. Another advantage of these codes is that they fast-track the process of getting insurance claims. The code can also serve as an integral tool that is utilized to collect statistics and information about a particular disease, the treatment available and the general treatment prescribed, the medicines available, and so on. Medical Coding requires a special skill set of being able to read and write in alphanumeric codes, it involves the translation of medical reports into universal small alphanumeric codes used in the healthcare industry. The role that coders play has been recognized over the years and today, it has become detrimental for any organization that associates itself with the healthcare industry to have a skilled professional with knowledge of medical coding. The advantages of the health information system developed by medical coders to ensure the patients have a seamless experience are many. With this system, a hospital can have a well-coordinated and organized treatment procedure that ensures a hassle-free process of sharing information. This system allows patients to get coordinated and seamless treatment from healthcare professionals. With better healthcare management, the safety of the patient takes an elevated role as a doctor gets the complete history of the patient and the treatment that has been administered in the past. This allows them to not repeat treatments and helps the patient heal faster. Aside from this, the health information system collects information such as the side effects experienced from any particular medication, reports of any tests that they may have undergone, any allergies they may have,