Why Physicians Must Act Now to Address Outpatient Documentation Challenges

Big changes to Medicare coding guidelines for outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) services take effect in 2021, reflecting new federal policies aimed at reducing administrative work for care providers. The share of outpatient revenue as a portion of total hospital revenue has nearly doubled over the past decade. Thanks to recent advances in clinical technology, consumer desire to avoid hospitals in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a number of other factors, demand for outpatient services should continue to grow in 2021 and beyond. 

In this context, provider organizations can take a number of steps to ease the coding and documentation burden in the months and years ahead.