How fit is your coding career? Notice any bulging errors, drooping knowledge or sagging job satisfaction? Everyone reaches that performance plateau at some point, but powering through the pain can get your skills in peak condition. Give your routine a full assessment, then consult our Coding Workout-tailored for you with advice from industry experts-for exercises to rid your problem areas for good.

Problem Area:

Coding Knowledge

Signs of Weakness: Confusion over new codes, straining to follow coding updates, varying skills depending on coding scenario

Strengthening Exercises:

? Devote at least 1 hour per week to reading Coding Clinic, CCS Prep! or other journal articles.

? Log on to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Communities of Practice at least once per week.

? Subscribe to at least one professional association or corporate listserv.

? Re-read coding basics for ICD-9 once every 6 months.

? Participate in a state coding roundtable.

Problem Area:

Self-Doubt

Signs of Weakness: Hesitating to submit a case, re-thinking code decisions, inconsistent coding

Strengthening Exercises:

? Refer challenging cases to your supervisor for review at meetings.

? Ask supervisors for a redacted operative report and invite several colleagues to code it. Compare results to identify questionable areas.

? Identify a case where coding protocol seems incorrect, and ask why case is coded that way.

? Create a spreadsheet listing common errors or tough cases with agreed-upon solutions for quick reference.

? Maintain regular contact with a physician who can coach you.

? Launch a Twitter account, Facebook page or forum to exchange tips and get support.

Problem Area:

Questionable Queries

Signs of Weakness: Submitting unnecessary queries, increasing rates of leading questions, strained communication with physicians

Strengthening Exercises:

? Read AHIMA's practice brief, "Managing an Effective Query Process."

? Practice writing a query for each of the five AHIMA-defined criteria: legibility, completeness, clarity, consistency, or precision.

? Review querying policies with your supervisor, including when not to query.

? Before sending a query, ask yourself these three questions:

• Is the issue significant?

• Are clinical indicators clear?

• Is the language leading?

? Introduce yourself to the clinical documentation improvement team.

? Following a query, invite the physician to conduct an in-service on a new condition or procedure.

Problem Area:

Promotional Issues

Signs of Weakness: Feeling invisible, overlooked for project leadership, sore attitude about work

Strengthening Exercises:

? Respond promptly to e-mails from supervisors.

? Notify managers of any "day-to-day" changes they may not be aware

of, such as when a physician is

on vacation.

? Volunteer to represent coders on the revenue cycle committee.

? Offer to research a challenging case and report back to the team.

? Read through external Webinar invites and suggest topics at internal meetings.

Problem Area:

Time Management

Signs of Weakness: Easily distracted, rushing to complete assignments, difficulty focusing on task at hand

Strengthening Exercises:

? If working from home, post scheduled hours and stick to them.

? Designate five times a day to check e-mail (as soon as you log on, then every 2 hours until the end of your shift) and schedule those times in your e-mail calendar. Disable notifications to avoid distractions.

? Take several short breaks or a long lunch break away from your desk.

? Invest in high-quality headphones.

? Download soft music that fosters focus.

Problem Area:

Computer Quandaries

Signs of Weakness: Frequent downtime, elevated incidence of error messages, atrophy of non-computer aided skills

Strengthening Exercises:

? Request or invest in a high-speed DSL and a large monitor.

? Select a few cases and code them by the book to avoid dependence on encoders.

? Learn the names of each IT staff member, and refer to them by name each time you call.

? Say "Please" and "Thank you" when logging a complaint.

Problem Area:

Anatomy/Disease Knowledge

Signs of Weakness: Using outdated terminology, dusty anatomy textbooks, declining awareness of medical discoveries

Strengthening Exercises:

? Bookmark WebMD and other health information sites for disease specifics.

? Contact your anatomical pathology department to see if you can observe autopsies or the department of surgery to observe surgeries.

? Attend a mortality/morbidity or cancer conference.

? Read a chapter from an anatomy textbook on your day off.

? Maintain a running list of new anatomical and technical terms.

Meet the Trainers:

• Rose T. Dunn, MBA, RHIA, CPA, FACHE, chief operating officer of First Class Solutions Inc., Maryland Heights, MO.

• Wendy Coplan-Gould, RHIA, president of Health Record Services Corp., Baltimore.