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What is the automatic coding feature?

Elation’s automatic coding feature is designed to help you get credit in quality programs for the documentation already present in your visit note by automatically adding CPT and/or ICD-10 codes to the billing information section of your visit notes based on certain information you store in your visit notes.

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What are the benefits of automatic coding?

When automatic coding is enabled, Elation uses the documentation already present in your visit note to automatically input relevant CPT or ICD-10 codes into the Billing Information section of the visit note. Your practice no longer need to (1) remember to code, or (2) remember which code needs to be added to the bill, based on the resulting vitals, screening results or Clinical Profile documentation. This will reduce time spent on double documentation on your practice, allowing you to focus more time on patient care.

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Which coding automations are available in Elation?

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Standard EHR

All EHR users have access to the following coding automations. Click here for more information about the Standard EHR coding automations.

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Premium EHR

Premium EHR users have access to the Standard EHR set plus the following:
  • Place Body Mass Index diagnosis codes at the bottom of the bill.
  • Export diagnosis codes for hypertensive and/or diabetic patients into the bill after inputing blood pressure procedure codes into the bill.
  • Input the depression screening diagnosis code in the bill after inputting a the PHQ-9 screening result procedure code into the bill.
  • Input the procedure code for pain or no pain into the bill based on the pain scale value recorded for a patient in their vitals.
  • Input the 1107F procedure code into the bill after an ‘Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Index’ functional status assessment is completed and referenced in the visit note.
  • Place diagnosis codes starting with W (W00 to W99) at the bottom of the bill.
The coding automations listed are part of Elation’s Premium EHR offering. If you are already a Premium EHR user and you are interested in using these coding automations, click the “I need help” button to notify Elation and a member of the Elation Team will activate the feature for you.If you are interested in upgrading to Premium EHR to use these coding automations, click the “I need help” -> “Contract Elation Support” button and a member of the Elation team will assist you.

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Using the automatic coding feature

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Enabling automatic coding

Admin Level Users within your practice can turn the automatic coding features on or off by using the toggle in the Settings section. To adjust your automatic coding preferences:
  1. Click on your email at the top of your Elation account and then click “Settings” -> “Billing”
  2. Use the toggles next to turn the corresponding coding automations ON (green) or OFF (grey) for any of the listed workflows. Once enabled, the coding automation will work for all users in your practice.
  • Certain coding automations have a primary automation and then a secondary automation. You must first enable the primary automation in order to enable the secondary automation. For example, you must first enable the Body Mass Index coding automation in order to enable the BMI Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation.
When the “Admin only” toggle at the top right of the page is turned on, only Admin Level Users will be able to turn the feature on or off. For more information on Admin privileges, please reference the User Accounts Guide- Administrative privilege .

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Applying coding automation in visit notes

When automatic coding is turned on, taking certain actions in the visit note, such as entering blood pressure information or importing a PHQ-9 result from the Clinical Profile, will result in associated CPT or ICD-10 codes being automatically inputted in the Billing Information section of associated visit note. Certain coding automations may also reorder certain ICD-10 codes. Reference the information below to understand how each coding automation works.

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Using the Body Mass Index - BMI Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation

For the BMI Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation, any BMI related diagnosis code that is automatically inputted in the bill as a result of the BMI coding automation will automatically be place at the bottom of the bill. This ensures that BMI diagnosis codes are not listed as the primary diagnosis code on the bill. If you manually reorder the BMI diagnosis code, this automation will override your action and return the code to the bottom of the bill upon saving the bill.

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Using the Blood Pressure - Export Dx Code coding automation

For the blood pressure Export Dx Code coding automation, any hypertensive or diabetic diagnostic codes from the Clinical Profile or visit note will automatically be inputted in the bill along with any procedure codes that were inputted as a result of the Blood Pressure coding automation.

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Using the PHQ-9 depression screening coding automation

For the PHQ-9 coding automation, complete the ‘Depression (PHQ-9 Questionnaire)’ in the Pysch (Psychological) section of the patient’s Clinical Profile. Afterwards, when you export the completed PHQ-9 screening into a visit note, Elation will automatically input
  • the G8510 CPT code in the billing section of the visit note if the screening results are negative or minimal (the PHQ-9 score is between 0-4).
  • the G8431 CPT code in the billing section of the visit note if the screening results are positive (the PHQ-9 score is greater than 4).

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Using the PHQ-9 - Export Dx Code coding automation

For the PHQ-9 Export Dx Code coding automation, the depression screening diagnosis code, Z13.13, will automatically be inputted in the bill when the G8510 or G8431 CPT codes are inputted in the bill as a result of the PHQ-9 depression screening coding automation.
  • You must first enable the PHQ-9 coding automation in order to enable the Export Dx Code coding automation for PHQ-9.
Click here for more information about the PHQ-9 clinical questionnaire in the Clinical Profile.

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Using the Pain assessment coding automation

For the Pain assessment coding automation, when you enter a patient’s perception of pain intensity on a scale of 0-10 in the Pain field of the Vitals section of a visit note, Elation will automatically input the appropriate associated CPT® Category II Code in the billing section:
  • 1126F for a pain intensity of 0 (no pain present)
  • 1125F for pain intensities between 1-10 (pain present)
Click here to learn more about the Pain field .

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Using the Functional Status Assessment coding automation

For the Functional Status Assessment coding automation, complete the ‘Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Index’ assessment in the Func (Functional)
  • * section of the patient’s Clinical Profile. Afterwards, when you export the results into a visit note, Elation will automatically input the 1170F CPT® Category II Code in the billing section.
Click here for more information about the ‘Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Index’ clinical questionnaire in the Clinical Profile .

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Using the W Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation

For the W Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation, Elation places diagnosis codes starting with W (W00 to W99) at the bottom of the bill. This ensures that diagnosis codes starting with W are not listed as the primary diagnosis code on the bill. If the W diagnosis code is manually reordered, this automation will override your action and return the code to the bottom of the bill upon saving the bill.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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When both the Body Mass Index - BMI Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation and W Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation are enabled, will both diagnosis codes be placed at the bottom of the bill?

Yes, when both the Body Mass Index - BMI Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation and W Diagnosis Code Ordering coding automation are enabled, both diagnosis codes will be placed bottom of the bill. Are there additional coding automations available in Elation? No, there are no additional coding automations available. You will be notified if any additional coding automations are added in the future.

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Can I create my own coding automations in Elation?

Yes, you can automatically apply CPT, CPT II, or HCPCS codes to a bill by using the Document Tags feature. To create your own coding automations using Document Tags:
  1. First, you need to create a Document Tag with an associated CPT, CPT II, or HCPCS code.
  2. Click the “Tag” button in a Report or Document.
  3. Enter a name for the Document Tag in the Edit Document Tags window.
  4. Click the “Add new tag” button at the bottom of the window.
  5. Enter a description if needed.
  6. Select whether the code you want to associate with the tag is a CPT, CPT II or HCPCS code.
  • Coding automation is not available for ICD-9, ICD-10, LOINC or SNOMED codes.
  1. Enter the code for the Document Tag in the code field.
  2. Click “Save” to save the Document Tag and associated code.
  3. Apply the Document Tag to the a visit note to input the associated code in the bill.
Click here to learn more about Document Tags.