Top 10 reasons to use a medical coding tool
Posted by Keith ward on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 @ 03:58 PM
Top 10 reasons to use a coding tool when preparing adverse event or concomitant medications data for clinical trial reports

Maybe there is someone out there who loves coding results from their clinical research study, someone who lives to code, who daydreams about adverse event terminology, names of different medications, and the infinite coding possibilities that lie within. If you find them, let us know.
In the meantime, most of us consider "code" just another four-letter word, and are interested in anything that streamlines the process.
Using a coding tool to prepare a clinical research report isn't a panacea, but it can certainly eliminate some of the challenges associated with performing the task.
Here's why:
1. Automated coding systems learn as they code, helping you eliminate trivial words, common misspellings, and standardize abbreviations
2. Thousands of records can be coded in minutes instead of time-consuming, one-at-a-time manual systems
3. Systems that are database-agnostic (SQL, Oracle, SAS) allow coding directly to your data eliminating the conversion process
4. You can perpetuate your decisions to other records and projects that use the same verbatim text
5. You can automatically add your coding decisions for user-reported adverse events to a thesaurus and map them to specific dictionaries for future coding sessions
6. You can access virtually any dictionary-MedDRA, WHOdrug (B-1, B-2, and C formats), COSTART, WHOart, ICD9, ICD10, or create custom dictionaries, and even multiple versions of the same dictionary
7. An automated system can facilitate third-party review and approval to ensure accuracy and consistency
8. Automated coding systems can maintain scripts, by dictionary and platform to make updating dictionary data easier and faster
9. An automated coding system generally has the ability to produce reports and format coded data, making it easier to produce and review metrics
10. Automated coding systems produce audit trails that ensure your organizations' compliance with 21 CFR Part 11
Visit www.clinplus.com/products/coding to find out more about ClinPlus Coding and arrange a demo today!