Reilly Coding Education

RCE Weekly Coding Challenges: Quick, interactive, one click access with no sign up.

In coding the documentation is the challenge we face every day.

Ambiguous, incomplete, often messy and confusing it's difficult to know when to code a condition and even more difficult to know when it's ok to query.

Over the next several weeks I'll be sharing some various coding challenges for you to work through.

Each challenge will have2 or 3 individual challenges.

This week:
1. Find the documentation that changes the code assignment and DRG
2. Validate the clinical indicators to determine if the diagnosis is supported
3. Determine if query is needed, and if so, find the appropriate clinical indicators.

Increase your clinical understanding, your documentation review and query skills in these 2-3 part challenges each week.

Follow along for the next 2 in this challenge.

RCE Weekly Coding Challenge Test your medical coding skills with the RCE Weekly Coding Challenge!

Nobody expects you to be fast in your first month. They expect you to be careful, and they expect you to ask questions instead of guessing.

The new hires I worried about weren't the ones asking a lot of questions. They were the ones who went quiet and started guessing instead — because guessing looks like confidence until it shows up in an audit three months later.

A good manager would rather answer twenty questions from you this week than find twenty errors from you next quarter. Every experienced coder you're working near has been exactly where you are.

So ask the question. Every time. It's not a weakness. It's the fastest way to become the coder your team can't afford to lose.

Ever pull up an OB record and freeze because three or four diagnoses could all defend themselves as principal?

I put together a free lesson that walks through actual PDX selection logic for OB cases that outlines the PDX selection for several delivery episodes.

In our classes I take each weekly lesson and break it down into 5 modules to make it easy to grab a quick study session when you have a few minutes. Hands on, interactive, instantly scored to help you understand why the codes are correct or incorrect.

📌 Students see the full length medical record case studies each week that they work in our proprietary EHR.

Grab it, work through it, and see where your instinct lines up with mine.

👉 Next week I'll be releasing a free case study for hands on coding practice and a sneak peek of what our students see each month.

Link in comments for the free OB PDX coding lesson ⤵️

My Week: ICD-10-CM Edition 😵‍💫🫠

~ J45.41 – Moderate persistent asthma with acute exacerbation.
Stupid smoke.

~ X01.1XXA. And .XXD. And XXS. – Exposure to smoke in uncontrolled fire, not in a building or structure.
More smoke. Send inhalers 💨

R51.9 – Headache.
Surprising absolutely no one, since eating and breathing normally appears to be optional in my world this week.

T78.19XA – Adverse effect of Hawaiian food
Still under review by Quality. 🤢

T75.3XXA– Motion sickness.
Only 1,734 miles to go. Send crackers and a strong will to live. And how does this happen when I'm driving??

Z71.3 – Encounter for dietary counseling.
Documented. Ignored. Filed under "aspirational."

🚨 Bonus diagnosis: Z72.4, inappropriate diet and eating habits.

Clinical indicators: Pepsi counts as breakfast, cheese counts as dinner, and water only makes an appearance once dehydration hits "concerning." Or my son takes my Pepsi away and replaces it with water. 🤨

Treatment plan: repeat as needed, add cookies PRN, and someone please remind me real meals are a thing.

If you code charts for a living, you already knew exactly where this post was headed.

How would you describe your week?

Outpatient coding pays the bills. Inpatient coding builds the career.

If you’ve already got your certification but feel stuck in low-paying clinic roles, learning inpatient coding (ICD-10-PCS and DRGs) is the fastest way to level up your salary and demand.

But let's be honest: the PCS grid and inpatient sequencing guidelines are intimidating to learn on your own.

That’s why I built a step-by-step training system specifically for newly certified coders and outpatient pros who want to break into the hospital sector.

📌Right now, you can grab my courses for just $99 during my Founding Member sale. The Full Program price is just $899 until Monday.
⚠️ On Monday, the price triples to $299 per course (and $1999 for the full Program).

Monthly payment options available for all courses.

Get the exact hands-on training for Beginner, Advanced and Specialty Expert level and exam prep you need to transition into inpatient coding at the lowest price it will ever be.

👇 Drop a comment below with "INPATIENT" or click the link in the first comment to claim your $99 spot before Monday!

National coding rules matter. But they are not the only rules that show up in audits.

You can follow ICD-10-CM, PCS, and Coding Clinic perfectly and still get a finding if payer policy or facility guidance says the case should be handled differently.

That is the part that catches coders off guard.

Audits are not just about code assignment. They also consider payer policies, internal coding guidance, contract terms, medical necessity, query practices, and facility-specific rules.

So “the code is technically correct” does not always end the conversation.

Sometimes the issue is not code validity—it is policy alignment.

This is a major gap between certification and real-world coding. The exam teaches the rules. The job adds the environment.

If you are new, find out where your organization keeps internal guidance, payer rules, and audit education. Do not wait for a denial to learn it.

Does your team have a central source for coding and payer guidance?

I still second-guess codes. Seventeen years in, and I still pause.
New coders often think confidence means never doubting yourself. It doesn't. It means knowing what to do with the doubt when it shows up.

A confident coder doesn't ignore the uncertain moment — they know exactly how to resolve it.

✔️ Pull the guideline.
✔️ Trace the documentation again.
✔️ Ask a smart, specific query.
✔️ Escalate if it's still unclear.

The coders I've watched grow the fastest weren't the ones who felt sure of everything. They were the ones who built a reliable process for the moments they weren't sure.

If you're new and you feel unsure most days right now, that's not a warning sign that you're not cut out for this. That's just where everyone starts.

What you build next is the process, not the certainty.

Inpatient coding training for certified coders still at Founding Members pricing! $99 for one course, $799 for the entire RCE Inpatient Coding Program, Beginner to Expert Level training.
👉🏻Monthly payments available at checkout.

I was evacuated Saturday due to wildfires so haven’t updated my websites.

Pricing will change this weekend to regular pricing.

Share with anyone who may be interested in learning inpatient coding!

Reillycodingedu.com and
https://reillycodingedu-s-site-4660.thinkific.com

Reilly Coding Education Foundations is live. Advanced launches August 3, and the Specialty bundles from September. Until July 31, lock in founding-rate access to the full Inpatient coding program — before it goes live at full price.

Inpatient coding training for certified coders still at Founding Members pricing! $99 for one course, $799 for the entire RCE Inpatient Coding Program. Monthly payments available at checkout. I was evacuated Saturday due to wildfires so haven’t had access to my laptop to update websites and pricing.

Pricing will change this weekend to regular pricing.

Share with anyone who may be interested in learning inpatient coding!

“I’m certified” is a huge step.
“I can code a real chart” is the next level—and it’s where opportunities open up.

Your certification proves you understand the system. Now it’s about building the confidence to navigate real records, make judgment calls, and stand behind your codes.

That gap is not a failure—it is where growth happens.

Most training programs were built to test knowledge, not to mirror the realities of a coding department. The coders who stand out are the ones who take the next step and develop true job-readiness.

If you are feeling stuck after getting certified, you are closer than you think.

Keep building. Keep practicing. Close that gap intentionally and your credential will start working for you in a whole new way.