Medical coding automation pilot checklist.
A useful pilot begins with an agreed question, representative charts, qualified reviewers, and decision criteria established before results are examined.
1. Define the decision the pilot must support.
State what the organization intends to learn. The objective might be to evaluate recommendation quality, reduce chart-navigation time, improve workflow consistency, assess integration readiness, or determine whether a larger implementation is justified. A pilot without a decision framework can produce activity without producing clarity.
2. Select a representative chart population.
- Define specialty, encounter type, location, and date range.
- Include an appropriate mix of common, complex, and exception cases.
- Document inclusion and exclusion criteria.
- Confirm that the sample supports the questions being evaluated.
3. Establish the reference workflow.
Agree on how comparison results will be created and adjudicated. Identify the applicable coding guidance, source documentation, reviewer qualifications, disagreement process, and treatment of cases where the reference itself changes after additional review.
4. Define integration and data handling.
Document how charts will be received, which data elements are in scope, how access is authorized, where results will be presented, and how information will be protected. The pilot should also identify retention, logging, user access, incident response, and organizational security responsibilities.
5. Choose measures before reviewing results.
- Agreement and disagreement categories by code type
- Evidence relevance and reviewer usefulness
- Time required to review recommendations
- Exception and escalation rates
- Reviewer acceptance, modification, and rejection patterns
- Integration effort and workflow disruption
6. Assign accountable people.
Include coding leadership, qualified reviewers, revenue cycle operations, technology, security, compliance, and an executive sponsor where appropriate. Define who can approve scope changes and who makes the final decision at the end of the pilot.
7. Document findings and next steps.
Summarize results, limitations, unresolved questions, workflow observations, and any changes required before broader use. The final review should connect measured findings to the original decision criteria rather than relying on isolated examples.
Measure the complete workflow—not only the final code.
Recommendation quality, evidence, review effort, exceptions, integration, and professional accountability all contribute to operational value.