What action comes after reviewing complete medical documentation in outpatient diagnosis coding?

After reviewing complete medical documentation in outpatient diagnosis coding, the subsequent step is to abstract the medical conditions. This process involves identifying and summarizing the key medical diagnoses and conditions noted in the patient’s documentation. Abstraction is vital because it allows the coder to pull out relevant information that will directly influence the coding assignment process.

In outpatient diagnosis coding, abstraction ensures that the coder captures the significant details concerning the patient's health status and treatment, which is essential for accurate and effective code assignment and billing. Once the medical conditions are correctly abstracted, the coder can proceed to other important steps, such as checking compliance with coding guidelines, verifying codes, and confirming that the main terms are accurately identified, but abstraction serves as the foundational action following a thorough review of documentation.