3M’s coding system acclaimed by Frost & Sullivan

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Based on its recent analysis of the North American clinical documentation improvement (CDI) market, Frost & Sullivan has recognized 3M Health Information Systems with the 2018 North American Technology Leadership Award for its 3M™ 360 Encompass System. It was one of the first computer-assisted coding (CAC) products in the market and the first to combine coding, CDI, and quality metrics into a single unified platform.

It leverages artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing (NLP), statistics, and rules to comb through disparate data and information in a patient’s medical record to automate coding and improve documentation.

“3M 360 Encompass, with its new computer-assisted features like annotation of documents and auto-suggested codes, created an ideal solution for healthcare providers to manage the challenges and complexities of ICD-10,” said principal healthcare analyst Nancy Fabozzi (pictured). “Its NLP platform locates important information that may have been overlooked, identifies missing information, and then auto-suggests a physician query, all while the patient is still in the hospital.”

3M’s solution has more documents coming into the system for its computer-assisted coding mechanism when compared to any comparable solution, and this enables its AI tool to learn and grow faster.

It interfaces with leading inpatient electronic health record (EHR) systems like Epic, Cerner and Allscripts to support a variety of additional functions, such as utilization review, case management, and physician documentation.

As a further value addition, it integrates with leading ambulatory EHRs, and the company’s consulting services team handles outsourced coding, CDI, and other health information management (HIM) operations for both outpatient services and ambulatory practices.

The 3M 360 Encompass System consists of five core functionalities: computer-assisted facility coding, hierarchical condition category (HCC) management, computer-assisted CDI, computer-assisted physician documentation, and computer-assisted professional coding.

These features and functions allow providers to match in-patient data with diagnosis codes, which can result in early warning indicators and ultimately, superior patient care. The platform also offers computer-assisted physician documentation (CAPD), which generates smart, prioritized, and intelligent alerts to enhance clinician interaction with EHRs.

“Significantly, the solution’s automation of time-intensive and resource-heavy coding tasks optimizes the CDI workflow and human resource allocation, allowing providers to achieve their business goals in the most cost-effective manner,” noted Fabozzi “3M’s foresight and commitment to innovation has enabled it to consistently deliver CDI tools that help healthcare providers improve care delivery as well as financial and operational efficiencies.”

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents the Technology Leadership Award to the company that has demonstrated uniqueness in developing and leveraging new technologies that deliver significant customer value.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.