Why I joined Fathom: Meg Carrion

From time to time, Fathom invites recent hires to share their experience in deciding to join our team. In this blog, Meg Carrion, Risk Adjustment Coding Advisor, tells the story of how she started out in medical coding and the path that led her to Fathom. 

After 20 years in medical coding, I thought I'd explored every aspect — from code abstraction, auditing, and education, to designing processes that support providers, coders, and the entire revenue cycle across various settings, including primary care, specialty offices, and both inpatient and outpatient facilities, and in roles ranging from contractor to leader.

But then I stumbled across Fathom and realized I'd never actually dipped a toe into the technological side coding. Working here gives me an opportunity that I had never thought possible – training an AI model to do what I've done my whole career! How awesome is that?

Even though I've spent most of my life in the medical coding field, I didn't land in it intentionally. Right out of college, I found a clerk position at a billing office for a large hospital system. The role felt like a solid foundation for something bigger, so I worked all the angles of the healthcare back office: mailing, faxing, filing, payment processing, customer service, claims disputes and resubmissions, and eventually, coding.

My supervisors allowed me to learn coding on the job, and I became certified within a year. In 2020, I decided to broaden my horizons by studying Health Sciences at Arizona State University. With my background in healthcare, this degree felt both relevant and impactful. I gained a deeper understanding of how our healthcare system affects communities, our country, and the world, and about the importance of preventive medicine in reducing the burden on the system.

Broadening horizons with Fathom

After my first foray into the technology world with a value-based care company, I decided to join Fathom and get back to coding. Through the interview process, I gained insight into Fathom's growth trajectory and felt excited about the progress that Fathom had made. 

Throughout my healthcare career, I've held various medical coding and leadership roles, working to support and uplift providers and coders. Educating and communicating are my happy places, and I've been lucky enough to have opportunities that have allowed me to hone these skills over the years.

At Fathom, I work as a Risk Adjustment Coding Advisor. This new application of my coding knowledge allows me to reduce the burden on overworked providers and coders, something I am extremely proud of. While I've spoken to large groups about the importance and function of medical coding, the input provided to the AI model allows for a much more significant impact than ever before. Plus, the chance to learn from some brilliant minds here is something I greatly appreciate.

What excites me is the ability to bring my risk adjustment knowledge to autonomous coding. Risk-based reimbursement has been around for quite some time, but in my view, it has only recently (in the last 10 years or so) gained traction as an alternative to fee-for-service reimbursement models. In the risk adjustment world, one wrong digit on a diagnosis code could mean thousands of dollars not covered by a patient's insurance over a year. I've seen this the most in diabetic complications, especially related to choosing the correct diagnosis in an EMR listing. There are over 500 diabetes codes that map to a Medicare HCC. Yet, providers often select the first diagnosis description, which is often uncomplicated diabetes, to move on to their next task, resulting in the patient accessing only a third of the necessary resources to treat their condition.

I am thrilled to be part of Fathom producing the most accurate coding possible. Along the way, I get to deepen my understanding of different applications and functions of medical coding, constantly testing and refining my years of knowledge. It's been a joy to join the team at Fathom and can't wait to see what the future holds.