ACEP Frontline - Emergency Medicine Three Year Well Chart Check - Documentation Review with Dr. Jason Adler
Feb 9, 2026
Dr. Jason Adler, an emergency physician and documentation/coding expert at Logix Health, shares practical perspectives on three years of guideline changes. He highlights why medical decision making drives billing, the value of documenting independent interpretations and management discussions, and cautions about templated notes, ambient scribe tech, and note bloat.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
MDM Now Drives Most RVUs
- The new documentation guidelines focus coding value on MDM not history/exam, aligning with modern practice and reducing irrelevant note bloat.
- Jason Adler notes ~80–85% of group RVUs come from levels 3–5, so capturing cognitive work in MDM is financially critical.
Dont Rely On Coding Buttons
- Avoid blindly clicking templated coding buttons; educate clinicians to document what they actually did for the patient.
- Prioritize bedside care over excess EHR clicks and remove codified boilerplate that misrepresents work.
Targeted Differential Adds MDM Value
- Differential diagnosis and comorbidities bolster MDM by showing cognitive work and chronic disease management.
- Use problem-focused rationale (eg ordering CT for suspected intracranial bleed in anticoagulated syncope) instead of long boilerplate lists.