Make It Make Sense: Medical Decision Making Documentation That Holds Up

Medical decision making shouldn’t feel like a coding puzzle, and your documentation shouldn’t read like a template checklist. In this episode, CJ Wolf is joined by Amanda Reikowsky, a coding quality audit & education supervisor at Hackensack Meridian Health and founder of CodeWise Solutions, LLC, to break down what MDM documentation should look like today—and why the best notes focus on the story and rationale behind care. What you’ll learn The most common MDM documentation gaps auditors see, and how to fix them How to connect diagnoses to plans so each condition is clearly managed Why “reviewed results” or “discussed with specialist” isn’t enough (and what to add) How to document risk based on patient-specific factors (COPD, CKD, diabetes, pregnancy, and more) How the E/M guideline shift changed what matters, and why templates need to catch up Why this matters Over-documentation and cloned notes don’t just create compliance risk—they make it harder for clinicians to find what’s relevant, and harder for coders and auditors to validate the level of service. Clear clinical reasoning protects patient care, supports accurate coding, and strengthens defensibility. Reach out to Amanda at [email protected] or visit her website at www.codewisesolutionsllc.com.