It all started with a tree

During the mid-1970s, medical informatics researcher and doctoral candidate John Morgan was analyzing medical data for the University of Utah, but realized that much of the medical data was fragmented, incomplete or missing altogether.

Understanding the problem Morgan also discovered there was no uniform way for hospitals to code procedures, leading to wildly different and often incomplete medical record coding.

In 1982, Morgan introduced a digital coding solution that prompted coders with a series of questions designed to lead them to creating more accurate and complete records. His set of logic trees were based on the way the human brain thinks, rather than on the random codes specified in books. The result: more precise coding and more accurate reimbursement for hospitals.

By digitally mapping out uniform logic paths for the coder to follow Morgan not only found a solution to fuel his research, he also created a seismic shift in the way medical coding was performed.

The software Morgan helped to develop filled holes in logic that coding books had not addressed, including the focus on procedural codes, intuitive auto-suggestions and code-based diagnoses.

Now part of the most widely used coding system in the health care industry, Morgan’s human-centric logic tree approach to medical coding is the foundation of 3M Health Information Systems, an industry leader helping thousands of health care systems become more accurate, efficient and compliant.

3M Health Information Systems continues to lead the industry with medical coding and reimbursement solutions that are regularly updated to address the latest compliance standards and industry shifts.

We’ve set our sights on the next generation of coding technology with the 3M Coding and Reimbursement System Plus (CRS+).