Healthcare Econ 101 - Ep. 3: Decoding the Black Box (Billing & Coding)

In the final installment of the Healthcare Econ 101 miniseries, Dr. Christopher Childers and Dr. Nina Clark demystify the "black box" of medical billing and coding. This episode breaks down the two essential components of every medical bill: ICD codes, which identify the patient's diagnosis (the "why"), and CPT codes, which describe the specific services or procedures performed (the "what"). The discussion emphasizes that surgeons are legally and ethically responsible for the accuracy of these codes, regardless of whether a professional coder or an automated system handles the data entry. Listeners will gain insights into the "Global Period," the pitfalls of illegal "unbundling," and how to use modifiers—such as the -22 for increased procedural services—to accurately reflect the complexity of a case. ***Fellowship Application Link: Please visit to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more. If you liked this episode, check out our recent episodes here: Behind the Knife Premium: General Surgery Oral Board Review Course: Trauma Surgery Video Atlas: Dominate Surgery: A High-Yield Guide to Your Surgery Clerkship: Dominate Surgery for APPs: A High-Yield Guide to Your Surgery Rotation: Vascular Surgery Oral Board Review Course: Colorectal Surgery Oral Board Review Course: Surgical Oncology Oral Board Review Course: Cardiothoracic Oral Board Review Course: Download our App: Apple App Store: Android/Google Play:

You can listen to Healthcare Econ 101 - Ep. 3: Decoding the Black Box (Billing & Coding) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Healthcare Econ 101 - Ep. 3: Decoding the Black Box (Billing & Coding) is an episode from Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast.

This episode is 40:13 long.

This episode was published on Mar 16, 2026.

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