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Coaching physicians to improve coding documentation is a particularly daunting challenge for many small physician practices-and one that you can easily overcome with a formal billing compliance and internal auditing program. However, physicians often don't believe they have the time, money, or need for a compliance plan, says consultant Curt Udell, CPC. "These physicians don't think that they game the system and believe that it's just one more expense and one more thing to worry about," he says. In reality, the financial risk of not having a compliance program in place far outweighs the cost, which can rear its ugly head in the form of reimbursed overpayments, fines and penalties, or missed revenue.