Delivering audit results to healthcare providers is rarely a straightforward task. When the data points to clear deficiencies—particularly those stemming directly from a physician’s documentation, coding choices, or clinical behavior—the conversation can quickly turn from professional review to defensive standoff. Healthcare auditors, coders, and compliance professionals are tasked with providing clear, unbiased feedback that ultimately serves the practice, protects compliance, and ensures appropriate payment. But what happens when those results are less than favorable, and the physician in question dismisses your findings or shifts blame elsewhere?

 

This article explores practical strategies for delivering audit results when the conversation gets uncomfortable—and how to transform these difficult moments into opportunities for education, collaboration, and improved outcomes.

 

The Nature of the Beast: Why Audit Results Stir Strong Emotions

 

Audits, particularly those that identify consistent errors, strike at the heart of a physician’s professional identity. Many physicians/APPs (advanced practice providers) view their clinical judgment, documentation style, and billing practices as extensions of their personal expertise. When those are called into question, the immediate reaction is often defense, denial, or even dismissal of the auditor’s competency.

 

Phrases similar to the following are all too common:

 

  • “That’s how I’ve always done it.”
  • “I’ve been coding this way for 20 years.”
  • “My notes are fine—the coders just don’t understand my specialty.”

Add to this the fact that healthcare compliance rules evolve constantly, and physicians/APPs often feel they’re being judged against moving goalposts. In this environment, delivering poor audit results becomes more than a review; it becomes a delicate balancing act of diplomacy, education, and fact-based feedback.

 

The Art of the Delivery: It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It

 

When audit results reveal physician-specific patterns of error, how you present the findings is critical. 

 

Here’s a roadmap to maintaining professionalism while holding firm to the facts:

 

  • Lead with data, not opinion. Physicians/APPs respect evidence. Frame your results around the objective data from the audit, not subjective interpretation. Instead of simply stating, "Your documentation is incomplete," specify, "In 14 of the 20 records reviewed, the medical decision making documentation lacked required components to support the level of service billed." Concrete data is harder to argue with and shifts the conversation away from personal critique.

  • Acknowledge the complexity of compliance. Position yourself as a collaborative resource, not an adversary. Recognize the challenges that physicians face—balancing patient care with ever-evolving documentation rules—and position your audit as a necessary tool for protecting the practice. Try: "We know the rules have changed significantly in recent years, and we’re here to help everyone stay on the right side of compliance."

  • Diffuse defensiveness with a team approach. When a physician/APP tries to deflect blame onto the coding team, billing staff, or even EHR templates, redirect the conversation to focus on shared responsibility. Remind them, "Documentation is a team effort, and it’s common for there to be gaps between clinical intent and how it translates into the record. Our goal is to help close those gaps together."