MEAT in Medical Charting
MEAT is a documentation acronym used primarily for billing and coding purposes that stands for: Monitor, Evaluate, Assess/Address, and Treat—representing the four key elements required to support medical necessity and justify the level of service billed for a patient encounter.
Core Components of MEAT Documentation
The MEAT acronym serves as a framework to ensure comprehensive documentation that supports diagnosis codes and medical decision-making:
M - Monitor
- Document ongoing monitoring of chronic conditions or previously diagnosed problems 1
- Include vital signs, symptom progression, or disease status tracking 2
- Record any changes in the patient's condition since last visit 3
E - Evaluate
- Document the evaluation of test results, imaging studies, or consultant reports 2
- Include assessment of response to previous treatments 1
- Record review of systems findings relevant to the chief complaint 2
A - Assess/Address
- Provide clinical assessment of the patient's current status 3
- Document differential diagnoses considered 1
- Address the severity and acuity of presenting problems 4
T - Treat
- Document treatment plans, including medications prescribed or adjusted 1
- Record procedures performed or ordered 2
- Include patient education and discharge instructions provided 1
Clinical Context and Documentation Standards
MEAT documentation differs from traditional SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) charting by specifically focusing on elements that justify medical necessity for billing purposes 3. While SOAP notes organize clinical information chronologically, MEAT documentation is problem-oriented and links each documented element directly to specific diagnoses 3.
Key Documentation Principles
- Concept-oriented terminology: Use standardized language that clearly connects clinical findings to diagnoses 4
- Problem-focused structure: Organize documentation around specific diagnoses rather than chronological narrative 3
- Completeness: Each diagnosis code billed must have corresponding MEAT elements documented 1
Common Documentation Pitfalls
- Insufficient linkage: Failing to explicitly connect documented elements to specific diagnosis codes 3
- Vague language: Using non-specific terms that don't clearly demonstrate medical necessity 4
- Missing elements: Documenting only 2-3 MEAT components when all four strengthen the medical record 1
- Narrative-only charting: Relying solely on free-text without structured problem-oriented documentation 5
Practical Application
Structured charting formats that incorporate MEAT elements improve documentation completeness by 14% compared to blank narrative charts (81.1% vs 71%, P<0.0001) 1. Preformatted documentation tools facilitate the capture of all MEAT components while reducing charting time by approximately 4.5 minutes per patient 5.