Senior Clinical Coder

NHS Jobs; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Jobs is seeking a Clinical Coder to work with clinicians, translate clinical data into ICD-10 and OPCS-4 codes, and ensure data quality for financial reporting. The role involves regular liaison with wards and departments to chase source data and resolve coding queries.

You will work closely with clinical teams to ensure correct coding practices, meet departmental deadlines, and contribute to improvements in data completeness and accuracy within the Trust.

Qualifications

• Experience in clinical coding using ICD-10 and OPCS-4.
• Strong attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Ability to liaise with clinicians and other departments to obtain complete/source data.

Responsibilities

• Discuss coding standards and requirements with clinicians in understandable language.
• Chase up outstanding source data from hospital wards and departments.
• Abstract clinical information from the electronic patient record to translate into ICD-10 and OPCS-4 codes.
• Ensure coded data is complete and accurate and understand its impact on trust financial data.
• Maintain relationships with coding assistants to coordinate timely data collection.
• Meet monthly deadlines and plan workload to meet targets.

Skills

Clinical coding

Attention to detail

Keyboard skills

Data quality

Communication with clinicians

Tools

ICD-10

OPCS-4

Job description

Work with clinicians to ensure they understand the coding process and its limitations, discuss complex clinical information and convey coding standards and requirements in language understandable by clinicians; Liaise with hospital wards and other departments as necessary to chase up outstanding source data; Work with clinical teams to ensure that palliative care coding is used appropriately and monitored; Attend meetings to discuss coding issues and data-quality as required; Improve communication between clinicians and clinical coders regarding the coding process, by meeting and liaising with relevant clinicians on a regular basis agreeing and documenting outcomes; Liaise closely with coding assistants to co-ordinate timely collection of casenotes in line with departmental deadlines; Abstract clinical information from the electronic patient record to translate into diagnostic (ICD10) and operative (OPCS4) codes in a timely and accurate manner, applying national and international classification rules and conventions; Ensure coded data submitted is complete and accurate with full understanding of responsibility for generating the correct financial revenue for the Trust, and impact on Trusts mortality indicators; Contribute to improvements in accuracy and completeness of clinical coding for admitted care; Make decision to contact clinician if clinical document is incomplete or appears inaccurate meaning an accurate code assignment can not be made; Ensure coding queries are resolved, escalating to the line manager where necessary; Plan and prioritise own workload to meet performance and quality targets and, in a timely manner, advise the line manager of any hindrance to the achievement of these targets; Ensure monthly departmental deadlines are met, in line with nationally mandated flex and freeze dates, including forward planning of workloads for self and less experienced team members; Spend majority of working day at computer, combining accurate keyboard skills with excellent attention to detail; Maintain speed of work to produce expected level of coded data; Assist in the continuing development and improvement of the Clinical Coding service in order that high quality-data can be collected and produced with minimum delay; Support the Clinical Coding Managers and Training and Audit Team to establish a process to allow clinicians to validate and sign-off their own data quality and resolve their queries; Keep abreast of all new national guidance in relation to clinical-coding practices and ensure own coding skills are kept up to date, widening and strengthening own skill-set across various clinical specialties; Ensure all ICD/OPCS books are kept up to date with latest guidance; Undertake appropriate training, as deemed necessary by the Training and Audit Manager and/or Clinical Coding Manager/Deputy Clinical Coding Manager; Be aware of all statutory and local requirements regarding the disclosure/safe keeping of information e.g. the Data Protection Act, Caldicott etc.; Support and act as mentor to less experienced coders, and assist with their development; Participate in discussions relating to general coding problems and issues, for example, at departmental meetings; Take responsibility for co-ordinating workload to ensure deadlines are met in the absence of Coding Manager/Deputy Coding Manager; In periods of absence, cover the workload of other colleagues as required; Provide motivational support to aid staff development.

£25,760 - £27,476 B4 and B5 available depending on training and experience