Lead Coder - Hospital Inpatient

University of Virginia; Charlottesville (VA); Remote; USD 36,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Virginia Health is seeking a Lead Inpatient Coder in a fully remote role to serve as the team’s subject matter expert for complex inpatient coding questions, audits, and quality oversight. You will educate and mentor other coders, ensure accuracy, and support reimbursement integrity across the organization.

This leadership-focused position works on highly complex cases within UVA Health, a premier academic medical center, emphasizing collaboration, education, and continuous process

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant coding experience required.
• CPC certification required.
• High School Diploma or GED required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead resource for complex inpatient coding questions and escalate as needed.
• Conduct coding audits and quality reviews to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Review records prior to submission and identify opportunities to improve accuracy.
• Research challenging and uncommon coding scenarios to support accurate reporting.
• Educate, mentor, and provide feedback to coding professionals across the organization.
• Support data integrity related to reimbursement, quality measures, research, and reporting.
• Collaborate with colleagues to promote best practices and continuous improvement.
• Maintain compliance with evolving coding standards and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Inpatient coding

Auditing

Mentoring

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Certified Professional Coder (CPC)

Job description

Exceptional inpatient coding quality has a direct impact on patient care, reimbursement integrity, research initiatives, and the accuracy of healthcare data. This leadership-oriented coding opportunity allows an experienced inpatient coding professional to serve as a trusted expert, mentor, and quality champion within one of the nation's leading academic health systems.

If you've progressed beyond production coding and enjoy auditing, education, solving complex coding challenges, and helping others succeed, this role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact while working with highly specialized cases and some of the most advanced programs in healthcare.

The Role

As the Clinical Coding Coordinator (Lead Coder) for Hospital Inpatient Coding, you will serve as the team's primary subject matter expert and quality resource. This is not a traditional production coding role. Instead, you will be the expert consultants turn to when complex questions arise, helping ensure the highest standards of coding accuracy, compliance, and reporting integrity.

In this completely remote role, you'll work closely with coding professionals across the organization, providing guidance, education, quality oversight, and support for highly complex inpatient cases. Your expertise will directly influence reimbursement accuracy, quality metrics, research initiatives, and organizational reporting.

On a typical day, you may:

• Serve as the lead resource and escalation point for complex inpatient coding questions
• Conduct coding audits and quality reviews to ensure coding excellence
• Review records prior to final submission and identify opportunities for improved accuracy
• Research challenging and uncommon coding scenarios
• Educate, mentor, and provide feedback to coding professionals
• Support data integrity efforts related to reimbursement, quality measures, research, and reporting
• Collaborate with colleagues to promote best practices and continuous improvement
• Help maintain compliance with evolving coding standards and regulatory requirements

This completely remote role is ideal for a coding professional who enjoys being the expert others rely upon, thrives on solving difficult coding challenges, and values collaboration, mentorship, and continuous learning.

Why UVA Health

At UVA Health, you'll join a nationally recognized academic health system where innovation, discovery, and exceptional patient care come together. As a Lead Inpatient Coder, your work supports the accuracy and integrity of care delivered across a complex tertiary and quaternary medical center known for treating some of the region's most medically sophisticated patient populations.

What makes this opportunity stand out:

• Work in a premier Academic Medical Center environment with exposure to highly complex inpatient cases
• Collaborate with a team deeply committed to coding quality and professional excellence
• Participate in coding reviews involving advanced treatments, innovative procedures, and transplant programs
• Be recognized as a trusted subject matter expert whose guidance influences coding outcomes across the organization
• Join a culture that values education, mentorship, and knowledge sharing
• Receive support for professional development through continuing education opportunities and credential maintenance assistance
• Work alongside experienced professionals who are passionate about quality, compliance, and continuous improvement
• Contribute to an organization where coding accuracy plays a critical role in patient care, research, operational success, and healthcare innovation

This is an excellent opportunity for experienced inpatient coding professionals who want to leverage their expertise in a leadership-focused role without moving into people management.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education: High School Diploma or GED required.

Experience: 5+ years of relevant coding experience required.

Licensure: Certified Professional Coder (CPC) required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally requires traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The pay range for this role is $26.00 - $45.68 hourly. Individual compensation will be determined by the selected candidate's qualifications, previous work experience, and/or education.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Benefits Package: Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Retirement Savings
• Long-term and Short-term Disability
• Health Saving Plans, and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Certification and Education Support

UVA Health (https://jobs.virginia.edu/why-uva-health) is a world-class Magnet Recognized academic medical center and health system with a level 1 trauma center. 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” guide (https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/va/university-of-virginia-medical-center-6344000) rates UVA Health University Medical Center as “High Performing” in 5 adult specialties and 14 conditions/procedures. We are one of 70 National Cancer Institute designated cancer centers. UVA Health Children’s (https://jobs.virginia.edu/uva-childrens) is named by 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report (https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/va/university-of-virginia-childrens-hospital-PA6344000) as the best children's hospital in Virginia with 9 specialties ranked among the best in the nation. Our footprint also encompasses 3 community hospitals and an integrated network of primary and specialty care clinics throughout Charlottesville, Culpeper, Northern Virginia, and beyond.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment (https://eocr.virginia.edu/notice-non-discrimination-and-equal-opportunity).