Lead Coder - Hospital Outpatient

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Charlottesville (VA); Remote; USD 36,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

UVA Health is seeking a Clinical Coding Coordinator (Lead Coder) for Hospital Outpatient Coding. This fully remote role focuses on complex coding, audits, guidance, and education across diverse outpatient services within a premier academic medical center.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in hospital outpatient coding, AHIMA/AAPC credentials (RHIA/RHIT/CCS/CPC/COC), and strong communication to mentor peers and drive improvement.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years of hospital outpatient coding experience, including complex cases.
• AHIMA or AAPC certification is required (RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CPC, or COC).
• Associate’s degree preferred; high school diploma required.
• Ability to interpret complex clinical documentation and provide guidance.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary resource for complex outpatient coding and charging questions.
• Conduct coding audits and quality reviews to ensure accuracy.
• Research and resolve challenging CPT, HCPCS, modifiers, and regulatory issues.
• Provide education, mentoring, and feedback to coding staff.
• Support accurate charge capture and reimbursement through coding guidance.
• Assist with implementation of coding updates and regulatory changes.
• Collaborate with leadership to identify trends and improvement opportunities.

Skills

Outpatient coding

Mentoring

Quality auditing

Regulatory knowledge

Communication

Education

RHIA/RHIT with CCS certification

Tools

CPT/HCPCS knowledge

Coding software

Job description

Clinical Coding Coordinator (Lead Coder) - Hospital Outpatient Coding

Hospital outpatient coding requires expertise across a wide range of services, specialties, and reimbursement methodologies. This opportunity is ideal for an experienced outpatient coding professional who enjoys solving complex coding challenges, auditing for quality, researching regulatory guidance, and serving as a trusted resource for others.

If you've progressed beyond production coding and enjoy education, mentoring, and helping coders navigate difficult coding scenarios, this role offers the opportunity to apply your expertise across a diverse outpatient environment that includes emergency department services, observation, same-day surgery, interventional radiology, cardiac catheterization, infusion services, and other hospital-based outpatient care.

The Role

As the Clinical Coding Coordinator (Lead Coder) for Hospital Outpatient Coding, you will serve as a senior coding resource and subject matter expert, supporting coding professionals across multiple outpatient specialties. Rather than focusing primarily on production, you'll provide guidance on complex coding questions, conduct quality reviews, and help ensure accurate code assignment, charge capture, and regulatory compliance.

In this fully remote role, you will:

• Serve as the primary resource for complex outpatient coding and charging questions
• Perform coding audits and quality reviews to promote coding accuracy and consistency
• Research and resolve challenging CPT, HCPCS, modifier, and regulatory issues
• Provide education, mentoring, and feedback to coding professionals
• Support accurate charge capture and reimbursement through coding guidance and review
• Assist with implementation of coding updates and regulatory changes
• Partner with coding leadership to identify trends and opportunities for improvement

Why UVA Health

At UVA Health, you'll be part of a nationally recognized academic health system committed to excellence in patient care, innovation, and professional growth. This role offers the opportunity to apply advanced outpatient coding expertise across a broad range of hospital services while working alongside a collaborative team dedicated to coding quality and continuous improvement.

What makes this opportunity stand out:

• Work in a premier Academic Medical Center environment with exposure to highly complex outpatient cases
• Collaborate with a team deeply committed to coding quality and professional excellence
• Participate in coding reviews involving advanced treatments and innovative procedures
• 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 an experienced outpatient coding professional who enjoys being the expert others rely on and wants to make an impact through education, quality improvement, and coding excellence.

The ideal candidate for the Outpatient Clinical Coding Coordinator role has:

• Recent hospital outpatient coding experience in a major academic medical center, with expertise in complex coding and new technologies.
• Experience in coding quality reviews, auditing, or lead/educator roles.
• Advanced critical thinking skills with ability to interpret complex clinical documentation.
• Strong communication skills with ability to provide clear, accurate guidance on coding standards and documentation requirements.
• AHIMA credential of RHIA or RHIT with CCS.

This completely remote position

is especially appealing for coding professionals who want to expand their influence, share their expertise with others, and contribute to the development of the next generation of coding excellence.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education: High School Graduate or equivalent required. Associate’s Degree preferred.

Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of relevant hospital coding experience required; significant experience with complex cases required.

Licensure/Certification: Active professional coding certification required through AHIMA or AAPC, including RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CPC, or COC.

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 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 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 is named by 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report 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 .