Lead Coding Data Management & Education

Christiana Care Health System; Wilmington, Northern (DE, KY); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Christiana Care Health System in Delaware seeks an experienced leader to oversee HIMS coding data quality, coder education onboarding, and ongoing retraining initiatives. This role supports accuracy, productivity, and compliance across inpatient and outpatient coding and abstracting, and serves as a backup to the Manager of Coding Data Management & Education.

The position requires five years coding education experience in acute care, strong leadership, and AHIMA/CDIP/AUDITING credentials.

Qualifications

• Associate degree in HIM or healthcare related field, required.
• Bachelor’s degree in HIM or healthcare related field, preferred.
• One or two years of leadership experience, required.
• Successful completion of CCHS Leadership classes, required within 12 months of hire/promotion into this role.
• Five years coding education experience in acute care healthcare environment, required.
• Demonstrated competence in all Inpatient and Outpatient general record types and 50% of all Inpatient and Outpatient specialty types, required.
• Experience implementing and maintaining computer systems, preferred.
• Experience with Project Management, preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides daily supervision and oversight of the coding data accuracy and coder education functions across inpatient and outpatient hospital coding and abstracting activities within HIMS.
• Acts under the direction of the Manager of Coding Data Management and Coder Education with responsibility for all duties and accountabilities of the staff.
• Monitors coding accuracy, productivity, staffing levels, schedules, and workload distribution to meet month-end close activities and departmental performance goals.
• Performs or assigns record review activities related to pre-bill edit resolution, internal coding audits, and responses to internal or external audit requests.
• Utilizes reporting tools and database queries to perform audits, monitor trends, and support process improvements.
• Monitors and supports billing edit work queues and coordinates correction activities with Patient Financial Services to support timely resolution of accounts requiring HIMS coding review.
• Assists with coding and related system analysis, implementation, testing, database management, application maintenance, troubleshooting, regulatory compliance, data accuracy, and system security for coding and abstracting applications and interfaces.
• Collaborates with Medical–Dental Staff, Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) Specialists, Patient Financial Services, and other departments to address operational coding, documentation, and reimbursement issues and to support identified education needs.
• Provides day‑to‑day guidance to coders regarding coding questions, workflow processes, and system use, escalating complex issues to the Senior Manager, as appropriate.
• Coordinates orientation activities for newly hired coders, coding contractors, and Coding Associates including training on the ChristianaCare medical record, coding systems, reference applications, and HIMS coding workflows.
• Supports Coding Education Coordinators by assisting with coder mentoring activities, monitoring coding questions and trends, and reinforcing education provided through training programs.
• Assists in preparation and coordination of coding staff meetings, including distribution of educational materials related to coding regulations, regulatory updates, system enhancements, and documentation practice changes.
• Tracks operational metrics related to coder education activities, appeals outcomes, and workflow performance, and reports findings to the Senior Manager to support program oversight.
• Maintains documentation related to coder education activities, training completion, and operational procedures to support consistency and compliance.
• Assists with identification of coder education needs based on coding questions, workflow challenges, and feedback from quality reviews or appeals outcomes.
• Conducts quarterly touch‑bases with staff and provides input on employee selection, development, training, promotion, and corrective action, including participating in disciplinary or discharge actions as appropriate.
• Contributes to the development of departmental goals and objectives and participates in projects assigned by the HIMS Management Team to support departmental and organizational priorities.

Skills

Leadership

Coding knowledge

Medical terminology

ICD/CPT coding

Regulatory/compliance awareness

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Computer skills

Education

Associate degree in HIM or healthcare related field

Bachelor’s degree in HIM or healthcare related field

One or two years of leadership experience

Successful completion of CCHS Leadership classes

Five years coding education experience in acute care healthcare environment

Demonstrated competence in inpatient/outpatient record types and 50% of all specialty types

Experience implementing and maintaining computer systems

Experience with Project Management

Job description

Christiana Care Health System in Delaware seeks an experienced leader to oversee HIMS coding data quality, coder education onboarding, and ongoing retraining initiatives. This role supports accuracy, productivity, and compliance across inpatient and outpatient coding and abstracting, and serves as a backup to the Manager of Coding Data Management & Education.

The position requires five years coding education experience in acute care, strong leadership, and AHIMA/CDIP/AUDITING credentials.