Outpatient Coder

Houstonmethodistcareers; Louisiana (MO); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Houston Methodist is seeking an outpatient coder to join our health information team. You will assign ICD-10-CM/ICD-10-PCS and CPT codes, and abstract data in the EHR using an electronic encoder.

Qualifications include an associate degree or higher in HIM/Health Informatics or two years of related experience, plus one of several AHIMA/AAPC credentials. Strong communication and accuracy are essential for patient safety and coding compliance.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree or higher in an HIM/Health Informatics program or two years’ experience in lieu of degree.
• 1 year outpatient coding experience or completion of Houston Methodist Coding Apprentice Program.
• Must have one of the AHIMA or AAPC credential options listed in the requirements.

Responsibilities

• Interact with coding team and stakeholders to ensure accurate coding and data quality.
• Query physicians to obtain clarification for diagnoses and procedures per protocol.
• Maintain accurate ICD-10-CM/ICD-10-PCS and CPT coding in the encoder and EHR systems.
• Adhere to AHIMA standards and official coding guidelines in all tasks.

Skills

Medical coding

English communication

Electronic health records

AHIMA guidelines

Education

Associate’s degree or higher in HIM/Health Informatics accredited program

Tools

Electronic encoder

Job description

FLSA STATUS

Non-exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Associate’s degree or higher in a Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management accredited program or additional two years of experience (in addition to the minimum experience requirements listed below) in lieu of degree

EXPERIENCE

• One year of relevant outpatient coding experience or completion of the Houston Methodist Coding Apprentice Program

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Required

• Must have one of the following: RHIT - Certified Health Information Technician (AHIMA) RHIA - Registered Health Information Administrator (AHIMA) CCS - Certified Coding Specialist (AHIMA) CCA – Certified Coding Associate (AHIMA) CCS-P – Certified Coding Specialist Physician-Based (AHIMA) CPC – Certified Professional Coder (AAPC) CPC-H – Certified Professional Coder – Hospital (AAPC) CPC-I – Certified Professional Coder Instructor (AAPC) CPC-A – Certified Professional Coder Associate (AAPC) CCC – Certified Cardiology Coder (AAPC) COC - Certified Outpatient Coder (AAPC)

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on‑going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co‑workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Knowledge of coding classification systems, DRG and APC systems, official coding guidelines and coding compliance
• Knowledge of an electronic medical record and imaging systems
• Working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology
• Proficiency with electronic encoder application
• Extensive PC knowledge - must be able to work effectively in common office software, coding software and abstracting systems

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Interacts and communicates effectively with members of the coding team and the appropriate stakeholders.
• Participates and provides good feedback during coding section meetings and coding education in-services as well as takes initiative to assist others and shares knowledge with the appropriate stakeholders.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Responds promptly to internal and external customer requests. Responds promptly and appropriately to requests to code or review coded accounts for accuracy.
• Initiates queries with physicians to obtain or clarify diagnoses and/or procedures as appropriate, utilizing the established physician query process.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Maintains and achieves departmental standards of coding quality by assigning accurate ICD-10-CM/ICD-10-PCS and CPT codes and APC assignment utilizing an electronic encoder application in accordance with hospital policy and regulatory body guidelines.
• Maintains and achieves departmental standards of abstracting quality by reviewing the discharge disposition entered by nursing and corrects if necessary in order to achieve the highest quality of entered data. Assigns and enters physician identification number and procedure date correctly in the medical record abstracting system.
• Reviews medical record documentation and abstracts data into the encoder and Electronic Health Record (EHR) to determine principal or final diagnosis, co‑m‑orbid conditions and complications, secondary conditions and procedures. Utilizes all tools/resources for accuracy.
• Complies with the Standards of Ethical Coding as set forth by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and adheres to official guidelines.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Utilizes time effectively. Consistently codes and abstracts at departmental standards of productivity while ensuring accuracy of coding.
• Supports meeting organizational goal for Accounts Receivables (AR) associated with uncoded accounts.
• Maintains coding timeframes within established departmental standards by ensuring all work items assigned to the coding queues are processed in a timely manner.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Critically evaluates own performance, accepts constructive criticism, and looks for ways to improve.
• Displays initiative to improve relative to job function. Contributes ideas to help improve quality of coding data and abstracting data.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: Yes
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON‑CALL*

*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**

**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area Yes

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Associate’s degree or higher in a Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management accredited program or additional two years of experience (in addition to the minimum experience requirements listed below) in lieu of degree

EXPERIENCE

• One year of relevant outpatient coding experience or completion of the Houston Methodist Coding Apprentice Program

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Required

• Must have one of the following: RHIT - Certified Health Information Technician (AHIMA) RHIA - Registered Health Information Administrator (AHIMA) CCS - Certified Coding Specialist (AHIMA) CCA – Certified Coding Associate (AHIMA) CCS-P – Certified Coding Specialist Physician-Based (AHIMA) CPC – Certified Professional Coder (AAPC) CPC-H – Certified Professional Coder – Hospital (AAPC) CPC-I – Certified Professional Coder Instructor (AAPC) CPC-A – Certified Professional Coder Associate (AAPC) CCC – Certified Cardiology Coder (AAPC) COC - Certified Outpatient Coder (AAPC)