Outpatient Coder

Houstonmethodistcareers; Town of Florida (NY); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Houston Methodist Careers seeks a qualified outpatient coder with a strong knowledge of ICD-10-CM/PCS and CPT coding. The role involves collaborating with the coding team and physicians to ensure accurate coding and timely reviews of coded accounts.

Candidates should have an associate degree or higher in HIM/CAC, or equivalent experience, and one year of outpatient coding experience or completion of the Houston Methodist Coding Apprentice Program. AHIMA or AAPC certification is required.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree or higher in a Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management accredited program, or 2 years of additional experience in lieu of degree.
• One year of outpatient coding experience or completion of Houston Methodist Coding Apprentice Program.
• Must have one of: RHIT, RHIA, CCS, CCA, CCS-P, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-I, CPC-A, CCC, COC.

Responsibilities

• Interacts with coding team and stakeholders to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Participates in coding education sessions and provides feedback.
• Queries physicians to obtain or clarify diagnoses and procedures as per the physician query process.
• Maintains accuracy in ICD-10-CM/ICD-10-PCS and CPT coding and APC assignments.

Skills

Medical coding

Communication skills

English proficiency

EMR systems

Coding guidelines

Education

Associate’s degree or higher in HIM/CAC program

Tools

Encoder software

EHR system

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)