Senior Outpatient Coder

Houston Methodist; United States; Remote; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Houston Methodist seeks a Senior Outpatient Coder responsible for accurately assigning diagnostic and procedure codes to outpatient encounters. The ideal candidate will ensure compliance with coding standards, interact with various stakeholders, and have strong coding certification and experience. Join a dynamic team with a commitment to healthcare excellence and professional growth.

Qualifications

• Three years relevant outpatient coding experience.
• RHIA, CCS, CCA, CCS-P, or CPC certification required.
• Proficiency in medical terminology, anatomy, and coding guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Assign diagnostic and procedure codes accurately.
• Communicate effectively with coding team and stakeholders.
• Review medical record documentation for accuracy.

Skills

Communication

Attention to Detail

Knowledge of Coding Guidelines

Customer Service Focus

Education

Associate's or higher degree in a Health Informatics program

Tools

Electronic Encoder Application

Coding Software

Job description

REFER A FRIEND Current Employees Apply BACK Location : Telecommute Job Ref : 70296 Talent Area : HIM / Medical Records Job Shift : 1st - Day Job Type : Full-Time Posted Date : April 30, 2025

At Houston Methodist, the Senior Outpatient Coder position is responsible for ensuring diagnostic and procedure codes are assigned accurately to day surgery and observation encounters based upon documentation within the electronic medical record while maintaining compliance with established rules and regulatory guidelines.

Requirements :

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 inservices 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

• Responsible for assigning diagnostic and procedural codes to encounters of high complexity.
• 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-morbid 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 or above 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.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business / job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

Qualifications : EDUCATION

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

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Three years of relevant outpatient coding experience or successful completion of the Houston Methodist Senior Outpatient Coder Transition Program

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• RHIA - Registered Health Information Administrator (AHIMA) OR
• CCS - Certified Coding Specialist (AHIMA) OR
• CCA - Certified Coding Associate (AHIMA) OR
• CCS-P - Certified Coding Specialist Physician-based (AHIMA) OR
• CPC - Certified Professional Coder (AAPC)

KNOWLEDGE, 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