Coding Compliance Coord

West Tennessee Healthcare•Jackson, MS

About The Position

The Coding Compliance Coordinator coordinates coding compliance functions and coding-specialist education, demonstrates competence in the duties of the Coding Manager and staff, and assists with those duties as requested. Under the general supervision of the Manager of Coding, the coordinator assists with leadership and other responsibilities as required. The employee is subject to call back and overtime as required by the hospital. The role includes auditing internal and contract coding specialists, addressing audit findings, educating and training coding staff, assisting with payer denials and appeals, and identifying documentation and coding trends. The coordinator works with medical staff on documentation opportunities and query completion, helps update coding policies and procedures, and participates in continuing education. The position requires the ability to supervise and train coding specialists and communicate with medical staff, healthcare disciplines, and physician office personnel.

Requirements

Current registration with the American Health Information Management Association as an RHIA, RHIT, CCS, or Certified Coding Associate.
Skill and proficiency in coding principles, concepts, and techniques, including ICD-10 and CPT-4.
Knowledge of Health Information Management practices, prospective payment systems, DRG reimbursement, Joint Commission requirements, and state and federal regulations affecting the medical-record function.
Proficiency in coding diagnoses and procedures.
Knowledge of hospital and department policies and procedures, the Medical Staff, and forms, normally acquired through 3–6 months of work experience.
Extensive knowledge of computer applications, including Microsoft Windows and computerized equipment, and the ability to navigate software and hardware and recognize potential issues.
Communication skills for exchanging information with medical staff, other healthcare disciplines, and physician office personnel concerning coding validation, DRG optimization, and APC assignment.
Ability to contribute to a positive work environment and the department’s overall team effort.
Ability to supervise and train coding specialists.

Nice To Haves

A BS or associate degree in Health Information Management; alternatively, the posting identifies 3–5 years of hospital coding experience as a typical route to the required proficiency.
RHIA, RHIT, or CCS certification is preferred.
Management experience in Health Information Management.
3–5 years of hospital coding experience.

Responsibilities

Be prepared to assume the Coding Manager’s leadership and responsibilities, including training and scheduling, as required.
Audit internal and contract coding specialists for coding-error patterns and identify education opportunities.
Assist with external coding audits by reviewing findings and ensuring coding specialists complete follow-up in a timely manner.
Provide ongoing coding education based on internal and external audit findings.
Educate and train coding specialists seeking advancement and newly hired coding specialists.
Assist with payer denials and the appeals process.
Help resolve billing edits and identify trends and coding errors to share with coding specialists.
Identify documentation opportunities in medical records and report trends and deficiencies to the Coding Manager.
Work with medical staff on documentation opportunities and query completion to improve code-assignment accuracy.
Assist with updating coding policies and procedures.
Demonstrate competence in coding-area duties, including advanced knowledge of ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and CPT-4 coding systems.
Assist the Manager of Coding with leadership and responsibilities as required.
Participate in in-service programs to improve medical-record coding knowledge and complete hospital-mandated continuing education.
Perform related responsibilities as required or directed.
Supervise and train coding specialists.