DIRECTOR/HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & CODING

McDonough District Hospital•Macomb, IL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Health Information Management & Coding provides onsite leadership for the accuracy, integrity, confidentiality, accessibility, and compliant use of patient health information throughout McDonough District Hospital (MDH). The Director oversees core HIM and coding operations, promotes complete clinical documentation and accurate facility coding, and works with Revenue Cycle, clinical leaders, medical staff, Compliance, Finance, and Information Systems to support timely claims, appropriate reimbursement, regulatory readiness, and quality patient care. The position is accountable for operational outcomes, staff development, measurable process improvement, and responsible vendor management within its assigned scope. Performance is assessed using indicators such as coding accuracy and timeliness, HIM/coding-related DNFB, documentation completion, preventable coding-related denials, coding productivity, audit remediation, record-release performance, regulatory compliance, employee engagement and retention, vendor cost and quality, and completion of agreed improvement goals. Baselines and targets will be established with leadership.

Requirements

Active, nationally recognized professional medical coding certification from AHIMA or AAPC, such as CCS, CPC, COC, CIC, CCS-P, or a comparable credential approved by MDH; a course-completion certificate alone does not qualify.
Associate degree in Health Information Management, healthcare administration, a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant leadership experience.
At least five years of progressively responsible experience in hospital HIM and/or facility coding, with understanding of hospital coding and medical-record operations.
At least three years of supervisory, management, or comparable team-lead experience with accountability for workflow and staff performance.
Working knowledge of inpatient and outpatient coding, reimbursement principles, documentation integrity, health-information privacy, record retention, and hospital regulatory requirements.
Ability to analyze operational data, coach multidisciplinary teams, communicate with medical staff, and lead accountable process improvement.
Ability to use word-processing and spreadsheet software.
Visual acuity to access, read, understand, prepare, and present written and online material.
Sound interpersonal, organizational, decision-making, problem-solving, and customer-service skills, including responding to customers exhibiting high-stress behaviors.
Ability to communicate effectively and concisely with department and hospital members through online, verbal, and telephone communications.
Ability to remain calm and courteous in stressful situations and work under pressure with frequent interruptions.
Ability to work with established processes and techniques, and clerical perception to prevent errors in procedures, reports, and record keeping.
Ability to handle information requiring discretion and confidentiality.
Considerable initiative and judgment in collecting and analyzing record data.
Ability to work with patients across populations, including people with diverse cultural needs, pain, abuse or neglect concerns, and diagnosis- or procedure-specific needs.

Nice To Haves

Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) credential; RHIT is also valued. Neither replaces the required coding certification.
Bachelor’s degree or higher in HIM, healthcare administration, health informatics, or a related discipline.
CCS certification and direct experience overseeing hospital facility coding quality and audit programs.
Experience with Cerner/Oracle CommunityWorks, DNFB improvement, coding denial reduction, outsourced-coding transition or performance management, and clinical documentation integrity initiatives.
Additional certifications such as CDIP, CHPS, or CHC where aligned with assigned duties.

Responsibilities

Provide onsite leadership for the accuracy, integrity, confidentiality, accessibility, and compliant use of patient health information.
Oversee core Health Information Management and coding operations.
Promote complete clinical documentation and accurate facility coding.
Collaborate with Revenue Cycle, clinical leaders, medical staff, Compliance, Finance, and Information Systems to support timely claims, appropriate reimbursement, regulatory readiness, and quality patient care.
Develop staff and manage operational outcomes, process improvement, and vendor performance within the assigned scope.
Supervise, mentor, and develop Health Information Management personnel.
Collect and analyze record and operational data; lead accountable process improvement.
Support coding quality and timeliness, documentation completion, denial reduction, audit remediation, record-release performance, regulatory compliance, employee engagement and retention, and vendor cost and quality.