Senior Outpatient Coder

Houston Methodist•Katy, TX

About The Position

At Houston Methodist, the Senior Outpatient Coder assigns diagnostic and procedure codes accurately to day surgery and observation encounters based on electronic medical record documentation, while maintaining compliance with established rules and regulatory guidelines. The position handles high-complexity encounters and uses an electronic encoder application to code and abstract medical record data, including diagnoses, procedures, and discharge disposition. The role supports coding quality, accuracy, productivity, and timely processing of accounts, and communicates with physicians and other stakeholders to clarify documentation when appropriate. This is a non-exempt, day-shift position. Business-professional attire is required. The role may require travel within and outside the Houston metropolitan area and may require on-call availability during emergencies, regardless of the stated on-call selection. Houston Methodist is an equal opportunity employer.

Requirements

Associate’s or higher degree in a Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management accredited program, or two additional years of experience beyond the minimum experience requirement in lieu of the degree.
Three years of relevant outpatient coding experience or successful completion of the Houston Methodist Senior Outpatient Coder Transition Program.
Must hold one of the following certifications: RHIT, RHIA, CCS, CCA, CCS-P, or CPC.
Demonstrated skills and competencies necessary to perform the assigned job safely, as assessed through ongoing skills and competency assessments and performance evaluations.
English speaking, reading, and writing proficiency sufficient to perform essential job functions, particularly those affecting patient or employee safety or security.
Ability to communicate effectively with patients, physicians, family members, and coworkers using a customer-service focus and positive language principles.
Knowledge of coding classification systems, DRG and APC systems, official coding guidelines, and coding compliance.
Knowledge of electronic medical records and imaging systems.
Working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology.
Proficiency with electronic encoder applications.
Extensive PC knowledge and ability to work effectively with common office software, coding software, and abstracting systems.

Responsibilities

Interact and communicate effectively with the coding team and appropriate stakeholders.
Participate and provide feedback in coding section meetings and coding education in-services; assist others and share knowledge with appropriate stakeholders.
Respond promptly to internal and external customer requests and to requests to code or review accounts for accuracy.
Initiate physician queries to obtain or clarify diagnoses and procedures in accordance with the established physician query process.
Assign accurate diagnostic and procedural codes to high-complexity encounters.
Assign ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and CPT codes and APC assignments in accordance with hospital policy and regulatory guidelines, using an electronic encoder application.
Review nursing-entered discharge disposition and correct it when necessary to maintain abstracting quality.
Enter physician identification numbers and procedure dates correctly in the medical record abstracting system.
Review medical record documentation and abstract data into the encoder and EHR to determine principal or final diagnoses, comorbid conditions and complications, secondary conditions, and procedures.
Use available tools and resources to ensure accuracy and comply with AHIMA Standards of Ethical Coding and official coding guidelines.
Use time effectively and meet or exceed departmental productivity standards while ensuring coding accuracy.
Support organizational goals for accounts receivable associated with uncoded accounts and process assigned coding queue work within established timeframes.
Evaluate own performance, accept constructive criticism, seek improvement, and contribute ideas to improve coding and abstracting data quality.