Senior Outpatient Coder

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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 on documentation within the electronic medical record while maintaining compliance with established rules and regulatory guidelines.

Non‑exempt

• Education:
  
  Associate’s or higher degree in a Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management accredited program or additional two years of experience (in lieu of degree).
• Experience:
  
  Three years of relevant outpatient coding experience or successful completion of the Houston Methodist Senior Outpatient Coder Transition Program.
• Licenses and Certifications (required): 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). Must hold one of these.
• Skills and Abilities:
  
  Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English, effective communication with patients, physicians, family members and co‑workers, 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.

• People: 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; assists others and shares knowledge.
• Service: Responds promptly to internal and external customer requests; initiates queries with physicians to obtain or clarify diagnoses and/or procedures as appropriate.
• Quality/Safety: 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 using an electronic encoder application; maintains and achieves departmental standards of abstracting quality by reviewing the discharge disposition entered by nursing and correcting it if necessary; assigns and enters physician identification number and procedure date correctly in the medical record abstracting system;
  
  reviews medical record documentation and abstracts data 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 AHIMA and adheres to official guidelines.
• Finance: 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 associated with uncoded accounts; maintains coding time frames within established departmental standards.
• Growth/Innovation: Critically evaluates own performance, accepts constructive criticism, looks for ways to improve, displays initiative, contributes ideas to improve quality and abstracting data.

• Work Attire:
  Business professional.
• On‑Call:
  Employees may be required to be on‑call during emergencies (disaster, severe weather events, etc.). On‑Call:
  No.
• Travel:
  Travel specifications may vary; may require travel within and outside the Houston Metropolitan area.

• Seniority level:
  Mid‑Senior level.
• Employment type:
  
  Full‑time.
• Job function:
  Health Care Provider;
  Industries:
  Hospitals and Health Care.