Job Description
Company Description
At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you’ll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?
Job Description
The Outpatient Coder II reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. Follows ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Coding Clinics, interprets ICD-10-CM coding conventions and instructional notes to select appropriate diagnoses with a minimum of 95% accuracy. Meets established minimum coding productivity per departmental protocol and guidelines.
The Outpatient Coder IIis the coding and reimbursement expert with ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding, HCPCS and CPT codes and modifiers. The focus is on complex outpatient encounters that include Observation stays, Same Day Surgery, Surgery Center, and Outpatient in a bed. Should have more in-depth knowledge of disease process, A&P and pharmacology as it relates to the entire body system for accurate coding and reimbursement. Expanded knowledge with HCPCS, Level I, II Chargemaster and CPT soft codes with approved facility modifiers to resolve NCCI Edits. Coder II should also have the knowledge and expertise of Coder Associate and Coder I.
Responsibilities:
- Utilizes technical coding expertise to assign appropriate ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 codes to outpatient visit types. Reviews the medical record thoroughly, utilizing all available documentation to code appropriate diagnoses and procedures
- Interprets health record documentation using knowledge of anatomy, physiology, clinical disease process, pharmacology, and medical terminology to report appropriate diagnoses and/or procedures.
- Sends appropriate physician queries when required for documentation clarification. Follows Coding Clinic for HCPCs, CPT Assistant, and interprets coding conventions and instructional notes to select appropriate diagnoses and procedures with a minimum of 95% accuracy
- Broad focus of anatomy on entire body system
- Provides technical expertise to analyze system related changes and participates in testing of software modifications. Identifies opportunities to enhance CAC (computer assisted coding), i.e. notifying IT liaison of documents filing to Default folder, incorrect system assigned codes, etc.
- Resolves NCCI Edits with approved hospital modifiers
- Utilizes 3M Encoder resources to ensure optimal coding accuracy
- Articulates rationale for coding selections, when necessary, ie. Prompted by results of data quality audit
- Meets established minimum coding productivity (90%) and quality standards (95%) for each outpatient encounter type
Qualifications
Required:
- Credentialed by the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association). CE requirement to remain credentialed is 20-30 CE’s every two years
- 3-4 years of coding experience in an acute healthcare setting
- RHIT, RHIA or CCS credentialed
- Ability to work with minimal supervision
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree in related field
- 4 years of coding experience in an acute healthcare setting
Additional Information
Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.
Background Check
Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.
Artificial Intelligence Disclosure
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.
Sign-on Bonus Eligibility: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.
