Your Role

The Medical Coder-Inpatient DRG (IPDRG) provides high-level technical competency and subject matter expertise in analyzing physician/provider documentation in Inpatient health records to determine the principal diagnosis, secondary diagnoses, principal procedure, and secondary procedures. Assigns appropriate Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRG), All Patient Refined DRGs (APR), Present on Admission (POA), as well as Severity of Illness (SOI) & Risk of Mortality (ROM) indicators for Inpatient records. Identifies Hospital Acquired Conditions (HAC) and Patient Safety Indicators (PSI) to ensure accurate hospital reimbursement.

As a Medical Coder - Inpatient, You Will:

• Documentation Review and Code Assignment
• Assign appropriate code(s) by utilizing coding guidelines established by:
• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ICD-CM Official Coding Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) ICD-PCS Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting
• American Hospital Association (AHA) Coding Clinic for International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification
• American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Standards of Ethical Coding
• Revenue Excellence/HM coding procedures and guidelines
• Navigate the patient health record and other computer systems/sources to accurately determine diagnosis and procedures codes, MS-DRGs, APR DRGs, and identify HACs and PSIs or other indicators that could impact quality data and hospital reimbursement.
• Code Inpatient health records utilizing encoder software and consistently uses online tools to support the coding process and references to assign ICD codes, MS-DRG, APR DRGs, POA, SOI & ROM indicators.
• Review Inpatient health record documentation, as part of the coding process, to assess the presence of clinical evidence/indicators to support diagnosis code and MS-DRG, APR DRG assignments to potentially decrease denials.

What You Need

Non-negotiables

Coding Experience: At least 2 years of Inpatient DRG Coding experience.

• Education: Bachelor of Science in allied health field.
• Credential/Certification: ActiveCertified Coding Specialist (CCS) or Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC), or Certified Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP)
• RCM Knowledge: Extensive, comprehensive working knowledge of medical terminology, Anatomy and Physiology, diagnostic and procedural coding, and MS-DRG, APR DRG assignment. Must be proficient in identifying POA, SOI, and ROM indicators for Inpatient records as well as HACs and PSIs to ensure accurate hospital reimbursement. Familiarity with HIPAA regulations.
• Software Knowledge: Proficiency with electronic medical records (EMR) such as Epic, Cerner, or Meditech.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills and customer service skills (CEFR level of at least B2 for both verbal and written)

Preferred Skills/expertise

• Education: Master’s degree or credential in business, healthcare, or related field preferred
• Licensure: Registered Nurse with an active PHRN or USRN license preferred.
• Software Knowledge: Current experience utilizing encoding/grouping software and Computer Assisted Coding (CAC) is preferred. Encoder experience (3M/Solventum, Encoder Pro, Codify) preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint). Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint)
• RCM Knowledge: Prior experience with US healthcare providers or payers.