Brookring Federal Hiring for Medical Coder at Remote Full Time

Job Title: Medical Coder

Job Summary: Brookring Federal is looking for reliable and detail-oriented people to join our team as a Medical Coder to provide support to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and Department of the Air Force.

Location: Remote

Work Schedule: Work shall be performed eight (8) hours per day with a 40-hr work week, generally Monday through Friday, except for Federal Holidays. The Medical Coder is is expected to be available at least five (5) of the eight (8) hours daily based on Central Standard Time.

The expected start date is 16 September 2023. The position duration is for at least 10 months, with the possibility of an additional 6 month extension.

Responsibilities:

• Adheres to accepted coding practices, guidelines and conventions when choosing the most appropriate diagnosis, operation, procedure, ancillary, or E&M code to ensure ethical, accurate, and complete coding.
• Monitors ever-changing regulatory and policy requirements affecting coded information for the full spectrum of services provided.
• Maintains technical currency through continuing education and training opportunities.
• Reviews encounter and/or record documentation to identify inconsistencies, ambiguities, or discrepancies that may cause inaccurate coding, medico-legal re-percussions or impacts quality patient care. Identifies any problems with legibility, abbreviations, etc., and brings it to the provider’s attention. May perform assessments and examine records for proper sequence of documents, presence of authorized signatures, and sufficient data is documented that supports diagnosis, treatment administered, and results obtained. Develops and submits a written (electronic or hard copy) query IAW DHA guidelines to the provider to request clarification of provider documentation that is conflicting, ambiguous, or incomplete regarding any significant able condition or procedure. Monitors query submission, response times, and completion. Educates and provides feedback to providers and clinical staff to resolve documentation issues to support coding compliance. Assigns accurate codes to encounters based upon provider responses to queries and s queries and responses IAW DHA guidance.
• Acts as a source of reference to medical staff that have questions, issues, or concerns related to coding. Responds to provider questions and provides examples of appropriate coding and documentation reference(s) to provide clarity and understanding. Based on contacts from the medical staff, identifies training opportunities and works with coding training personnel to focus on consistency and clarity of coding advice provided. Collaborates with Medical Coding Trainers in developing, delivering, and monitoring initial and annual coding training to providers and clinical staff by providing guidance to professional and technical staff in documentation requirements for coding.
• Supports DHA coding compliance by performing due diligence in ethically and appropriately researching and/or interpreting existing guidance, including seeking clarification from the Lead Medical Coder, supervisor, or DHA-MCPB. Performs administrative related tasks associated with medical records final reviews/audits and contacting various departments, services, or medical staff to obtain data needed to complete the records. Complies with DHA coding compliance requirements regarding training and ing of potential violations.
• Upon DHA-MCPB direction, utilizes MHS computer systems to remotely access patient records and assign codes for patient encounters in support of other MTFs.
• May be tasked to perform limited focused audits of MTFs, specialties, clinics, or providers conducted, or Quality Assurance (QA) or peer reviews IAW DHA MCPB requirements.
• Reviews MHS GENESIS coding edit failure work queues, correcting coding data IAW DHA-MCPB guidance or instructions to resolve edit failures.
• Provides or contributes to periodic s IAW DHA MCPB instructions and timelines.

Requirements:

Education: Must have at least ONE of the following:

• An Associate’s degree or higher in Health Information Management or Healthcare Administration, healthcare related major, or biological science; OR
• A University certificate in medical coding; OR
• At least 30 semester hours of University/College credit that includes relevant coursework such as anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, health information management, and/orpharmacology; OR
• Successful completion of an American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) or American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) coding certification preparation course for professional services or facility coding that includes medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, health information management concepts, and pharmacology; OR
• Successful completion of a training course beyond apprentice level for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training, obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service under close medical and professional supervision.

Certifications

A Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) from AHIMA may be counted towards either the professional services or institutional coding certification requirement below, but NOT both unless the individual possesses the required institutional and professional services experience for the specific position sought:

• Professional Services Coding Certifications: ONE of the following recognized professional coding certifications: Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT); Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA); Certified Professional Coder (CPC); or Certified Coding Specialist – Physician (CCS-P).
• Institutional (Facility) Coding Certifications: ONE of the following recognized institutional coding certifications: Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT); Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA); Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC) or Certified Outpatient Coder (COC), or Certified Coding Specialist (CCS). Other institutional coding certifications will be considered by the DHA-MCPB on a case-by-case basis.

Experience

• Must possess a minimum of four (4) to five (5) years of medical coding and/or auditing experience in two (2) or more medical, surgical and ancillary (Laboratory, Radiology, Dental) specialties within the past 10 years; OR a minimum of two (2) to three (3) years of medical coding or auditing experience if that experience was in an MTF. A minimum of one (1) year of performance in the specialty is required to be qualifying.

Knowledge

• Advanced knowledge of the International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-CM), and Procedural Coding System (PCS); Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS); and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), as used in institutional and professional services medical coding.
• Advanced knowledge of reimbursement systems, including Prospective Payment System (PPS) and Diagnostic Related Groupings (DRGs); Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APCs); and Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS).
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of industry nomenclature; medical and procedural terminology; anatomy and physiology; pharmacology; and disease processes.
• Practical knowledge of medical specialties; medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures; ancillary services (includes, but is not limited to: Laboratory, Dental, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Radiology); and revenue cycle management concepts related to medical coding.
• Practical knowledge and understanding of Government rules and regulations regarding medical coding, reimbursement guidelines, and healthcare fraud; commercial reimbursement guidelines and policies; coding audit principles and concepts, and potential areas of risk for fraud and abuse. Includes, but not limited to: The Federal Register, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Local Coverage Determinations and National Coverage Determinations (LCD and NCD), National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) guidance, manual, and edits, Internet-Only Manuals (IOMs), and HHS-OIG publications and s.
• Practical knowledge of clinical documentation improvement and continuous process improvement processes.

Testing Requirement:

• Employees must achieve a minimum 70% passing score on a medical coding knowledge test.

Job Type: Full-time

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Work setting:

• Remote

Application Question(s):

• What medical coding certifications do you have?
• What type of formal education in medical coding do you have?
• How many years of medical coding experience do you have?

Work Location: Remote