Inpatient Reimbursement Coding Specialist - Health Information Management

About the position

The Inpatient Reimbursement Coding Specialist at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System is responsible for accurately coding complex inpatient hospital accounts using ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PC codes. This role involves ensuring compliance with coding guidelines, collaborating with clinical documentation teams, and maintaining coding accuracy to support proper reimbursement. The position requires a strong understanding of medical documentation and coding standards, as well as the ability to resolve claim denials and provide guidance to staff.

Responsibilities

• Review inpatient documentation and apply ICD-10 CM diagnosis and ICD-10-PC procedure codes.
• Assign Present On Admission (POA) indicators to diagnosis codes while adhering to inpatient coding guidelines.
• Accurately sequence principal diagnosis, complications, and procedures to assign the correct Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) and All Patient Refined (APR-DRG).
• Write compliant physician queries and collaborate with Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) to clarify documentation.
• Utilize Computer Assisted Coding (CAC) software to review medical documentation and select codes for billing.
• Analyze and resolve claim denials from the Patient Accounts department.
• Provide guidance to departmental staff in identifying and resolving coding issues or errors.
• Stay updated with coding changes and guidelines governing medical record coding and documentation.
• Maintain national standards for coding accuracy and internal standards for productivity.
• Complete continuing education hours as dictated by certification standards.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Current certification as a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist-Physician-based (CCS-P), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Certified Professional Coder (CPC), or Certified Outpatient Coder (COC).
• One year of work experience in inpatient coding, specifically with ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PC coding.

Nice-to-haves

• Minimum of 2 years of experience coding inpatient accounts at an acute care hospital with a complex case mix index.
• Ability to interpret medical documentation for accurate coding and reimbursement.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Paid vacation
• Paid holidays
• Paid sick leave
• Tuition waivers for employees and dependents
• Defined benefit pension plan