HOUSTON METHODIST EXPERIENCE EXPECTATIONS

• Provide personalized care and service by consistently demonstrating our I CARE values:
  • INTEGRITY: We are honest and ethical in all we say and do.
  • COMPASSION: We embrace the whole person including emotional, ethical, physical, and spiritual needs.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: We hold ourselves accountable for all our actions.
  • RESPECT: We treat every individual as a person of worth, dignity, and value.
  • EXCELLENCE: We strive to be the best at what we do and a model for others to emulate.

• Practices the Caring and Serving Model

• Delivers personalized service using HM Service Standards

• Provides for exceptional patient/customer experiences by following our Standards of Practice of always using Positive Language (AIDET, Managing Up, Key Words)

• Intentionally collaborates with other healthcare professionals involved in patients/customers or employees' experiential journeys to ensure strong communication, ease of access to information, and a seamless experience.

• Involves patients (customers) in shift/handoff reports by enabling their participation in their plan of care as applicable to the given job

• Displays cultural humility, diversity, equity and inclusion principles

• Actively supports the organization's vision, fulfills the mission and abides by the I CARE values

• Interacts and communicates effectively with members of the coding team and HIM, physicians, IT, Patient Access and Business Office.

• Participates and provides good feedback during coding section meetings and coding education inservices.

• Takes initiative to assist others and shares knowledge with the coding group, business office, physicians and nurses on official coding guidelines.

• Responds promptly to internal and external customer requests. Responds promptly to requests to code or review coded accounts for accuracy.

• Initiates queries with physicians to obtain or clarify diagnoses and/or procedures as appropriate, utilizing the established physician query process.

• Responsible for assigning diagnostic and procedural codes to encounters of high complexity.

• Maintains and achieves the highest standards of coding quality by assigning accurate ICD-9-CM/ICD-10-CM/ICD-10-PCS codes utilizing an electronic encoder application in accordance with hospital policy and regulatory body guidelines.

• Maintains and achieves department standards of abstracting quality by reviewing accurate discharge disposition entered by nursing and corrects if necessary in order to achieve the highest quality of entered data. Assigns and enters physician identification number and procedure date correctly in the medical record abstracting system.

• Reviews medical record documentation and abstracts data into the encoder and EPIC/Electronic Health Record (EHR) to determine principal or final diagnosis, co-morbid conditions and complications, secondary conditions and procedures.

• Complies with the Standards of Ethical Coding as set forth by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and adheres to official guidelines.

• 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 (AR) associated with uncoded accounts.

• Maintains coding timeframes within established departmental standards by ensuring all work items assigned to the coding queues are processed in a timely manner.

• Critically evaluates her or his own performance, accepts constructive criticism, and looks for ways to improve.

• Displays initiative to improve relative to job function. Contributes ideas to help improve quality of coding data and abstracting data.

• Associate's degree or higher in a Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management accredited program or additional two years of experience (in addition to the minimum experience requirements listed below) in lieu of degree

• Three years of relevant inpatient coding experience or successful completion of the Houston Methodist Senior Inpatient Coder Transition Program

• RHIT - Certified Health Information Technician (AHIMA) OR
• RHIA - Registered Health Information Administrator (AHIMA) OR
• CCS - Certified Coding Specialist (AHIMA)

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

• 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 - must be able to work effectively in common office software, coding software and abstracting systems

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No
• Scrubs No
• Business professional Yes
• Other (department approved) No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area Yes

Houston Methodist (HM) is one of the nation’s leading health systems and academic medical centers.  HM consists of eight hospitals: Houston Methodist Hospital, its flagship academic hospital in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, and seven community hospitals throughout the greater Houston metropolitan area.  HM also includes an academic institute, a comprehensive residency program, a global business division, numerous physician practices and several free-standing emergency rooms and outpatient facilities.  Overall, HM employs over 25,000 employees.   Houston Methodist is supported by a wide variety of business functions that operate at the system level to help enable clinical departments to provide the best patient care and service in a spiritual environment.

In 2019 Houston Methodist and its physicians treat more than 6,333 international patients from more than 76 countries. Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services’ consulting and education divisions also provide advisory services and training and development to health care organizations around the world.