Inpatient Coder-Certified – Health Information Management – HCA Administration

Description

The Health Care Agency is a comprehensive healthcare system serving our diverse community through the Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC), Santa Paula Hospital, 24 primary care clinics, 11 specialty care clinics, Ambulatory Care, the Public Health Department, and the Behavioral Health Department. We aim to provide comprehensive, cost-effective, accessible, and quality health care, especially those facing barriers.

Under general direction the Coder-Certified is responsible for coding and abstracting inpatient and outpatient medical records at Health Care Agency Administration. 

The ideal candidate for the Coder-Certified position at Health Care Agency (HCA) Administration thrives in detail-oriented environments and has a proven ability to stay organized while managing multiple tasks. With specialized knowledge and certification in medical coding, the candidate brings strong expertise in ICD-10-CM, ICD-10PCS, CPT, HCPCS, PPS, and DRG coding systems, ensuring accuracy in coding and abstracting inpatient and outpatient records. Exceptional customer service, effective communication skills, and adaptability for training and growth opportunities make this candidate a valuable asset to the team and a key contributor to quality patient care. 

This classification is unique in that it requires specialized knowledge and certification related to medical coding of records. Training/assignment assessments may be conducted to determine candidates’ current skills and identify growth opportunities. 

WHAT WE OFFER:

The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package. Aside from our base salary range, an employee within this position will also be eligible for the following: 

• Educational/Bilingual Incentive: Incumbents may be eligible for an educational incentive of 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on completion of an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degree. Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill.
• Health Plans: Biweekly County contribution towards medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from a group of authorized plans
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Choice of participation in the Flexible Spending Accounts which increase spending power through reimbursement of pre-tax dollars for IRS approved dependent care and health care expenses.
• Deferred Compensation – Eligible to participate in the County’s 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 3% match on your 401(k) contributions.
• Pension Plan – Participation in the County’s defined benefit pension plan. If eligible, you may establish reciprocity with other public retirement systems such as CalPERS.
• Holidays – 12 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.
• To learn more about the benefits, please click on the following link: https://vcportal.ventura.org/CEO/HR/MOA/docs/SEIU_MOA_2022-2025.pdf (Download PDF reader)

AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: Health Care Agency – Health Information Management – Health Care Administration

The Coder-Certified is represented by the Service Employees’ International Union (SEIU) and is eligible for overtime compensation. 

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra-Help vacancies within the Health Care Agency. There is currently one (1) Regular vacancy. 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE 

OPENING DATE: 11/12/24

CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive enough qualified applications to meet business needs. It is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible. 

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Codes and abstracts discharged inpatient and outpatient medical records using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10CM); International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification and Procedure Coding System (ICD-10CM/PCS); Current Procedural Terminology (CPT); Health care Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS); Prospective Payment System (PPS); and/or Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) assignments based on Prospective Payment System (PPS) and/or Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC);
• Examines documentation for completeness and accuracy in accordance with Federal and State regulations, ICD-10CM/PCS Official Coding Guidelines and American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines;
• Sends queries to Physicians for clarification on diagnoses and procedures performed;
• Analyzes medical charts for relevancy and consistency of data;
• Determines when additional clinical documentation is needed in order to assign and/or validate the diagnosis or procedure code(s);
• Communicates with physicians on complex cases providing coding guideline references as needed;
• Collaborate with Clinical Documentation Team to achieve accuracy and specificity in coded data;
• Inputs completed patient data coding classification systems into the hospital’s Information Management System in accordance with The Joint Commission (TJC) and the Corporate Integrity Agreement between VCMC and the Office of the Inspector General; and
• Performs other related duties as required.

Typical Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list. 

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE: 

Two (2) years of recent experience in an acute care setting using ICD-CM, ICD-10PCS, CPT, HCPCS, PPS and/or DRG assignments.

NOTE: An acute care setting includes a hospital that provides inpatient/outpatient medical care and other related services for surgery, acute medical conditions or injuries (usually for a short-term illness or condition). 

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: 

Must be a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) OR a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) OR a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) OR Certified Coding Associate (CCA) as credentialed by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) OR Certified Professional Coder (CPC-H/COC) as credentialed by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:

Thorough knowledge of: 

• ICD-10CM, ICD-10CM/PCS, CPT, HCPCS, PPS and DRG assignments
• anatomy, physiology, disease pathology, and medical terminology necessary to correctly code diagnoses, procedures, and services

Working knowledge of: 

• The Joint Commission standards for Medical Records Management and Clinical Documentation Programs

Knowledge of:

• Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) programs

Working Ability to:

• Code and abstract inpatient and outpatient medical records and/or physician professional fees using ICD-CM, ICD-10PCS, CPT, HCPCS, PPS and DRG

Ability to:

• Communicate with all levels of professionals, including physicians
• Train and educate providers on professional coding

Skill in: 

• Assigning Present On Admission (POA) indicators, Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) and Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs)

Working Conditions: Duties are performed primarily in an indoor hospital environment with heavy personnel and public contact. Tasks involve both sedentary and moderate activities. 

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE: This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date.

To apply online, please refer to our website at www.ventura.org/jobs. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire, however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

LATERAL TRANSFER OPTION: If presently permanently employed in another “merit” or “civil service” public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a “merit” or “civil service” style examination, then appointment by “Lateral Transfer” may be possible. If interested, please click here (Download PDF reader) for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE – qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant’s qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire will result in the application being removed from consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION – qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the screening and selection process.

NOTE: If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an oral exam will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

Applicants successfully completing the exam process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information and driving record is required for this position.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Nathan Wood by e-mail at nathan.wood@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 677-5232.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Service Employees International Union (LOCAL 721)

(SEIU)

To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

• Benefits website or you may call (805) 654-2570.
• Retirement FAQ’s (Download PDF reader)
• Memorandum of Agreement

Union Code: UPP

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