Pay Grade/Pay Range: Minimum: $21.44 - Midpoint: $26.83 (Hourly N6)
Department/Organization: 208411 - UMC Business Office
Normal Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm; some evening/weekend hours as needed
Note to Applicants: Position is eligible for remote work subject to University policy. If an applicant is selected and will request to work from a state where the University does not currently have other regular employees, that applicant may be referred to the University’s 3 rd Party Employer of Record, nextSource, to serve as the official employer.
Job Summary:
- The Medical Billing Coder I provides timely and accurate processing of multi-specialty physician office visits, I/P and surgical hospital visits, and procedural coding in an academic environment.
- Reviews and corrects charges submitted from the clinic and hospital electronic health record using CPT, HCPCS, ICD-10 and insurance payer standards.
- Follows-up with accounts receivable on unpaid insurance claims.
- Corrects denials and audit trails.
- Responds to patient statement inquiries.
Additional Department Summary:
- Performs medical billing services for the College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS).
- Prepares and submits clean claims to various insurance companies either electronically or by paper.
- Reviews and verifies that documentation supports diagnoses, procedures and treatment results.
- Trends problems in billing and coding and provides timely feedback to Faculty, Residents, Learners, and clinical staff regarding proper documentation and coding services.
- Resolves coding edits at the time of charge entry to ensure timely claim submission.
- Answers questions from patients, clinicians, clerical staff and insurance companies.
- Identifies and resolves patient billing inquiries.
- Evaluates patient’s financial status and establishes budget payment plans.
- Identifies and flags delinquent accounts for submission to the collection agency.
- Processes payments from patients and prepares an End of Day report.
- Completes worklog tasks and outstanding accounts receivable reports by contacting insurance companies to resolve denials, submitting appeals, and calling patients to resolve COB issues.
- Maintains strictest confidentiality; adheres to all HIPAA guidelines/regulations.
Required Minimum Qualifications:
- High school diploma or GED and four (4) years of medical bill coding experience; OR associate's degree or medical coding certificate and two (2) years of medical bill coding experience; OR bachelor's degree and some medical bill coding experience.
Skills and Knowledge:
- Experience processing charges submitted in an electronic health record system.
- Demonstrated knowledge and skill in working with Excel spreadsheets and Word documents.
- Excellent organizational and effective written and verbal communication skills.
- Detailed oriented.
- Excellent customer service skills, with respect, cultural awareness, and sensitivity.
- Ability to work independently and problem-solving skills.
- Time management skills.
- Ability to maintain strict confidentiality
Preferred Qualifications:
- Certified Professional Coder (CPC) by American Association of Professional coders (AAPC).
- Certified Coding Specialist by American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
- ICD-10 training/experience.
Background Investigation Statement:
- Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources.
- A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position.
- A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
- The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution.
- All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status.
- Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases.
- More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal poster.
- The University of Alabama affirms its longstanding commitment to institutional neutrality, free speech, and academic freedom.