Specialty Lead Coder

This position is a full time hybrid working arrangement with the requirement to be on site 3 days per week to assist with junior staff mentoring. Their responsibilities will be to act as an expert Clinical Coder for designated specialties and communicate to medical and non-medical staff complex issues related to coding queries and national coding standards. The post holder will hold the Accredited Clinical Coding Qualification (ACC). They will be able to work without supervision under the directive of the Clinical Coding manager to ensure the relevant healthcare information is accurately captured, extracted and coded using the appropriate classification and current coding methodologies.

Main duties of the job

To include but not limited to:

Promotion and development of clinical relationships with Clinical Coding. Ensuring that clinical documentation in your designated specialty(s) meet the requirements of the clinical coding department through the clinical engagement and validation process.

Line management and development of junior clinical coding team members this includes acting as appraisal managers. This is a significant aspect of the role and good mentoring skills will be essential.

Assist with the daily validation of coded data against national standards and participate in regular audit of coded data

Be the subject matter expert for designated specialties

Develop and deliver bespoke training sessions for the coding team relating to your given clinical specialty

Delivering education sessions for clinical/non clinical staff in your given designated specialties or on a general coding theme.

About us

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust provides NHS hospital servicesforaround 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and south Buckinghamshire.

As well as delivering excellent general hospital services to local people, we provide specialist heart attack, vascular, stroke, spinal, cystic fibrosis and plastic surgery services across a much wider area.

We have three main hospitals - Frimley Park in Frimley near Camberley, Heatherwood in Ascot and Wexham Park near Slough.

Our threecore values, and the behaviours that support them, guide everything we do and set out what we expect of our staff in the way they treat patients, visitors, service users and each other,Committed to Excellence,WorkingTogether and Facing the Future.

We are also proud to host the Defence Medical Group South East at Frimley Park with military surgical, medical and nursing personnelworkingalongside the hospital's NHS staff providing care to patients in all specialties

Job description

Job responsibilities

Promotion and development of clinical relationships with Clinical Coding. Ensuring that clinical documentation in your designated specialty(s) meet the requirements of the clinical coding department through the clinical engagement and validation process.

Line management and development of junior clinical coding team members this includes acting as appraisal managers. This is a significant aspect of the role and good mentoring skills will be essential.

Assist with the daily validation of coded data against national standards and participate in regular audit of coded data

Be the subject matter expert for designated specialties

Develop and deliver bespoke training sessions for the coding team relating to your given clinical specialty

Delivering education sessions for clinical/non clinical staff in your given designated specialties or on a general coding theme.

Be an integral part of the clinical coding query mechanism encouraging staff to raise queries and follow the correct methodology in doing so. Identification of clinical coding issues not covered by national standards or local policies and the compliance with coding query mechanisms which govern this process.

Analyse and interpret a wide range of complex medical terminology across all specialities and be able to accurately translate into statistically analysable codes

Adhere to national standards and local policies. Recommend and implement changes to procedures within the Clinical Coding department across three sites. Identify best practice and continually look to develop the service

Ensure that your clinical coding skills (including medical terminology, anatomy and physiology knowledge) are continually developed post attainment of ACC to ensure a high quality clinically coded record is produced and maintained at all times. This will be done through completion and engagement with a programme of ongoing clinical coding training encompassing the use of ICD10 & OPCS Classifications and the national standards that define their use. Attendance and completion of the Clinical Coding refresher course is a mandatory requirement of the post holder, in line with NHS Digital recommendations.

Demonstrate consistent competency and compliance with clinical coding standards through a series of audits and validation competency levels are set using DSP toolkit quality assurance levels.

Compliance with clinical coding national standards and local policies are an integral part of the role and the post holder must ensure that their personal coding reference materials are routinely updated to reflect changing coding practices.

Time management of given workload to ensure that clinical coding departmental targets are met. This involves the extraction of relevant clinical information from the relevant electronic patient record, followed by accurate translation to a clinically coded format and its subsequent data input onto the patient administration system in a timely manner, meeting assigned input targets.

Frequent intense periods of concentration will be required to analyse and interpret clinical notes which may at times cause distress through frequent indirect exposure to harrowing and/or graphic patient information.

The ability to multi task will be required during clinical coding duties due to the nature of a busy office environment.

Study and work towards becoming a subject matter expert in clinical coding in a given/chosen area(s) of clinical specialty.

Liaison with Clinical staff of all levels to ensure any inconsistency with clinical documentation and clinical coding standards are resolved and coding is validated by the appropriate clinician. Completion of an engagement tracker is required to identify adequate levels of clinical validation are being conducted by individuals and the department.

Deputise for other specialty lead coders or managers in clinical engagement meetings

Investigation of missing information relating to the quality of the clinically coded data.

The post holder will have strong problem solving abilities and be able to work on their own initiative without constant supervision.

Provide data quality assurance on key patient demographics such as missing or incorrect data fields i.e. incorrect consultant or transfer, through routine audit of notes conducted as part of daily coding duties.

Work with the clinical coding team members to deal with enquiries from members of the wider Trust, providing good customer service to our colleagues.

Work with senior team members to respond to complex data queries ensuring the full impact of any resolutions are understood and communicated.

Mentor new and/or inexperienced coding analysts.

Assist with audits, projects or clinical coding training for clinical staff as and when required.

Proactively seek out opportunities to promote the clinical coding profession within the Trust

Monitor office stock supplies and ensure timely stock control

Any other duties as requested by the Clinical Coding Manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Hold the Accredited Clinical Coding Qualification with up to date refresher courses.
• Educated to a minimum of AS/NVQ level 3 standard with a GCSE (equivalent or higher) including Biology
• Proficiency in use of Microsoft Office packages

Desirable

• BSc/Foundation degree in a related science subject

Experience

Essential

• In depth knowledge of anatomy & physiology, medical terminology and up to date clinical coding standards
• Experience of coding across a wide range of specialties
• A good understanding of the clinical coding profession and its place in the NHS with the ability to communicate this effectively

Desirable

• Coding experience within an Acute Trust

Employer details

Employer name

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Frimley Health - any site

Frimley or Slough

SL2 4HL

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

151-SL0259