Clinical Coder
Job overview
Would you like to join our Clinical Coding team as a Clinical Coder? Read on to learn more about this rewarding role and submit your application.The Clinical Coding service is a part of the Digital Division of the University Hospitals of Leicester and is responsible for extracting and codifying complex clinical information that describes a patient's diagnostic and procedural healthcare status within an episode of care in a timely manner.
The ability of UHL to accurately record and codify its clinical activity is fundamental to understanding the quality of its clinical services. Our coded data is used by all parts of the Trusts business to deliver trusted and high-quality services to patients.
Accredited Clinical Coders are a core component of the Clinical Coding service and have a crucial supporting role in the overall management of the Trust as their output directly influences income through the NHS Payment Scheme.
*Please ensure you can demonstrate the criteria required for shortlisting*
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential- GCSE Maths and English or equivalent
- 21 day NHSD Clinical Coding Standards Course
Experience
Essential- Experienced in the use of ICD 10 and OPCS
- Minimum 18 months NHS experience using ICD10 & OPCS
Previous applicants should not apply.
Main duties of the job
Main duties of the job
Extraction of complex clinical information from the health record on discharge of the patient and translation of medical terminology using ICD10 and OPCS4 into a form that can be tabulated, aggregated and sorted for statistical analysis, applying national and international rules and conventions to agreed standards.Training and workshops will be provided by our team of Trainers. All coders will attend workshops on a regular basis to enable them keep up to date with any changes within clinical coding and support learning skills and development
Working for our organisation
About us
We are one of the biggest and busiest NHS Trusts in the country, incorporating the General, Glenfield and Royal Infirmary Hospitals. We have our very own Children's Hospital and run one of the country's leading Heart Centres. The UHL team is made up of more than 17,000 staff providing a range of services primarily for the one million residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.We work with partners at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University providing world-class teaching to nurture and develop the next generation of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, many of whom go on to spend their working lives with us.
Our vision is to be leading in healthcare and trusted in communities. We now have a vision for UHL that is captured in a single sentence and that we can all get behind.
The values we hold as we work towards our vision are vital:
We are compassionate
We are proud
We are inclusive
And we are one team
Our patients are at the heart of all we do and we believe that our Trust Values are not just about the treatments and services we provide, but about giving our patients the best possible experience.
Our service is led by an open, transparent and dedicated leadership team who are striving to create a productive and supportive work environment which delivers a high quality codified output to accurately describe our patient's healthcare status and needs.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To accurately analyse, interpret and extract relevant clinical information and data (including complex conditions, treatments and High Cost Drugs) from a variety of electronic sources including Badger (Neonatal Care), CITO (scanned patient documents), CRIS (imaging reports), DICT3, Euroking E3 (Maternity admissions), Heart Suite (paediatric cardiology & surgery), ICE (discharge letters), iLab (pathology results), Intellect Web (cardiac surgery/cardiology), Medisoft (ophthalmology), Nerve Centre, ORMIS, Proton and Unisoft (endoscopy reports).
Responsible for managing own workload within broad guidelines. Have a joint goal with other coders to achieve coding targets. Assist colleagues with coding patient case notes if necessary, to ensure all coding is completed within the Trust’s stated deadlines.This may include mentoring less experienced colleagues.
Responsible for identifying obstacles to meeting these deadlines and for taking appropriate action to overcome them.
Responsible for identifying and analysing patterns of errors and notifying these to manager, with proposed potential solutions.
To comply with both the Trust and departmental policies and procedures and implementing local policies when required.
To work with Clinicians to improve the quality of clinical coded information across the Trust, participating in multi-disciplinary team meetings as a coding expert.
To be a key knowledge resource for and assist with the development of documentation of coding processes, procedures and protocols to ensure quality and consistency within the hospital and adherence to national and international guidelines. Be responsible for the on-going revision and documentation of these processes.
Assist with Mentoring and developing inexperienced staff to enable them to exercise their own initiative in selecting appropriate clinical terms to accurately reflect the patient’s episode of care.
To undertake a programme of Continuous Professional Development, to ensure professional coding skills and knowledge are kept up to date and maintaining the ability to work autonomously to the highest professional standards.
The post holder will be expected to have the ability to code more than one specialty.
Person specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential criteria- Educated to GCSE standards Maths and English (a-c) or equivalent experience. Completed the 21 day NHSD Clinical Coding Standards Course. Completed Refresher course in the last 3 years (if appropriate)
- Willingness to study for Accredited Clinical Coder
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of coding multiple specialties using ICD10 and OPCS in an NHS setting for a minimum of 18 months. Ability to achieve minimum 90% accuracy for primary codes.
- Familiar with using an encoder
Communication and Relationship skills
Essential criteria- Experience of communicating with staff at all levels
Analytical and Judgement skills
Essential criteria- Excellent analytical skills. Excellent judgemental skills.
Planning and organisation skills
Essential criteria- Ability to prioritise and manage own work load, to meet Trust and nationally required deadlines.
Other requirements specific to the role
Essential criteria- Accuracy / attention to detail. Ability to learn quickly. Completer / finisher. Must be able to work on any site.
Physical skills
Essential criteria- Ability to work with prolonged concentration. Exposure to patient case notes.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Essential criteria- Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs
Additional Information
Please submit your application form without delay to avoid disappointment; we will close vacancies prior to the publishing closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.
Please check the email account (including your junk mail) that you supplied as part of your application on a regular basis following the closing date and throughout the recruitment process, as this is how we will communicate with you.
UHL is an equal opportunities employer. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds who match our job criteria.
Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.
UHL is committed to helping colleagues balance the demands of both their work and personal needs through flexible working arrangements wherever reasonably practicable and subject to service needs.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
Please note if you are successful in obtaining this position and the post involves regulated activity you will be required to undertake a Disclosure & Barring Service check.
The Trust will pay for the check initially and the money will then be deducted from your salary over a three month period commencing on your first month's payment.
The current price of a check is £38 for an enhanced and £18 for a standard check.
COVID 19 Risk Assessment
Due to the current Covid pandemic we have introduced a staff risk assessment into our pre-employment process. This now forms part of the mandatory pre-employment checks that will be carried out if you receive a conditional offer.
The risk assessment is intended to ensure you are able to safely perform your duties in any of our work areas, and if you have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. Our main aim is to reduce risk and to ensure the safety of all new starters to the Trust as well as current staff, patients and visitors.
If it is identified that you are within a vulnerable category, we will endeavor to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate this through discussions with both Occupational Health and your recruiting manager.
Covid Vaccination Status
Covid-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, family, colleagues and our patients/service users from the Covid-19 virus. We therefore continue to encourage our current and potential colleagues to get vaccinated.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust holds the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything it does and all that it stands for. We are committed to developing a workforce that is representative of the community we serve.We welcome applications from the diverse community of Leicester, Leicester and Rutland, to help deliver healthcare services that meets the needs of our diverse communities.