DRG Reviewer (Onsite - Hendersonville, TN)

• Claims Review: Responsible for auditing patient medical records using clinical and coding guideline knowledge along with payer requirements to ensure reimbursement accuracy.
• Written Communication: Provide clear, concise, and compelling rationale and supporting clinical evidence to provider or payer for recommendations or reconsiderations of unsupported billed codes.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with team leaders to ensure DRG denial is thoroughly reviewed.
• Coding Knowledge: Maintains expert knowledge of ICD-10-CM/PCS coding conventions and rules, Official Coding Guidelines and American Hospital Association (AHA) Coding Clinic.
• Quality and Time Management: Perform all audits in observance of organizational quality and timeliness standards set by the audit operations management team, meets productivity requirements
• Technically savvy: Ability to use multiple tools, provider systems, and different medical records systems to perform audits in a comprehensive and timely manner
• Proficiency: Utilizes proprietary auditing systems and intellectual property with a high level of proficiency to make sound and consistent audit determinations and rationales
• HIPAA Compliance: Assures HIPAA compliance for protected health information.
• Presentation skills: Participates in exit interviews with the client summarizing audit findings, which can vary depending on client/ facility
• Practice Standards: Abides by the Standards of Ethical Coding as set forth by the American Health Information Management Association.
• Other duties as assigned.

• National certification as Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), and/or Certified Coding Specialist (CCS).
• Minimum of five years hospital inpatient coding for IPPS reimbursement and/or at least 2 years’ experience performing DRG validation.
• Previous auditing/ recovery experience preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.  
• Comprehensive knowledge of the DRG structure and regulatory requirements

1.  As a salaried “exempt” employee of VARIS, Assistant Managers (AM) are expected to work at a minimum of 40 hours per week or a minimum of 80 hours every two week pay period.   VARIS allows some flexibility of work schedules, however, AM’s must work at least 5 hours per day.  If less than 5 hours per day are worked, prior approval must be made. Approvals have to be entered into the VARIS time off calendar.  AM’s must be disciplined to work independently on a remote basis and have the ability to be flexible with the possibility of working greater than an 8 hour day. 

2.  AM’s are expected to have each team member within their team achieving at a minimum a 15% find rate and complete at least 2.0 records per validation hour worked.  A skill level improvement may be performed periodically by your manager…”A positive skill improvement analysis does not guarantee either an increase in compensation or continuing employment.  Raises, if given, are based on a number of factors, such as VARIS, LLC performance and profitability, department or group performance and individual performance.” (see Employee Handbook: Skill Improvement)  AM’s must also report as accurately as possible the total hours worked for each task.

3.  Appeal responses are expected to be completed at the beginning of each work day.  The time involved working on appeal responses is included within the total validation hours worked, not counted separately. AM’s assure that all appeals for their team are complete on time.  AM’s assist other AM’s in achieving a quick company wide appeal response.

4.  An AM assists CVS’s in producing strong and high quality rationales for any coding change that affects the DRG assignment; using proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.  Rationales should include ICD-9-CM Coding Conventions, Official Coding Guidelines, and AHA Coding Clinic advice to support the DRG change. Rationale letters are written at a level that conveys professionalism and subject matter expertise.

5.  An AM assists CVS’s to improve their quality of work and have no more than 2 cases per month (per employee) that are identified as a CVS oversight (or A3).  Focused closed case reviews must be at a minimum of 90% accuracy rate. (Refer to the Quality Monitoring Policy and Procedure dated 2/2013)

6.  AM’s are expected to attend monthly CVS meetings.  Only exceptions are for vacation, sickness or situations where prior approval has been made.  If an AM misses a meeting they are required to review the team agenda and contact their Manager for important updates.

7.  AM’s are required to work on their coding skills on their own time to be professionally ready for their specific job at VARIS (including ICD-10).  

8.  AM’s are expected to demonstrate commitment to the VARIS values as described in the employee handbook. 

NOTE:  The position expectations outlined above are in no way to be construed to be all encompassing.

What We Offer: 

• Top Medical/Dental/Vision offerings
• FSA/HSA
• Tuition reimbursement
• Competitive salary, 401(k) with company match
• PTO
• Additional health and wellness benefits and perks
• Flexible and trusting environment where you’ll feel empowered to do your best work 

The salary for this position is based on an array of factors unique to each candidate: Such as years and depth of experience, set skills, certifications, etc.  We are hiring for different levels, and our Recruiting team will let you know if you qualify for a different role/range. Salary is one component of the total compensation package, which includes meaningful equity, excellent healthcare, flexible time off, and other benefits and perks. 

Pay range: $90,000 - $105,000, plus quarterly bonus.