Locum Assistant Medical Coder

Role Overview

Locum Assistant Medical Coder at American Hospital Dubai. This is a temporary coding position supporting the hospital's revenue cycle and claims management operations.

Role Purpose

Ensure accurate assignment and verification of diagnosis and procedure codes following established coding guidelines and Dubai Health Authority (DHA) e-claims guidelines for all hospital claims, including self-pay. Abstract appropriate data for reporting from inpatient, day surgery, and outpatient encounters, and support the Revenue Cycle Management Department.

Key Responsibilities

Coding & Abstraction

• Encode all relevant, current, and documented diagnoses and procedures as performed by attending physicians utilizing the appropriate International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding.
• Create an abstract of all demographics, statistical and medical information from each patient record and enter the data into the coding/abstracting system.
• Assign appropriate procedural codes, Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes, and diagnosis codes at the preauthorization level.
• Assign appropriate codes and send a request to the physician wherever required.
• Apply the appropriate guidelines for the assignment of principal and secondary procedures utilizing the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 4 procedure code when reviewing claims with the Outpatient Coordinator for billing purposes.

Documentation & Compliance

• Ensure documentation is completed and specific for coding to the highest specificity and severity.
• Understand Health Insurance Policy Terms, Coverage, Exclusions, and Approval requirements as per contractual and regulatory obligations.
• Review electronic statements for all prescribed diagnostics and pharmacy items along with procedures and complications as documented in the EMR, Claim Form, or operative reports.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding department activities.

Claims & Approval Management

• Review Approval tracks entered for all approval-required services such as Antenatal Consultations, Diagnostics (CT, MRI), and Surgical Procedures, etc. as per the Quick Chart/DPP.
• Prepare Billed Services in accordance with Approval provided by the Insurer or Corporate.
• Review services repeated within the same day and seek clarifications or medical necessity confirmation from the Physician, Laboratory, or Medical Imaging, etc.
• Review Coding Edit Engine of Dubai (CEED) filtered Medical necessity or coding edits and ensure additional ICD codes are applied as required or suggested by the Insurance Coordinator.
• Estimate cost preparation received from different clinic teams for self-pay patients.

Operations & Reporting

• Ensure physician queries are sent and reported.
• Ensure daily productivity is achieved.
• Ensure delegated insurance, corporate, and self-pay batches are closed and dispatched in line with the dispatch schedule.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in any field; Medical preferred.
• Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) accredited by the American Health Information Association (AHIMA) or Certified Professional Coder (CPC) accredited by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).
• Minimum of zero (0) to one (1) year of experience in ICD-9-CM or ICD-10 coding in an organization handling claims.
• Knowledge of Health Insurance Policy Terms, Coverage, and Exclusions in the UAE preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Skills in working with Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Outlook, Word).
• Ability to speak and write in English fluently.
• Ability to communicate in Arabic preferred.
• Communication and Interpersonal skills preferred.