If you want to be successful in the medical coder interview, you have to prepare for questions that you may be asked at the interview.
Study the following set of interview questions and answers for a medical coder position:
Interview Questions and Answers for Medical Coder Position
1. Tell me about yourself.
First of all, thank you for inviting me for being interviewed for the medical coder position. I’d describe myself as a seasoned medical coder with 7 years track record of success. I have great attention to detail as well as knowledge of medical terminology and ICD-11, ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, CPT, and HCPCS Level II.
2. Why should we hire you?
You should hire me because I possess all the medical billing and coding skills and qualifications you require. Owing to my solid background and work in the medical coding arena, I’m confident that I can surpass your expectations.
3. What inspired you to work as a medical coder?
I have always liked the hub-hub of medical coding and billing, ever since I interned in this capacity. Endeavoring to work in this arena, I decided to train in medical coding. And I haven’t looked back since then.
4. What skills do you possess which make you a good person to hire as a medical coder?
I am excellent at determining the right codes for each medical procedure. Apart from this, I am well-versed in entering coding information into databases, and can accurately use ICD and CPT codes for different diagnoses. In addition, I am competent in interpreting patients’ medical charts, and can effectively assign the right information to the right records.
5. What is your experience as a medical coder?
I have worked as a medical coder for 3 years. During this time, I have performed many tasks such as auditing coded data for all services, preparing data reports, ensuring the currency of all codes, and assigning the right codes to a specific diagnosis. Additionally, I have been busy participating in quality improvement tasks as they relate to medical coding. Moreover, I have analyzed patients’ records in order to ensure their accuracy and completeness.
6. In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of working as a medical coder?
I believe that ensuring the accuracy of codes assigned to diagnosis and procedures is quite challenging.
7. What do you do to make sure that accuracy is maintained?
I am a thorough individual by nature. This inherent trait makes it easy for me to ensure accuracy. I check all source and destination records with a toothcomb. This ensures that any issues or problems are determined quickly, and are managed before they convert into a crisis situation.
8. What do you consider to be your biggest professional achievement?
I implemented a Performa for the medical practitioners and their assistants to fill out, which had a list of ICD codes to choose from. This resulted in a reduction of claim processing time by 30 minutes per case and I got an appreciation award for this achievement as well.
9. Share a difficult situation you faced. How did you handle it?
Last month there was a fault in coding and the claim was processed. The amount reimbursed was a lot more than the actual entitlement due to a coding error. I got it rectified immediately by admitting my mistake and saving the company from a loss.
10. What are your biggest strengths?
I believe attention to detail and time management are my biggest strengths in addition to my rapport-building skills.
11. What is ICD- 10 cm?
ICD-10 cm is the most widely used coding system that helps coders and medical practitioners not only in categorizing the patient’s illness but also in documenting the medical procedures rendered to patients for reference.
12. What does a J code mean in medical billing?
J codes are used to refer to the administration of drugs via injection that cannot be self-administered, most commonly cancer medication or what is also known as chemotherapy falls in this category.
13. Tell me about your experience.
I have been working as a medical biller and coder at the JWC hospital for the last 3 years. My expertise includes numerical coding, reimbursement support, translation of services rendered into relevant codes, and medical insurance processing.
14. Do you think teamwork is important in this job?
Definitely yes! Medical coding is not a man’s job; it’s just a small part of the insurance claim process and the position needs to work in collaboration with the other team members in order to process the claim.
15. What are the common billing errors in medical coding and how do you prevent them?
Common mistakes in coding are appending inappropriate modifiers, unbundling, and upcoding. All these mistakes are crucial as they can lead to faulty billing and reimbursement. These can be avoided by passing the coded sheet through certain filters and double-checking cases prone to these common errors.
16. What are the methods for organizing bill payments?
Digital bill payments, payments through portals, and manual bills are a few methods of organizing bill payments; it depends on what type of organization the company is using.
17. What are the skills that a medical coder should possess?
A medical coder must have strong attention to detail, good interpersonal skills, the know-how of basic medical terminology, and familiarity with various coding systems, especially ICD and CPT.
18. How do you stay current with new developments in medical coding?
I follow research in the field of medical coding and attend relevant workshops whenever a revision of ICD or CPT comes out.
19. How would you explain billing codes to a confused or frustrated patient?
Patients are generally worried ad they don’t understand complicated medical terminology, I try my best to explain the insurance process, details of services suggested by the medical team, and their expenses in layman’s language.
20. Why is it important for medical coders to be empathetic?
Medical coders have to deal with patients who are worried and don’t have familiarity with medical terminology. It is very important to understand what they are going through in order to handle them and deal with them accordingly.
21. Share a time when you disagreed with a coworker. How did you resolve the conflict?
Once we had a cancer patient but the specific services he sought were not related to oncology. I coded him for physician services but my co-worker was In favor of applying multiple codes. We discussed the issue with our supervisor and avoided multiple coding based on his advice.
22. How do you ensure accuracy in your work?
I ensure accuracy in my work by always rechecking the codes and translating them back into medical terms to make sure that the coding is correct.
23. What do you do to meet deadlines?
I prioritize all assigned tasks and always set a timeline at the beginning of the day. I try to keep a margin of 1-2 days from the due date to make sure I finish the assigned tasks on time.
25. Do you think communication skills are important for this role?
Yes, I believe communication skills are crucial for this role as it is important to understand the illness of the patient and the services rendered for treatment by the hospital.
26. How do you handle a wrongfully denied medical claim?
If I identify a wrongfully denied medical claim I resend it for review after reading the objection and providing relevant documents needed for better understanding and clearance.
27. What are your plans for the future?
I intend to work in a medical billing manager capacity with your company. I am learning the ropes at the moment and hope to be able to handle both billing and coding tasks at the same time in the near future.
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