Margaret Apple
Lebanon,Tennessee
Summary
Hardworking professional applies official coding conventions and rules established by American Medical Association and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Confident Medical Coder adheres to data confidentiality and privacy rules in all workflows and promotes dynamic interpersonal skills. Knowledgeable medical office professional talented at correcting and resubmitting claims, preparing patient charts and reviewing health records to identify proper diagnosis codes for billing. Offers background in reviewing, analyzing and managing medical record information to obtain prior authorizations from insurance companies and ensure payment. Organized and dependable candidate successful at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude. Willingness to take on added responsibilities to meet team goals. Detail-oriented team player with strong organizational skills. Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously with a high degree of accuracy.
Overview
39
39
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Sr. Coding Specialist
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
12.2005 - Current
- Applied official coding conventions and rules from American Medical Association and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to assign diagnostic codes.
- Resourcefully used various coding books, procedure manuals, and on-line encoders.
- Monitored changes in coding regulations to provide recommendations for compliance.
- Communicated effectively with staff, patients, and insurance companies by email and telephone.
- Maintained accuracy, completeness, and security for medical records and health information.
- Verified accuracy of patient information in medical records.
- Reviewed, analyzed, and managed coding of diagnostic and treatment procedures contained in outpatient medical records.
Inpatient Coder
University Medical Center Hospital, UMC
09.1984 - 12.2005
- Applied official coding conventions and rules from American Medical Association and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to assign diagnostic codes.
- Resourcefully used various coding books, procedure manuals, and on-line encoders.
- Communicated with insurance companies to research and resolved coding discrepancies.
- Reviewed, analyzed, and managed coding of diagnostic and treatment procedures contained in outpatient medical records.
- Reviewed outpatient records and interpreted documentation to identify diagnoses and procedures.
- Interacted with physicians and other healthcare staff to ask questions regarding patient services.
- Reviewed patient charts to better understand health histories, diagnoses, and treatments.
- Utilized active listening, interpersonal, and telephone etiquette skills when communicating with others.
- Performed on-site coding audits to determine accuracy and compliance with coding guidelines.
- Verified signatures and checked medical charts for accuracy and completion.
- Generated reports to identify coding trends and discrepancies.
- Trained and mentored junior coders to support growth and development amd apply high-quality coding practices.
- Created and maintained up-to-date patient medical records to enable tracking history and preserve consistent information.
- Communicated effectively with staff, patients, and insurance companies by email and telephone.
- Maintained accuracy, completeness, and security for medical records and health information.
- Followed up with medical staff regarding missing information in patient records.
- Verified accuracy of patient information in medical records.
- Tracked and monitored requests for medical records release.
- Reviewed medical records for completeness and filed records in alphabetic and numeric order.
- Followed exact procedures for handling transfers and other releases of medical records.
- Sorted and distributed incoming and outgoing medical records.
- Assisted in preparation of medical reports for external parties.
- Assisted in training new staff on medical record processing and filing procedures.
- Processed and tracked requests for medical records from external organizations.
- Used classification manuals to gain additional knowledge of disease and diagnoses processes.
- Generated and maintained statistical data related to medical records.
- Input data into computer programs and filing systems.
Education
Associate of Science - Medical Records Technician
Volunteer State Community College
Gallatin, TN05.1984
Skills
- Encryption Software
- Medical Billing Code Accuracy
- Patient Data Compilation
- Insurance Claims
- Electronic Health Records Systems
- Records Accuracy
- Protected Health Information
- Medical Records Security
- ICD-10 (International Classification of Disease Systems)
- Prepare Reports
- Data Verification
- Telephone Etiquette
- Medical Terminology
- ICD-10 Requirements
- Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Records
- 3M Encoder
- CPT Code Modifiers
- Current Procedural Terminology (CPT)
- Records Management
Affiliations
AHIMA - American Health Information Management Association
THIMA - Tennessee Health Information Management Association
Certification
- RHIT - Registered Health Information Technician
Timeline
Sr. Coding Specialist
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
12.2005 - Current
Inpatient Coder
University Medical Center Hospital, UMC
09.1984 - 12.2005
Associate of Science - Medical Records Technician
Volunteer State Community College
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