Coding Supervisor Job Description

When coding backlogs stretch past days, and denials pile up unresolved, revenue leaks quietly out of a hospital or physician practice. Turnaround time slips, and audits meant to catch ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 errors before claims go out never happen, leaving compliance gaps under Medicare and Medicaid billing rules. A Coding Supervisor takes ownership of this, driving daily coding accuracy and productivity quotas while training the team, and is often required to hold a credential such as RHIA or CCS. It is a demanding seat.

Coding Supervisors in healthcare are accountable for the accuracy, productivity, and compliance of a coding team that turns clinical documentation into billable ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 codes. Daily work happens alongside coding staff, quality educators, and physicians on documentation questions, with performance results reported to a Coding Manager or HIM Director.

Career Impact: Each certification named across these postings, RHIA, RHIT, CCS, and CPC, marks a real step toward director-level Health Information Management work.

Business Impact: Accurate ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 coding in this role directly protects reimbursement and keeps denial rates down for the organization.

Growth Opportunity: Supervisory experience here builds toward Coding Manager or HIM Director positions, the next step named across several of these postings.

Company Value: Some organizations hiring for this role offer a hybrid remote and in-office schedule, a flexibility increasingly valued by candidates.

• Direct a team of coders, monitoring daily productivity and coding accuracy against departmental quotas and turnaround targets.
• Audit coded records for ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 accuracy, flagging documentation gaps for physician correction and compliance.
• Mentor new and existing coders on documentation guidelines, coding updates, and denial prevention practices.
• Coordinate staff schedules, time off, and attendance records to maintain consistent daily coding coverage.
• Review denial trends and escalated coding questions from physicians, directing corrective action with the team.
• Establish productivity and quality standards for the coding unit, reporting outcomes up the management chain regularly.
• Enforce coding compliance guidelines to meet Medicare, Medicaid, and other payer billing regulations.
• Guide hiring and onboarding of new coders, evaluating candidates for supervisory or coding role readiness.

• Bachelor's degree in health information management, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 2 or more years of medical coding experience, including at least 1 year of supervisory experience.
• Active coding credential such as CCS, CPC, RHIA, or RHIT from AHIMA or AAPC, or eligibility to obtain.
• Working knowledge of ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 coding systems across inpatient, outpatient, or physician office settings.
• Familiarity with Medicare, Medicaid, and other payer billing rules, coding edits, and documentation requirements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for coaching staff, resolving disputes, and liaising with physicians.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, train, schedule, and evaluate a team of coding staff.
• Proficiency in reviewing medical records and clinical documentation for coding accuracy and compliance.

• Experience coding across multiple specialties or facility types, including inpatient, outpatient, and physician office visit settings.
• Prior experience resolving payer denials and identifying recurring trends behind coding-related revenue loss patterns.
• Advanced certification such as RHIA, beyond the entry-level credential typically required to qualify for the role.
• Experience with staff hiring, onboarding, scheduling, and formal performance evaluation within a coding department.

• Team coding accuracy rate, reflecting how well audits catch ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 errors.
• Team productivity or quota attainment percentage, showing whether staffing and coaching keep pace.
• Average coding turnaround time in days, measuring how quickly claims move to billing.
• Denial rate tied to coding errors, tracking how training reduces preventable claim denials.
• Staff training completion rate, showing how consistently new coders reach full competency.

• Base Salary Range: $60,000 to $80,000 per year, depending on region, facility type, and coding experience
• Bonus: Annual performance bonus of 3 to 8 percent of base salary at many employers
• Equity: Equity is rarely offered for this role outside select corporate healthcare organizations
• Health Benefits: Standard medical, dental, and vision coverage, typically with employer premium contribution
• PTO: Two to four weeks of paid time off, increasing with tenure at most employers.
• Common Perks: Tuition reimbursement, certification renewal support, and occasional remote or hybrid scheduling options

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Employment in this role is contingent on completing a background check and, where applicable, a drug screening consistent with healthcare facility standards. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodation is available under the Americans with Disabilities Act for applicants or employees who request it. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

The Coding Supervisor owns the accuracy and productivity of a revenue operations and coding team, stepping in to resolve problem areas before they affect reimbursement outcomes. Reporting to the Coding Manager, the Coding Supervisor reviews production trends and mentors staff who need additional coding education or retraining.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate and implement work processes for staff engaged in complex and diversified duties.
• Offer support and resources to help staff perform assignments with a high degree of accuracy.
• Implement quality control measures to ensure efficiency and accuracy levels are met.
• Ensure staff use the ICD-10 and CPT-4 classification systems to assign appropriate diagnosis and procedure codes.
• Analyze and implement coding practices that maximize reimbursement while following coding and auditing regulations.
• Monitor coding and auditing outcomes and review production quotas to determine if formulas need revision.
• Perform regular random reviews to monitor the quality of work processes.
• Monitor individual production performance and set appropriate production standards.
• Monitor attendance and timekeeping reports to ensure department guidelines are followed.
• Review, monitor, and approve employee time-off requests and work schedules.
• Provide timely input and feedback for employee evaluations, and document problem discussions for the manager.
• Communicate problem areas, personnel issues, and proposed process changes to the manager in a timely manner.
• Ensure staff follow current documentation guidelines established by CMS and Texas Medicare Part B, reporting discrepancies to the coder or auditor.
• Monitor employee trends and mentor those who need additional assistance, initiating meetings to enhance operations.

Required Qualifications

• Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification from AHIMA.
• Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certification from AHIMA.
• Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) certification from AHIMA.
• Certified Coding Associate (CCA) certification from AHIMA.
• Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification from AAPC.
• Certified Outpatient Coder (COC) certification from AAPC.
• Certified Professional Coder Associate (CPC-A) certification from AAPC.
• Willingness to pass a pre-employment skills test as administered by Human Resources.

Embedded within a risk adjustment coding validation program, the Coding Supervisor leads primary and secondary review of inpatient, outpatient, and physician office records against RADV guidelines and internal accuracy targets. Working closely with senior coders and physicians, the Coding Supervisor mediates coding decisions, answers escalated questions, and reports unique record issues to the project director.

Core Functions

• Validate primary and secondary coding review of inpatient, outpatient, and physician office medical records per RADV guidelines.
• Evaluate intake records for validity status, non-compliance issues, and other checks required under RADV guidelines.
• Extract diagnosis codes from all types of medical records.
• Mediate coding decisions between Senior and Primary Coders and provide feedback as appropriate.
• Answer questions from Primary and Senior Coders through the escalation process.
• Supervise the work of other coders and monitor the flow of medical records from intake to reporting decisions.
• Communicate with Senior Coders and physicians on complex coding issues per program requirements.
• Report unique record or process issues to the Project Director.
• Maintain security and confidentiality of medical records and protected health information.
• Meet or exceed productivity and accuracy standards, including a 95 percent minimum inter-rater reliability target.
• Meet attendance standards and interact appropriately with peers, coworkers, and the customer.
• Assist the Project Director with development of training materials and training of new coders.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited academic institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Current, advanced certification from AAPC or AHIMA.
• 8 or more years of experience abstracting and coding in hospital and multi-specialty physician office medical records, applying ICD-10-CM coding guidelines.
• 3 or more years of experience supervising coders, with knowledge of medical record review and program requirements.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret physician documentation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to work independently and maintain elevated concentration.
• Consistency, speed, and accuracy of task performance.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with all levels of the organization, in writing and verbally.
• Ability to work well in a team environment and establish professional relationships.
• Ability to adapt to organizational change.
• Ability to plan, prioritize, and execute multiple tasks with flexibility.
• Self-motivated, organized, and detail-oriented, maintaining confidentiality and integrity.

Reporting to the coding department leadership, the Coding Supervisor builds hiring, training, and quality processes for a team assigning ICD codes to pathology reports. Partnering with human resources and other departments, the Coding Supervisor resolves employee relations issues and keeps coding compliant with corporate security and privacy policies.

Primary Duties

• Provide leadership for the assigned coding division, supporting management goals and solving operational problems.
• Manage the employee hiring process, including developing job descriptions and identifying essential functions and skills for coding positions.
• Coordinate new employee orientation, training, and continuing education.
• Manage employee performance by coaching, counseling, motivating, and evaluating employees continually.
• Manage employee relations, including discipline in consultation with Human Resources and resolution of conflicts or grievances.
• Develop procedures to improve customer satisfaction, productivity, and accuracy in the department.
• Perform audits and monitor departmental quality and productivity standards.
• Oversee the daily assignment of ICD codes to pathology reports to ensure compliant billing.
• Follow security, privacy, and Corporate Compliance Program requirements protecting patient health information.
• Coordinate with other departments and subsidiaries on shared coding processes.
• Sustain effective employee relations through ethical, non-discriminatory practices and clear communication.

Skills & Qualifications

• Associate's degree in a related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification.
• Certified Medical Coder (CMC) or equivalent certification.
• 5 to 10 years of prior job-related experience.
• Knowledge of fee schedules and experience with insurance follow-up.
• Knowledge of system interfaces with accounts receivable billing within the medical field.

Sitting at the intersection of clinical documentation and revenue integrity, the Coding Supervisor shapes the review of DRG assignment, code sequencing, and completeness across facility and professional coding. Operating across inpatient and outpatient areas, the Coding Supervisor coaches new staff, calculates revenue lost to coding deficiencies, and leads reconciliation of coding changes with physicians and patient accounts.

Duties

• Review records for complete documentation, code accuracy, sequencing, and DRG assignment across facility and professional coding.
• Assess coding operations and adjust staffing to meet departmental goals.
• Supervise coding employees, including counseling, coaching, and performance appraisals.
• Coordinate training and coaching of new staff, administering competency tests.
• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot coding equipment, reporting failures to IT and monitoring for correction.
• Identify and report strengths and deficiencies in the coding process and documentation, calculating revenue loss from deficiencies.
• Lead customized educational sessions and reconciliation of recommended coding changes to address deficiencies.
• Develop and provide continuing education for coding staff, patient accounts, physicians, and other personnel.
• Update superbills and coding materials annually and distribute them to ancillary areas.
• Manage day-to-day staff operations, including work assignments, task management, on-the-job training, and hiring decisions.
• Promote steady coding workflow and quality reviews across inpatient and outpatient areas to reduce payor denials.

Requirements

• Associate's degree in Health Information Management or a related field, or a high school diploma or equivalent.
• 3 years of experience in diagnosis and CPT-4 coding in a hospital setting.
• Experience as a supervisor in a hospital or physician coding setting.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated experience in hospital-based and outpatient coding.
• Ability to audit appropriately for quality purposes.
• Proven detail orientation and good problem-solving skills related to coding.

A key member of the HIM coding department, the Coding Supervisor delivers productivity and quality standards for outpatient Emergency Department and Ambulatory Surgery coding. Collaborating across staffing, training, and compliance reviews, the Coding Supervisor evaluates staff annually and resolves documentation questions that leave codes unclear for physicians.

Functions

• Supervise the coding unit, including outpatient Emergency Department and Ambulatory Surgery.
• Prioritize and coordinate work to meet delivery standards and productivity and quality targets.
• Develop and maintain hospital and department-specific coding guidelines, training manuals, policies, and procedures, submitting them for director approval.
• Monitor performance against standards monthly, providing feedback on quality reviews of ICD-10-CM, CPT, and completeness.
• Oversee staffing schedules, including holiday, PTO, and vacation coverage, and complete payroll approvals.
• Interview prospective staff, evaluate employees annually, and provide ongoing training and orientation for new staff.
• Serve as a resource to HIM and other departments on coding issues, monitoring unbilled chart reports and hold lists.
• Coordinate and facilitate external coding compliance reviews and audits.
• Assist physicians with coding questions when documentation is inadequate, ambiguous, or unclear.
• Coordinate system changes to ensure smooth implementation, tracking staffing levels and e-learning.
• Review the current OIG work plan for departmental risk areas, evaluating causes of coding problems and taking corrective action.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Health Information Technology.
• RHIT, COC, CCA, or CCS certification, or RHIA certification.
• 5 or more years of supervisory experience.
• Experience with regulatory agencies and third-party payers.
• Experience with electronic medical record systems.

Meeting client turnaround time targets depends on the Coding Supervisor, who builds staffing plans and resolves escalated coding issues from clients, coders, and offshore vendors. Serving as the primary owner of client coding pathways, the Coding Supervisor monitors weekly production reports and manages onboarding and certification of new onshore and offshore coders.

Accountabilities

• Provide daily operational oversight of coding volume, adjusting staffing to ensure turnaround time is met.
• Escalate coding issues identified by clients, coders, or offshore vendors as the first point of contact.
• Initiate corrective action forms and processes as needed.
• Own client pathways for new and existing client implementations, ensuring changes are communicated and staff is trained.
• Monitor weekly production reports to assess productivity issues at the employee or client level.
• Resolve production issues individually or escalate rate or staffing changes at the client level.
• Manage coders' time, including PTO approvals and timekeeping oversight, to ensure client coverage.
• Support new client implementations, including vendor certification, coder hiring, and workflow preparation.
• Onboard new employees, including hiring, interviewing, provisioning, and coding certification.

Technical Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Professional coding certification such as CPC, CCS, or CCS-P.
• 2 or more years of production coding experience.
• 1 or more years as a lead coder, coordinator, or supervisor of coding staff.
• Experience with Excel and Microsoft Office products.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in a demanding, high-volume environment.
• Organized and able to multitask, with good communication skills.

As the Coding Supervisor, this role owns coding accuracy for services provided across the organization's centers, directing workflow to hit revenue cycle targets. The coding team relies on this work to hit the clean claim rate, receive ongoing quality assessment, and get proper onboarding for new hires.

Activities

• Lead the coding team to code services accurately for the organization's centers.
• Approve employee time and attendance to ensure proper coverage.
• Direct coding workflow execution to meet revenue cycle goals set with leadership.
• Provide training and skill assessment for coding team members, including a periodic quality assurance plan.
• Support team members' professional development in line with business goals.
• Develop training and onboarding processes for new employees.
• Participate in recruiting and assessing candidates for the coding team.
• Guide coding performance improvements across business units, including the clean claim rate.
• Build strong working relationships with assigned business units, hospital departments, or provider offices.
• Identify trends in payment issues and communicate with internal and external stakeholders to correct problems.
• Document statistical data and communicate with team members and revenue cycle stakeholders.
• Monitor coding activity for missing information or issues preventing accurate, timely claim coding.

Position Requirements

• High school diploma or GED.
• Possess coding certification.
• 3 or more years of experience coding claims, with knowledge of common coding practices.
• Experience with the organization's systems and processes, and across multiple specialties.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills to interact effectively with diverse audiences.

Coding Supervisor delivers daily oversight of outpatient hospital coding across clinic, ambulatory surgery, observation, and emergency encounters, keeping ICD-10-CM and CPT-4/HCPCS assignment consistently on track for timely billing. The work directly supports discharged-not-billed reduction goals, generating routine and ad hoc reports while mentoring coding staff toward accurate, timely code assignment.

Operational Focus

• Oversee daily supervision of outpatient coding staff and hospital coding functionality across ICD-10-CM and CPT-4/HCPCS systems.
• Determine workflow priorities and efficient methodologies to complete tasks.
• Review outpatient records through the electronic health record and computer-assisted coding applications to ensure accurate code assignment and timely billing across clinic, ambulatory surgery, observation, and emergency encounters.
• Ensure optimal use of resources to achieve productivity and financial goals for discharged-not-billed accounts.
• Generate routine and ad hoc reports, serving as a senior resource to staff.
• Oversee coding staff training and professional development alongside the coding quality educator.
• Develop and implement coding and abstracting processes, policies, and procedures in consultation with the coding manager.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• High school diploma or GED.
• Certified Coding Specialist (CCS or CCS-P), Certified Professional Coder (CPC).
• Certified Outpatient Coder (COC), RHIA, or RHIT certification.
• 5 or more years of outpatient surgical coding and revenue cycle experience in a high-volume acute care facility.
• Knowledge of outpatient coding requirements.
• Knowledge of computer-assisted coding applications.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and meet required timelines.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills with physicians and other healthcare professionals.
• Ability to research root causes related to coding and account issues.

The Coding Supervisor oversees CPT and ICD-10-CM code assignment for clinic, inpatient, and surgical services across a health system, auditing work for protocol compliance. Reporting to health system leadership, the Coding Supervisor trains coders and physicians on documentation guidelines and reviews denial trends across specialties.

Key Deliverables

• Maintain interpersonal relations and communication with staff and other departments throughout the health system.
• Act as a resource for daily operations, responding to escalations and working with the coding team to resolve issues.
• Conduct monthly quality audits for each coding staff member, providing feedback for improvement.
• Support human resource management functions, including interviewing, orientation, training, performance evaluation, and personnel file maintenance.
• Monitor and report weekly productivity numbers to each staff member.
• Determine accurate CPT and ICD-10-CM codes for services performed in clinic, inpatient, and surgical settings.
• Perform random reviews of work in process to ensure proper coding protocols are followed.
• Review daily dashboards and participate in revenue cycle calls to monitor turnaround time, volumes, and operational awareness.
• Administer training sessions on documentation coding guidelines to coders, physicians, and other healthcare professionals.
• Inform coding team members of the latest insurance updates, changes, and deletions.
• Review denials across specialties and prepare status updates with management on trends and performance metrics.
• Provide coverage for other supervisors and employees during planned or emergent absences.

Professional Experience

• High school diploma or GED, with an associate or bachelor's degree in Health Information Management, Health Administration, Finance, or a related field, or a coding certificate in Health Information Management.
• Credentialing in RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CIRCC, RCCB, CPC, COC, CIC, or CCS-P.
• 6 years of minimum coding experience in inpatient, healthcare facility, or physician office settings.
• 2 years of lead or supervisory experience.
• Experience with electronic health record systems.
• English language proficiency.
• Ability to travel among health system locations.

Embedded within a community health billing department, the Coding Supervisor develops cooperative processes between coding, billing, and clinical teams while mentoring staff on problem-solving and communication. Working closely with the revenue director and site leaders, the Coding Supervisor audits billing accuracy, resolves open insurance risk and care gaps, and leads ongoing process improvement efforts.

Areas of Ownership

• Collaborate with patients, clients, staff, and community partners to address how systemic racism and other forms of bias contribute to disparities in clinical, mental health, and homelessness outcomes among historically underserved communities.
• Lead the billing department team, maintaining positive working relationships with all members.
• Supervise and mentor medical billing coding staff in problem-solving and positive communication.
• Participate in organizational leadership meetings and leadership development activities.
• Lead and participate in process improvement activities.
• Participate in organizational planning with site team leaders for long-term patient needs and resources.
• Develop and maintain a cooperative working relationship between departments and the billing department.
• Review and complete open risk and care gaps on insurance websites.
• Audit operational processes and counsel or train staff as needed.
• Improve the flow and accuracy of patient record data with the revenue director.
• Represent the revenue stream workflow in billing department leadership meetings.

Education & Experience

• Associate's degree or equivalent, with a bachelor's degree desired or equivalent training and experience in patient accounting.
• Possess AAPC certification.
• 4 years of medical service compliance and coding experience.
• 2 years of supervisory experience.
• 2 years of experience in a medical patient billing system, including entry of charges and payments.
• Knowledge of medical terminology, procedure codes, diagnosis codes, and third-party billing requirements.
• Knowledge of patient accounting processes and procedures, and of federal and state laws and regulations.
• Knowledge of charge and payment batch reconciliation processes.
• Demonstrated ability to understand the clinical content of a health record.
• Active listening and timely, competent verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

Reporting to the department manager, the Coding Supervisor refines charge ticket accuracy for anesthesia services, reviewing CPT, ICD-9, ASA, and HCPCS coding daily. Partnering with billers, human resources, and front-line coders, the Coding Supervisor resolves disciplinary matters, trains new hires, and corrects incomplete charge tickets.

Role Responsibilities

• Monitor the coding team and answer questions and concerns of team members.
• Communicate management goals, objectives, and rule changes to staff.
• Resolve personnel issues and disciplinary actions in conjunction with the department manager and Human Resources.
• Assist with staff evaluations and coordinate training of new employees.
• Identify staff training needs and coordinate learning sessions.
• Code anesthesia charge tickets, reviewing CPT, ICD-9, ASA, and HCPCS coding.
• Review anesthesia and medical records for supporting documentation on charge tickets.
• Review incomplete or inaccurate charge tickets returned from billers, correcting and reprocessing them.
• Identify cosmetic or prepaid cases and ensure separate insurance and patient responsibility tickets are created.
• Deliver charge tickets to the billing area on a set schedule.
• Support the demographics, billing, insurance verification, and accounts receivable departments as needed.
• Communicate issues and questions to management as appropriate.
• Maintain and update department policies and procedures, mentoring employees and conducting performance evaluations.

Background & Experience

• Knowledge of CPT, ICD-9, ASA, and HCPCS coding.
• Knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, and workers' compensation rules and regulations.
• Knowledge of organizational policies, procedures, and systems.
• Skill in computer applications, including word processing and spreadsheet software.
• Skill in verbal and written communication and in gathering and reporting information.
• Ability to work effectively with staff, physicians, and external customers.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision, reporting to work consistently and communicating well with the public.

Sitting at the intersection of coding accuracy and claims payment, the Coding Supervisor develops charge corrections from medical record reviews for outpatient and inpatient claims coded in ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and CPT-4. Operating across payment resolution specialist reviews, the Coding Supervisor interprets data, draws conclusions, and maintains current knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local compliance standards.

Job Functions

• Resolve claim denials based on ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and CPT-4 codes for outpatient.
• Inpatient claims, processing charge corrections from medical record reviews.
• Interpret data, draw conclusions, and review findings with Payment Resolution Specialists for further review.
• Continuously learn all aspects of the Payment Resolution Specialist role to support progressive responsibility.
• Maintain a working knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as compliance program and conduct standards.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or associate degree in accounting, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), or coding credential such as Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) or Certified Professional Coder (CPC).
• 4 or more years of experience within a hospital, clinic, health insurance company, or managed care organization, performing medical claims processing, financial counseling, or related activities.
• Experience in a complex, multi-site environment.
• Experience with National Correct Coding Initiative edits, National Coverage Determinations, Local Coverage Determinations, and outpatient coding guidelines.
• Comprehensive knowledge of professional and physician diagnostic and procedural coding, normally obtained through a coding certificate program and related coding experience.
• Detailed understanding of principles, methods, and techniques related to compliant healthcare billing and collections.
• Expertise in medical terminology, disease processes, patient health record content, and the medical record coding process.