Senior Director, Coding Operations

Job Summary

The Senior Director of Physician Coding Operations provides strategic and operational leadership over all physician coding functions across the enterprise. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate compliant and efficient coding operations while driving process improvement productivity optimization automation adoption and operational scalability. The Senior Director partners closely with Revenue Cycle Finance Compliance IT and Clinical Leadership to streamline workflows enhance coder performance and deploy technologies that maximize efficiency and data integrity. This position is both strategic and hands-on leading large teams and developing systems that enable sustainable growth and measurable improvement in financial and operational outcomes. The Senior Director Physician Coding & Documentation is responsible for overseeing all Professional Fee Coding and Documentation services including clinician education on compliant coding and documentation practices. This role involves managing a team of professionals to provide coding services and coordinating educational and training programs for clinicians ensuring compliance with regulations. The Senior Director also develops and distributes materials to support professional fee coding and documentation education for providers clinicians CHS Corporate staff and local CHS management.

The is an On-site position in Franklin TN.

Essential Functions

Operational Leadership & Performance Management

• Lead and oversee daily operations for all professional (physician) coding functions across multiple specialties and locations.
• Establish and monitor productivity benchmarks turnaround times and quality performance metrics across all teams.
• Develop and enforce standardized operating procedures for coding workflows edits and charge capture.
• Utilize data-driven reporting to identify performance gaps and implement corrective action plans.
• Drive accountability for throughput accuracy and timeliness across internal and outsourced teams.

Process Improvement & Standardization

• Lead enterprise-wide process improvement initiatives focused on eliminating inefficiencies reducing rework and optimizing coder workflows.
• Design and implement consistent coding processes across specialties ensuring scalability and alignment with enterprise best practices.
• Conduct root-cause analysis on denials and rejections related to coding or charge capture; implement prevention strategies to improve first-pass yield.
• Collaborate with Revenue Integrity and Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) teams to improve data quality and documentation standards.

Automation Technology & Innovation

• Drive adoption of automation and artificial intelligence tools to streamline repetitive coding and validation tasks.
• Partner with IT analytics and revenue cycle teams to design and implement end-to-end automation solutions such as computer-assisted coding (CAC) natural language processing (NLP) and robotic process automation (RPA).
• Evaluate technology vendors and oversee system optimization for coding platforms and charge review systems (e.g. Epic Athena 3M or Optum).
• Develop performance dashboards and analytics to monitor operational metrics and financial impact in real time.

Productivity & Workforce Optimization

• Design and maintain a comprehensive productivity management framework for coding staff incorporating tiered goals incentive programs and continuous performance feedback
• Oversee staffing models and resource allocation to ensure appropriate workload distribution and meet service-level agreements.
• Benchmark coding productivity internally and externally to maintain competitive performance levels.
• Identify automation or outsourcing opportunities to offset volume surges and optimize cost per encounter.

Financial & Compliance Oversight

• Partner with Finance and Revenue Cycle to ensure coding accuracy supports optimal reimbursement and revenue integrity.
• Analyze trends in productivity case mix and reimbursement to inform financial forecasting and operational planning.
• Ensure compliance with all regulatory payer and documentation standards including CMS OIG and HIPAA requirements.
• Maintain ongoing audit processes to ensure accuracy and compliance in coding and charge capture.

Leadership & Culture

• Lead mentor and develop a high-performing team of directors managers and supervisors.
• Foster a culture of accountability innovation and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a key partner to senior leadership offering actionable insights and recommendations on operational strategy.
• Champion employee engagement and retention initiatives to support a sustainable high-performing team.

Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree Health Information Management or related field required; Masters Degree preferred
• More than 10 years working in professional fee coding and documentation for physician offices and/or clinics across multiple specialties required
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in healthcare coding operations or revenue cycle management with at least 5 years in senior leadership.
• Proven track record leading large-scale process improvement automation or technology integration initiatives.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of CPT ICD-10 and HCPCS coding guidelines and payer requirements.
• Strong financial and analytical acumen; ability to translate data into operational and strategic decisions.
• Demonstrated success implementing automation tools (e.g. CAC NLP RPA) within coding or revenue cycle environments.
• Excellent leadership communication and change management skills.

Licenses and Certifications

• CCS-Certified Coding Specialist CPC CCS-P RHIT or other nationally recognized professional fee certification required