Manager, Risk Coding

Location: Boston, Hybrid

Organization Summary:

Community Care Cooperative (C3) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit multi-service organization governed by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Our mission is to leverage the collective strengths of FQHCs to improve the health and wellness of the people we serve. We fulfill two primary business functions for the FQHCs we work with. First, we are an FQHC-led accountable care organization (ACO); second, we are a Management Services Organization (MSO) for FQHCs.

As an ACO, we negotiate value-based payor contracts on behalf of our FQHCs, hold and operate those contracts (including fulfilling many compliance, financial management, and population health management functions), and maximize the return to FQHCs of any incentive dollars earned. We are proud to be the market leader in the MassHealth ACO Program. We are the largest Medicaid ACO in Massachusetts, and we operate a variety of business offerings nationwide.

As an MSO, we (along with our subsidiary companies, which are also FQHC-led non-profits) provide several financial, operational, and technological services to groups of FQHCs. These services include Epic EHR licensing and implementation; pharmacy operations consulting as well as the building and direct operation of on-site retail pharmacies; billing and credentialing; employer-sponsored insurance; and others.

We are a fast-growing, dynamic organization developing new partnerships and programs to improve the health of members and communities, and to strengthen our health center partners.

Job Summary:

The Manager, Risk Coding will manage a team of coders within a rapidly growing service that performs retrospective and prospective risk coding for Federally Qualified Health Centers and partner networks participating in C3’s MassHealth ACO and Medicare ACO (Medicare Shared Savings Program) contracts. In so doing, he/she/they will use knowledge of appropriate coding, combined with expertise in claims submission processes, to improve the accuracy of documentation. This work ultimately leads to a greater understanding of the patient’s complexity while ensuring accurate risk adjustment for patient care. The Manager, Risk Coding has experience in risk adjustment, outpatient primary care and/or behavioral health condition coding, billing compliance, and coding quality assurance protocols, with demonstrated experience supporting Medicare ACO risk adjustment under the CMS-HCC model (Version 28) as well as Medicaid risk adjustment under the MassHealth DxCG model. He/She/They should have prior leadership experience and the ability to provide quality assurance for all ongoing projects for the FQHCs. They will also be responsible for staff hiring, onboarding, and ongoing training, coder productivity and quality management, and the monthly delivery of coding performance reporting to participating health centers. He/she/they will report to the Senior Director, Risk Adjustment, and interface with an internal team of Provider Educators, Coding Quality and Clinical Documentation Improvement staff, Analysts, Health Center Performance Managers, as well as Billing, Population Health, and Provider staff at FQHCs.

Responsibilities:

Serves as an expert on ICD-10-CM coding guidelines, AHA Coding Clinic Guidance, and Risk Adjustment methodologies

Maintain quality assurance of all coding projects by conducting internal audits of charts reviewed by coding team

Completes record review with a high degree of familiarity with common EHRs, especially Epic, NextGen, Centricity, and eCW

Develops and delivers provider reports on findings and facilitates provider feedback loop for allowable bill modifications

Utilizes population health reporting tools to assist in creating pre-visit coding workflows

Develops and maintains coding educational tools

Assesses team performance and provides feedback to employees

Responsible for hiring and training employees and developing standard operating procedures for the coding team

Oversees day-to-day operations and performance of coding team

Manages day-to-day delivery of risk adjustment coding shared services for participating health centers, including monthly production targets, turnaround standards, and health center reporting commitments

Supports C3’s Medicare ACO (MSSP) risk adjustment strategy, including CMS-HCC Version 28 condition recapture, documentation integrity, and coding accuracy for Medicare attributed populations, alongside MassHealth ACO (DxCG) coding operations

Establishes, monitors, and reports coder productivity and quality metrics (such as charts reviewed per day, coding accuracy rate, and turnaround time) and coaches team members to performance targets

Partners with Provider Educators and coding quality staff to translate audit findings into provider education and workflow improvements, framed as educational clinical documentation improvement rather than coding directives

Ensures coding practices align with CMS, OIG, MassHealth, and C3 compliance expectations, and escalates compliance concerns to the Senior Director, Risk Adjustment and Compliance as appropriate

Prepares and presents monthly coding performance updates to health center leadership and internal stakeholders

Performs other duties as assigned

Required Skills:

5+ years risk coding experience

3+ years of experience supporting Medicare ACO (MSSP or ACO REACH) or Medicare Advantage risk adjustment programs, with working knowledge of the CMS-HCC model including Version 28

Working knowledge of Medicaid risk adjustment models, including the MassHealth DxCG model

5+ years medical billing experience in outpatient setting, preferably primary care, pediatrics, or behavioral health

2-4 years of leadership experience managing medical coding or risk adjustment coding teams, including productivity and quality management

Billing compliance expertise

Experience using data analysis and performance reports regarding key metrics such as risk scores, condition recapture rates, coder productivity, and coding accuracy

Familiarity with population health management tools such as Arcadia

In-depth knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and disease process

Knowledge of electronic health record systems such as Epic, NextGen, Centricity, and eCW

Self-starter: exercises high degree of initiative, judgement, discretion, and decision making to achieve objectives

Proficient with MS Office

Performs with great integrity and produces accurate work with close attention to detail, especially in the completion of final deliverables to internal and external stakeholders

Desired Other Skills:

Expertise in both Medicaid (DxCG) and Medicare (CMS-HCC) risk adjustment models

Experience within MassHealth ACO and Medicare ACO (MSSP) programs, including value-based care and shared savings performance

Familiarity with Federally Qualified Health Centers

Experience leading remote or hybrid teams supporting multiple health centers and EHR environments

Familiarity with risk adjustment analytics vendors and reporting tools such as Milliman

Experience with anti-racism activities, and/or lived experience with racism is highly preferred

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, healthcare administration, public health, or a healthcare-related field

Up-to-date certifications: AAPC Certified Professional Coder (CPC) or AHIMA Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) required; AAPC Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC) preferred

** In compliance with Infection Control practices per Mass.gov recommendations, we require all employees to be vaccinated consistent with applicable law. **