Summary
The Head of Clinical Coding is the lead specialist responsible for the strategic planning and operational functions of the Clinical Coding service on behalf of the organisation with accountability for:
achieving accurate, timely and consistent clinical coding within set national standards and targets by accurate reporting of activity and ensuring the team develops and maintains a high quality and in-depth level of coding
the Clinical Coding team, in the provision of an efficient and proactive service to the organisation, meeting the needs and objectives of the orgnisation, ensuring these are achieved through effective prioritisation of limited resource
serving as the organisation's authority of all matters relating to clinical coding, providing expert specialist knowledge on clinical coding to clinical coding teams and staff within the organisation
implementing national coding standards, policy changes and developments within the organisation
leading and maintaining expertise on national changes, and national agenda/strategy for clinical coding and to make recommendations for changes to ensure ongoing compliance
delivering the audit and clinical engagement programmes as developed within the organisation, planning and reviewing the programmes focus and benefits, developing them in line with learning from the reviews and national or organisational changes to ensure compliance with coding requirements
addressing any areas of concern with data quality and supporting clinicians to ensure activity is recorded accurately and appropriately within the patient record
Work Activity Components
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Advice and guidance (Level 6) (AUDT) | Provides general and specific clinical coding advice to senior management on ways of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of control mechanisms. |
| Audit management (Level 5) (AUDT) | Ensures audits under own responsibility are managed, planned, resourced, and executed within roadmap timescales. |
| Audit planning (Level 6) (AUDT) | Leads the planning and resourcing of audits and/or conformance reviews at organisation level, ensuring objectivity and impartiality of the audit process is rigorously applied. |
| Audit roadmap (Level 6) (AUDT) | Leads the production of the audit roadmap. |
| Audit standards (Level 6) (AUDT) | Develops organisational policies, standards, procedures and guidelines for the conduct of audits. |
| Audit strategy (Level 6) (AUDT) | Works with senior management to review the effectiveness of existing audit strategy and contributes to strategy revision and/or definition. |
| Function leadership (Level 6) (AUDT) | Ensures audit coverage is sufficient to provide the business with assurance of adequacy and integrity. Obtains and manages appropriate specialist expertise to contribute highly specialised technical knowledge and experience where required. |
| Review findings (Level 6) (AUDT) | Authorises the issue of formal reports to management on the effectiveness and efficiency of control mechanisms and the extent of compliance of systems with standards, regulations and/or legislation. |
| Process improvement (Level 6) (BPRE) | Manages the process improvement function to assess process improvement opportunities and maximise benefit. |
| Process, methods and standards (Level 7) (AUDT) | Sets direction and leads the introduction and use of clinical coding processes, methods and standards to meet business requirements, ensuring consistency of application and service provision. |
| Strategic initiatives and projects (Level 7) | Champions initiatives for strategic process improvement. |
| Methods and techniques (Level 5) (BINT) | Champions the organisation's commitment to efficient and effective clinical coding. |
| Policies, standards, and guidelines (Level 5) (BINT) | Leads the development of clinical coding policy, standards and guidelines to meet the current and future needs of the organisation. |
| Security and safeguards (Level 5) (BINT) | Ensures that all clinical coding activity complies with data and information security processes. |
| Stakeholder engagement (Level 5) | Identifies the communications and relationship needs of stakeholder groups. Translates communications/stakeholder engagement strategies into specific activities and deliverables. |
| Reports and analysis (Level Five) (ASMG) | Manage the provision, analyse and presentation of regular reports containing complex clinical coding information and key performance indicators to facilitate the achievement of clinical coding targets and quality standards. |
| Clinical coding audit (Level Six) (ANCC) | Is accountable for the clinical coding auditing function. Leads the clinical coding management team to promote and implement improvements to address audit findings. |
| Coding deadlines (Level Six) (ANCC) | Leads the clinical coding function, ensuring that all deadlines are met. |
| Coding standards (Level Six) (ANCC) | Leads quality assurance for the coding function and ensures coding standards are met. Supports and promotes the role of audit and training in embedding standards. |
| Collaboration (Level Six) (ANCC) | Engages with industry bodies and partners to define and improve standards and working practices. |
| Escalation (Level Six) (ANCC) | Ensures that the necessary processes are in place and are operating effectively to ensure the resolution of coding issues in line with the national coding query mechanism. Provides the senior escalation point for the organisation. |
| Quality assurance (Level Six) (ANCC) | Designs and oversees quality audit programmes. |
| Strategy (Level Six) (ANCC) | Develops and implements the organisation's clinical coding strategy. |
| Transformation and change (PEMT) (Level 5) | Manages teams involved in significant transformation projects and/or during times of change, aligning change programmes with staff skills and capabilities. Supports staff, through difficult and challenging change programmes. |
| Career paths and mentoring (PEMT)(Level 6) | Mentors and influences senior individuals in consideration of their career opportunities and contribution to the organisation talent pool. Advises on their career paths, and encourages pro-active development of skills and capabilities. |
| Empowerment and role model (PEMT)(Level 6) | Facilitates effective working relationships within and between senior staff. Motivates, engages with, influences and empowers senior staff. Acts as a role model for senior staff and staff at all levels across the organisation, setting a high standard, acting professionally at all times and working to the highest levels of conduct and ethics. |
| Formal appraisals (PEMT)(Level 6) | Conducts formal appraisals of the performance of senior staff. Facilitates a dialogue with senior staff about expectations, progress, performance and development needs. Leads on formal processes such as compensation negotiations, grievance procedures, and disciplinary procedures. |
| Guidance, performance and feedback (PEMT)(Level 6) | Optimises performance of senior staff, measuring and reporting on performance against agreed high level strategy and key performance indicators. Collects data on the performance of senior staff. Gives regular feedback to senior teams as to their contribution towards organisational performance and strategy. |
| Lead, manage and supervise (PEMT)(Level 6) | Leads, supports and guides the work of senior staff, including allocation, to senior individuals, of management and supervisory responsibilities. |
| People processes (PEMT)(Level 6) | Participates, as appropriate, in formal processes such as compensation negotiations and disciplinary procedures. |
| Team dynamics (PEMT)(Level 6) | Champions the importance of skill mix and the understanding of team dynamics to successful team creation, development, operations, and delivery. |
| Work allocation, support and delegation (PEMT)(Level 6) | Initiates strategic work packages and aligns these with the skills and abilities of senior staff teams. Supports senior staff in the delivery of high impact work packages. Determines and delegates work to individuals and teams, taking full account of skills and capabilities. Influences senior staff teams and is sensitive towards team dynamics. |
| Learning and development management(ETMG) (Level Six) | Manages the development and provision of all learning, taking account of the strategic aims of the employing organisation. Determines the learning and development programme and delivery mechanisms needed to upskill staff in line with business needs. |
| Learning performance management (ETMG) (Level Six) | Evaluates learning outcomes. Reports to senior management indicating the utilisation of resources, the status of compliance and measures of learning and development effectiveness. |
Behavioural Skills
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Analytical Thinking | Acquiring a proper understanding of a problem or situation by breaking it down systematically into its component parts and identifying the relationships between these parts. Selecting the appropriate method/tool to resolve the problem and reflecting critically on the result, so that what is learnt is identified and assimilated. |
| Attention to Detail | Applying specific quality standards to all tasks undertaken to ensure that deliverables are accurate and complete. |
| Conceptual Thinking | Acquiring understanding and insights regarding the underlying issues in complex problems or situations through the development of abstract representations, the identification of patterns and the analysis of hypotheses. |
| Creativity | Taking innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions. |
| Critical Thinking | The ability to think clearly and rationally; review and evaluation of processes and outputs; the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking; reasoned thinking involving critique. |
| Customer Focus | Understanding the needs of the internal or external customer and keeping these in mind when taking actions or making decisions. |
| Decision Making | Making decisions at the appropriate time, taking into account the needs of the situation, priorities, constraints, known risks, and the availability of necessary information and resources. |
| Delegation | Delegating tasks, responsibilities and authorities effectively. |
| Follow-up and Monitoring | Checking progress against targets, taking action to resolve exceptions/ issues and reporting and escalating where necessary. |
| Goal Orientation | Maintaining focus on agreed objectives and deliverables. |
| Influence, Persuasion and Personal Impact | Conveying a level of confidence and professionalism when engaging with stakeholders, influencing positively and persuading others to take a specific course of action when not in a position of authority. |
| Interacting with People | Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences. |
| Leadership | Clearly articulating goals and objectives, and motivating and leading others towards their achievement. |
| Organisational Awareness | Understanding the hierarchy and culture of own, customer, supplier and partner organisations and being able to identify the decision makers and influencers. |
| Planning and Organisation | Determining a course of action by breaking it down into smaller steps and by planning and resourcing each of these, making allowance for potential problems and escalating if necessary. |
| Providing Direction | Directing others to undertake specified tasks within a defined timescale. |
| Strategic Perspective | Keeping organisational objectives and strategies in mind, and ensuring courses of action are aligned with the strategic context. |
| Teamwork | Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal. |
Technical Skills
| Title | Details | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Business Analysis Techniques | Applying techniques that help investigating, analysing, modelling and recording a business area or system of interest. | Proficient in |
| Clinical Coding Auditing | Principles, practices, tools and techniques of clinical coding auditing. | Familiar with |
| Clinical Coding Standards | The clinical coding standards used to assign codes to patient data (e.g. ICD10, OPCS-4). | Expert in |
| Data Handling | The ability to harvest, clean, curate, manage, process and manipulate data in a variety of formats. | Expert in |
| Information and Data Visualisation/Presentation | The ability to visualise and present information and data in an appropriate format that helps stakeholders understand the significance of the information and data. | Expert in |
| Technical Training Subject Matter | Current and emerging concepts and/or practical applications of one or more specialist topics in sufficient depth to develop and conduct learning interventions covering the topics. Undertakes ongoing personal subject-related updating to ensure knowledge of subject matter remains up to date. | Familiar with |
Other Skills
| Title | Details | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Appraisal Techniques | Methods and techniques for appraising an individual's performance and potential. | Proficient in |
| Budgets | Principles, methods, techniques and tools for the preparation and monitoring of budgets to manage costs and ensure cost-effectiveness and value for money. | Proficient in |
| Business Proposals | Methods and techniques for preparing and presenting business cases, requests for proposal (RFP) invitations to tender (ITT) and statements of requirements/work both verbally and in writing. | Proficient in |
| Coaching Techniques | Methods and techniques for coaching individuals or groups by a balanced combination of support and direction, which could include use of virtual learning environments plus add-ons to augment feedback specific to work items, workflow or career plans. | Proficient in |
| Data Protection | Principles, practices, tools and techniques to ensure data protection. | Proficient in |
| Disciplinary Issues and Procedures | Managing episodes of unsatisfactory behaviour or performance in accordance with appropriate policies and legislative conformance. Includes changes to circumstances, such as sickness, disability and other personal issues. | Proficient in |
| Document Management Techniques | Methods and techniques for the organisation, storage and version control of information in both paper and electronic formats. | Proficient in |
| Function or Department Operations | The activities, structure, and position in the organisation of the functions or departments for which services are provided. | Expert in |
| Information Assurance Methods and Tools | Information assurance methods, tools and techniques (including the Caldicott Principles) used to protect the integrity, availability, authenticity, non-repudiation and confidentiality of user data and manage the risks related to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of information. | Proficient in |
| Own Organisation's Learning and Development Procedures | The procedures used within own organisation for staff learning and development. | Proficient in |
| Performance Monitoring | Identifying, agreeing and monitoring (usually by face-to-face interviews) objectives and deliverables with individuals. Identifying under-performance issues against agreed quality standards and performance criteria. Identifying gaps in capability and causes, disciplinary or ability-related (needing assistance, training or other support). | Expert in |
| Presentation Techniques | Methods and techniques for delivering effective and accessible presentations, either face-to-face or online within various contexts and to a variety of audiences. | Proficient in |
| Process Improvement Techniques | Methods, tools and techniques to analyse and optimise processes in order to improve the quality of a product or service. | Proficient in |
| Project Management | Principles, methods, techniques and tools for the effective management of projects from initiation through to implementation. | Proficient in |
| Report Writing Techniques | Methods and techniques for writing clear, accessible and persuasive reports. | Proficient in |
| Resource Allocation | The effective and efficient routine deployment of resources, (but also including reassessment and reallocation in a dynamic multi-project environment), to achieve optimum results. | Proficient in |
| Stakeholder Engagement | Establishing relationships, analysing perspectives and managing stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Adapting stakeholder engagement style to meet the needs of different audiences. The identification of key business stakeholders and an assessment of their level of power and interests, and their perspectives to inform the way(s) in which they should be considered and managed. | Expert in |
| Standards Writing Techniques | Principles, methods and techniques for establishing, documenting, and maintaining standards. | Proficient in |
| Team Dynamics | Knowledge and understanding of the psychological and environmental forces that influence the direction of team behavior and performance and the tools and techniques to improve team cohesion and performance. | Proficient in |
| Techniques for Effective Meetings | Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants. | Proficient in |
| Training Techniques | Methods and techniques for creating and delivering effective and accessible learning and development. | Familiar with |
Training
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Coaching | Concepts, methods and techniques for providing coaching in subject specialisms to individuals or groups (e.g. GROW model). |
| Diversity and Inclusion | Raise diversity in-the-workplace awareness in order to better understand how the world looks through the eyes of people of a different age, race, gender, sexuality, etc, improve communications with people from diverse backgrounds and reduce the levels of unconscious bias in decision-making. |
| Financial Planning and Budgeting | Principles, regulations, procedures and tools for the financial management of both ongoing activities (business as usual) and time-bounded (project) activities. |
| Human Resource Planning | Techniques and practices involved in planning the numbers and types of personnel needed over time by a particular skillset, department or function within an organisation. |
| Mentoring | Methods and techniques for providing mentoring support to less experienced individuals. |
| Security Awareness | Tools and techniques to help users and employees understand the role they play in helping to combat information security breaches and for IT and security professionals to prevent and mitigate risk. |
Professional Development Activity (PDA)
| Title | Details | PDA Group |
|---|---|---|
| Gaining Knowledge of Broader IT Issues | Increasing and maintaining currency of knowledge of broader IT issues through reading, attending and participating in seminars or conferences, special studies, temporary assignments etc. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Gaining Knowledge of Standards and Legislation | Gaining and maintaining knowledge of relevant national and international standards and legislation. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Gaining Strategic Knowledge of Employing Organisation | Developing a comprehensive understanding of the business environment in which the employing organisation operates and its position, policies and direction in relation to health and care, country and global issues. | Increasing Knowledge |
| General Management | Continuing learning and development in general management skills, such as effective communication, leadership styles and skills, team building and team roles, motivation and delegation, planning and resource scheduling, influencing, persuasion and negotiation, so as to be in a position to accept greater responsibility at senior management or director (including non-exec) level. | Developing Professional Skills |
| Job Shadowing and Special Assignments | Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures. | Broadening Activities |
| Mentoring | Acting as a mentor, advising those for whom there is no direct responsibility, on matters to do with their job role, career and professional development. | Broadening Activities |
| Participation in Professional Body Affairs | Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level. | Participation in Professional Activities |
Qualification Components
| Title | Awarding Bodies |
|---|---|
| FEDIP Leading Practitioner | The Federation for Informatics Professionals |
| CMI Level 6 Professional Management and Leadership Practice | Chartered Management Institute |
| ILM Level 6/7 Leadership and Management (Senior Manager, Director) | Institute of Leadership and Management |
| National Clinical Coding Qualification (UK) | Institute for Health Records and Information Management |
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework Skills
| Skill | Level |
|---|---|
|
Data management |
Practitioner Data management You can: advocate data governance and data management standards and guidelines within your team’s products and services continually communicate and improve data management practices in your teams help define and support the use of common toolsets seek to automate data management activities where possible develop processes to enable good data management practices and compliance with data governance policies |
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Data regulation and ethics Data preparation involves sorting and cleansing information so it's available for more detailed analysis. |
Practitioner Data regulation and ethics You can: demonstrate a good understanding of relevant data laws, regulations, codes of practice and ethical requirements, and can apply these to your work understand how the law and ethical considerations relate to one another monitor the landscape and legislation to ensure you understand and can implement best practice in new areas of thought such as data ethics |
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Data standards Data standards involve established practices to make it easier and more effective to share and use data across government. |
Practitioner Data standards You can:
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The Professional Body Responsible for this job family is IHRIM. This job role profile was created in collaboration with BCS, using Role Model Plus.