Retail Store A Team

Candidate’s Name: Carrie Blomberg

*. Are you currently employed? Yes, I am currently employed at Dilliard’s retail store in sales.

2. What are your greatest strengths? My greatest strengths are my ability to adapt to situations, my people skills, my thirst for knowledge and being a team player.

3. What is one of your greatest weaknesses and how do you plan on improving

it? My greatest weakness is not believing in myself and my capabilities. I am working on trying to not second guess myself. I am also working on my patience and coding skills. I went to an online class without the instructor and had to teach myself coding and billing. I didn’t have anyone to ask for help so I feel it has put me behind others that had an instructor led class.

4. How would you inspire a struggling employee? I would tell them that everyone struggles, and they are not alone. I would look at their accomplishments with them and focus on those. Then I would try to help them with the problem or find someone who could help them.

5. What advice would you give to a new team member? That everyone is there to help and not be afraid to ask. Even if they think it is a dumb question always ask or they will never know the right answer,

6. Can you explain the importance of accurate medical coding in healthcare

reimbursement and billing? Accuracy is important to make sure that the claims go out clean and that they will not be sent back by the insurance. If insurance denies the claim due to coding it could cost the facilities in time and money.

7. How do you stay updated with the latest coding guidelines and changes in the

healthcare industry? I attend AAPC events, try to read up on the news letter AAPC sends out, and check CMS.gov.

8. Describe a challenging coding scenario you encountered and how you

resolved it.

9. How do you handle situations when the documentation provided by healthcare

providers is incomplete or unclear? I would query the provider by email or EHR

10.Have you ever worked on a team with other healthcare professionals? I worked remotely for Tenent/USPI for 10 months. I also worked in office for an Ophthalmology facility for 11 months.

How did you collaborate and communicate to ensure accurate coding? While working remotely we would Skype or email any questions or concerns. While in office we would just bounce questions off of each other.

11.How do you ensure that you maintain patient confidentiality and comply with

privacy regulations (e.g., HIPAA) while coding? I do not give out any patient information without written or verbal consent from the patient. If the patient has a POA then I have them fax or email me that they oversee care for of the patient.

12.Can you discuss your experience with auditing medical records for coding

accuracy and compliance? I have little experience in that area. I have only been coding for a short time and when I was coding it was for ASC’s and was still in training. I will read the medical record and make sure that what is noted matches the codes chosen. If I question anything I would ask my manager/trainer before I would go further.

13.How do you prioritize your coding tasks when faced with tight deadlines? I would work my smaller centers first ie injections, then my more difficult ones last. The next day I would work on the ones that were not done the day before and get those out before moving on to the newer ones.

14.What coding software or tools are you familiar with using? Navigator, OptumEncoder, Codify by AAPC, Find A Code, and NextGen

15.How do you handle stress or high-pressure situations in a coding role? I will get up and maybe do some stretches, take a quick break, listen to music, or move on to a different chart if I have trouble with the one I am working on.

16.How much will you request per hour if you are hired? 25.00 per hour

I would like to add that I am a first-year coder and not an experienced coder. I do feel with the proper training and management I would be a great addition to the team. I will have my Associates in Medical Billing and Coding in May but have not done extensive coding.

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