HB Coding Strategic Data Analyst (Remote - Must reside in IL, IN, IA, MO, or WI)

Job Description

The HB Coding Strategic Data Analyst role exists to transform complex coding into actionable insights that drive performance, compliance, and strategic decision-making across Northwestern Medicine's Hospital Billing Coding operations. The position serves as a critical link between data, technology, and operational leadership by providing meaningful analysis and reporting that supports efficient workflows, revenue cycle performance, coding quality, productivity, and organizational goals.

Through the development and management of reports, dashboards, performance metrics, and analytics, this role enables coding leadership to identify outpatient trends, measure outcomes, evaluate operational effectiveness, and make informed decisions that improve financial performance, and coding accuracy. The HB Coding Strategic Data Analyst supports Coding leadership, ensuring leaders have the data and insights needed to manage resources, prioritize initiatives, and plan for future organizational needs. 

Additionally, the position fosters collaboration among key stakeholders to support reporting, workflow optimization, technology enhancements, and process improvement initiatives. By leveraging data analytics, Epic, and other reporting tools, the HB Coding Strategic Data Analyst helps advance operational excellence, support organizational growth, and contribute to Northwestern Medicine's commitment to high-quality patient care and financial stewardship.

This position is 100% remote

Responsibilities:

• Serves as the primary analytics resource for Coding Leadership transforming coding, revenue cycle, operational, and financial data into actionable insights that support strategic and operational decision-making.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance dashboards, scorecards, key performance indicators (KPIs), routine reports, and ad hoc analyses related to productivity, quality, accounts receivable, budgets, vendor performance, and workflow outcomes on a daily, weekly, monthly, and fiscal-year cadence.
• Analyze coding and revenue cycle data to identify trends, risks, variances, and improvement opportunities, and provide actionable recommendations to leadership and operational teams.
• Translate complex analytical findings into clear reports, presentations, and visualizations that communicate performance results, risks, opportunities, and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to resolve issues, support reporting needs, and achieve organizational objectives.
• Utilize Epic, computer-assisted coding (CAC) technology, Power BI, Microsoft applications, and reporting tools to evaluate system functionality, validate business requirements, coordinates user acceptance testing, post-implementation validation, and optimize operational performance.
• Coordinate coding technology activities by documenting workflows, supporting upgrades and troubleshooting efforts, managing IS ticket documentation and status reporting, and serving as a subject matter expert for Epic and CAC workflows.
• Lead and support reporting, technology, and continuous improvement initiatives by applying project management principles, strengthening data integrity, documenting requirements and decisions, and streamlining departmental workflows.

Additional Functions

• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Education: Associate’s degree in health information management, Health Informatics, or a related field; or equivalent education and relevant experience.
• Experience:
  • 3 years of data analytics 
  • Working knowledge of Key Performance Indicators management
  • Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel functions
  • Epic and computer-assisted coding technology
• Licensure: None required.
• Certification:
  • HIM Membership: AHIMA or AAPC
  • Epic certification: Applicable Epic reporting certification required at hire or within six months

• Behavioral Attributes: Demonstrates attention to detail and consistently monitors work for accuracy. Use critical thinking to draw conclusions and make recommendations. Communicates clearly in writing and verbally, collaborates effectively across teams, manages competing priorities, and maintains accountability for assigned work.

Preferred:

• Acute care revenue cycle experience 

• Project management experience

• Healthcare coding analytics 

• EPIC Cogito, Reporting Workbench, Slicer Dicer, or applicable Epic reporting 

• Dashboard development and data visualization 

• Budget, productivity, and quality analysis 

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in health information management, Health Informatics, or a related field; or equivalent education and relevant experience.
• Coding credential: RHIA

Addendum 2 – Inpatient HB Coding Strategic Data Analyst

• Demonstrate expertise in inpatient coding principles and regulatory requirements, including ICD-10-CM, Procedure Coding System (PCS) coding, and official coding guidelines.
• Demonstrate expertise in denials including DRG downgrades and writing appeal letters.
• Coding/HIM credential: RHIT or CCS
• Experience
  • 3 years of inpatient coding experience
  • Reviewing and writing appeal letters for payer denials and DRG downgrades

Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. 

Background Check 

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act. 

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. 

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Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings.

If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.

Company Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?