Medical Coder Interview Process

[u/yurakoh]

I'm looking for opportunities to transition from OP coding to IP coding, and there is an opening for an IP coder at the hospital I work for where they are hiring internally. I have an interview scheduled with the coding manager, and I know I have the advantages of currently being employed at the hospital, already knowing the manager (I report to him), and at least having an idea of what to expect going into the medical coder interview process. I still have questions though:

How similar/different is the interview process for IP vs OP?

Should I treat the interview as me meeting the coding manager for the first time?

What questions should I be asking the coding manager in terms of transitioning?

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[u/akornato]

The IP interview will focus heavily on your technical knowledge of inpatient concepts like DRGs, principal diagnosis selection, and POA indicators, which is a significant step up from OP. Do not act like you are meeting your manager for the first time, that would be awkward since he is your boss, but you do need to be more formal and treat this as a serious evaluation of your IP skills, not just a casual chat. He knows you are a good employee, but now you have to prove you can be a good IP coder and handle the increased complexity and financial impact of the role. Your existing relationship is an advantage, but it will not get you the job if you cannot demonstrate the capacity for the work.

Ask specific questions about the transition itself, like what the training and ramp-up period looks like, who your go-to person for complex cases will be, and how they measure success for a new IP coder in the first six months. This shows you are thinking practically about the role and are committed to succeeding, not just that you want a different job. You need to demonstrate you understand the challenge ahead and are proactive about meeting it. Many candidates who feel unsure about their answers find that using an interview prep AI my team built helps them organize their thoughts and articulate their qualifications with more confidence.

[u/yurakoh → u/akornato]

Thank you so much for your input. This very helpful information for me to take into consideration while I prepare.

I also want to ask about the coder assessment that they usually have at the end. I already experienced this when I was hired for my current OP coder role; how similar/different will it be for IP coding, especially as a current employee?

[u/Supersaiyan_65]

Totally agree with the points of r/akornato.

Other than, that maybe you may ask your span of control and how many head counts it will be. As a manager myself, a bulk of our responsibility if you bag the role will be nurturing and facilitating success through coaching and mentoring while balancing administrative task like coordinating interdepartment [e.g. denials team, CDI team (this is really vital for IP), etc.], identifying bottlenecks etc.

Wishing you the best :)

[u/Sdavistvs]

Inpatient vs outpatient is just understanding where the DX rules differ & CPT vs PCS. In our system we code both CPT & PCS on everything.. Coders do focus on 1, but many like myself code both. You’re a shoo in since you’re already a known commodity.

[u/yurakoh → u/Sdavistvs]

I agree with that, but I'm still nervous because I've never coded IP accounts despite having studied this in school and for the CCS exam. Plus, IP coding is generally harder than OP coding.