This has been the year of the Coding Manager search. I have a dozen active Coding Manager searches right now with hospitals all over the country, and these are urgent and critical searches.

Coding Managers are essential to hospitals because the coding of medical records links the services performed at a hospital to the billing generated and the revenue received. Without good coding, there is no cash flow into the hospital.

A Coding Manager must bring both the skill sets of a good coder and a good manager to the table. Coders are analytical and precise--able to go through a stack of charts all day every day and code each one with accuracy, chart after chart after chart. Managers are people people, interested in developing each individual on their team and able to take a different approach to meet each individual's needs.

Not many human beings have both the analytical precision and people skills required for a good Coding Manager, even fewer are trained in coding and thus results the difficulty in searching for a Coding Manager position.

I have been successful in assisting hospitals in securing qualified Coding Mangers at the rate of about one hospital per month this year, and I'm developing this expertise to assist even more hospitals with this difficult to fill and essential position. But the best advice I can give Coders looking to advance is to get some supervisory experience because a Coding Manager will always be a sought after and highly compensated role. And to hospitals--be good to your Coding Managers; they are few and far between!