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, coordinate 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.
• 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.