Job Description – Team Lead – Inpatient Medical Coding (IPDRG)

Experience: 5–10 Years
Designation: Team Lead – Medical Coding / IPDRG
Domain: US Healthcare – Inpatient Medical Coding
Employment Type: Full time
Location: Hyderabad

Job Overview

We are looking for a highly experienced and technically strong Medical Coding Team Lead with extensive hands-on experience in US Healthcare Inpatient Medical Coding, particularly in IPDRG (Inpatient Diagnosis Related Group) coding and validation.

The ideal candidate must possess strong clinical and coding domain knowledge, excellent understanding of inpatient medical records, ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, DRG assignment, and coding guidelines. The candidate should be capable of leading a team of medical coders, performing complex coding audits, ensuring coding accuracy, and driving productivity and quality standards.

Candidates must have strong hands-on inpatient coding experience. Outpatient-only medical coding experience will not be considered.

Key Responsibilities

1. Inpatient Medical Coding & IPDRG Expertise

- Perform and oversee complex inpatient medical coding and IPDRG validation activities.
- Demonstrate strong expertise in ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS coding.
- Ensure accurate identification of Principal Diagnosis, Secondary Diagnoses, CC (Complications and Comorbidities), and MCC (Major Complications and Comorbidities).
- Have strong knowledge of MS-DRG assignment, DRG grouping, and reimbursement impact.
- Review inpatient medical records, discharge summaries, operative reports, physician documentation, and clinical records.
- Identify coding discrepancies, documentation gaps, and potential DRG mismatches.
- Apply appropriate inpatient coding guidelines and official coding conventions.

2. Team Leadership & Management

- Lead, mentor, and manage a team of inpatient medical coders.
- Allocate daily workloads and monitor team productivity.
- Conduct regular training sessions and knowledge-sharing sessions.
- Handle complex coding queries and provide technical guidance to team members.




- Monitor individual and team performance against quality and productivity targets.
- Support new joiner training, process transitions, and team development.

3. Quality Auditing & Compliance

- Conduct regular coding audits and quality assessments.
- Identify recurring coding errors and implement corrective actions.
- Ensure compliance with ICD-10-CM/PCS Official Guidelines and applicable US healthcare coding standards.
- Perform DRG validation and identify undercoding and overcoding risks.
- Maintain high standards of coding accuracy, documentation integrity, and compliance.

4. Process Improvement & Reporting

- Track daily productivity, quality scores, and operational performance.
- Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly team performance reports.
- Coordinate with operations and quality teams to resolve coding-related issues.
- Identify process improvement opportunities and implement best practices.
- Support client audits, internal audits, and process-related discussions.

Mandatory Technical Skills

- Strong hands-on experience in US Healthcare Inpatient Medical Coding.
- Extensive experience in IPDRG Coding and DRG Validation.
- Strong knowledge of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS.
- Expertise in Principal Diagnosis and Secondary Diagnosis selection.
- Strong understanding of CC/MCC identification and DRG assignment.
- Knowledge of inpatient coding guidelines and clinical documentation.
- Ability to review complex inpatient medical records and operative reports.
- Strong understanding of anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and disease processes.
- Experience in coding audits, quality monitoring, and denial-related analysis.

Team Lead Competencies





- Proven experience handling and managing a team of medical coders.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to conduct technical assessments and mentor junior coders.
- Strong decision-making and escalation-handling capabilities.
- Ability to achieve quality, productivity, and turnaround-time targets.

Educational Qualification & Certification

- Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences / B.Sc Nursing / Allied Health Sciences or equivalent relevant medical background.
- CPC / CCS / CIC certification preferred.
- Strong clinical knowledge and medical coding fundamentals are essential.

Experience Requirements

- Minimum 5 years of relevant US Healthcare Medical Coding experience.
- Maximum 10 years of overall relevant experience.
- Mandatory hands-on experience in Inpatient Medical Coding and IPDRG.
- Previous experience as a Senior Medical Coder, SME, QA, or Team Lead is preferred.
- Candidates must demonstrate strong inpatient domain knowledge and practical IPDRG expertise.

Important Candidate Screening Criteria

Preferred Candidates:

- Candidates with direct experience in Inpatient Medical Coding.
- Candidates with hands-on IPDRG Coding and Validation experience.
- Candidates with experience in MS-DRG, ICD-10-CM, and ICD-10-PCS.
- Candidates who have handled inpatient coding teams and quality audits.

Not Eligible:

- Candidates with only Outpatient (OP) Medical Coding experience.
- Candidates with only ED (Emergency Department) or E&M; outpatient coding experience.
- Candidates with only HCC, Risk Adjustment, or Professional Fee coding experience.
- Candidates with general medical coding experience but no direct IPDRG exposure.

We are specifically looking for a strong Inpatient Medical Coding professional who can independently handle complex IPDRG cases while leading and mentoring a team.

Pay: ₹800,000.00 - ₹1,300,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- Flexible schedule
- Provident Fund

Work Location: In person

📌 Team Lead - Medical Coder ( IPDRG) (Hyderabad)
🏢 Medintelx Healthcare Services
📍 Hyderabad