Lead Clinical Data Specialist

About Us:

The people of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular mission: ending cancer for life. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursue our mission at MSK and around the globe.

Exciting Opportunity

Join Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a Lead Clinical Data Specialist and help advance accurate, compliant clinical coding across Radiology. In this high-impact role, you will combine deep coding expertise, data quality leadership, team mentorship, and systems collaboration to strengthen reimbursement, reporting, research, and operational excellence across MSK enterprise-wide initiatives.

Role Overview

• Review inpatient and outpatient encounters and assign accurate ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 codes in accordance with established coding principles, departmental policies, and Medicare requirements  

• Analyze medical records, diagnoses, procedures, complications, and treatment details to capture complete and appropriately specific clinical data.   

• Identify and correct improper codes to support medical and legal accuracy, regulatory reporting, appropriate reimbursement, research, planning, and statistical analysis.  

• Investigate coding inconsistencies, inaccuracies, omissions, billing rejections, and denials, providing supporting documentation and follow-up as needed.  

• Partner with HIM leadership, physicians, Revenue Integrity, Patient Billing, and Radiology leadership to resolve documentation and coding issues.   

• Lead, train, and mentor Clinical Data Specialists, review their work and explain coding rationales to strengthen quality and productivity.   

• Serve as a primary administrator for CodeAssist, collaborate with 3M CEE, submit technical tickets, and assist with system testing, coding-rule adjustments, and connection issues.   

• Collaborate with areas such as Nuclear Medicine, General Radiology, Interventional Radiology and Breast modalities to improve coding and documentation.   

• Support advanced special projects, including charge master maintenance, charge mapping, fee coordination, coding updates, rejection correction, and year-end code changes.   

Key Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.   

• Four to seven years of professional coding experience required. Radiology coding preferred.  

• Current certified coding credential required, e.g., CPC, CCS, CCS-P  

• Advanced knowledge of ICD-10-CM and CPT-4 coding guidelines, with the ability to apply codes at the level of specificity required for compliant billing and reporting.   

• Experience reviewing inpatient and outpatient encounters, Radiology medical records, billing rejections, coding edits, and clinical documentation preferred.   

• Proficiency using coding, clinical, billing, and reporting systems, including Excel. Experience with Epic, HIS, CodeAssist or comparable platforms is highly relevant.   

Core Skills

• Expert judgment and attention to detail: Consistently interprets complex clinical information and produces accurate, compliant coding without compromising productivity.   

• Leadership and mentorship: Guides coders through constructive review, practical training, and clear explanations of coding decisions.   

• Analytical problem-solving: Recognizes recurring errors, investigates root causes, and recommends systematic improvements that strengthen quality and reimbursement outcomes.   

• Collaboration and communication: Builds effective working relationships with HIM leadership, physicians, , , Revenue Integrity, Patient Billing, technical teams, and clinical departments.   

• Accountability and continuous learning: Meets established quality and productivity standards, maintains accurate reporting, and shares knowledge gained through advanced coding education.   

Additional Information:

• Schedule: 8 Flexed hours starting at 7am. During training: 8am to 4pm Mondays through Fridays.   

• Work type: Remote   

• Reports to: Manager II, Health Information Management  

Helpful Links:

• Compensation Philosophy  

• Benefits  

Pay Range: $35.59 - $55.18

FSLA Status: Non-Exempt

Closing

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At MSK, we believe in fair, competitive pay that reflects your job, experience, and skills.

MSK is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruiting and employment. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran status or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.