Case Scenario: Carly, the coding supervisor at Beechwood Memorial Hospital, is in the process of hiring a new outpatient coder to join the team of four that are already on staff. She has been trying to fill the position for several months without success. This has caused the outpatient discharged not final billed (DNFB) to climb significantly and there is pressure to hire someone soon.
The new coder will train in-house for three to six months before transitioning to work from home. The current work process, in addition to coding, includes telephone attendance at weekly "huddles" to discuss immediate coding, departmental, or organizational issues that arise. Also, coders are required to be on site to attend quarterly coding meetings, and monthly coding education sessions.
Today, Carly has received an outstanding resume for an experienced outpatient coder. The candidate has previous experience with both the information system and the encoder that the hospital uses, so training should be able to be expedited. Carly's concern, however, is that the applicant is deaf. She recognizes that this will require accommodations and is unsure how the staff will react to interacting with a colleague with such a disability.
1. Assess the accommodations that may need to be implemented if a deaf coder is hired.
2. What steps might Carly take to promote diversity if she hires this applicant?