Risk Adjustment Coder (HCC Coder, CRC) Recruiters
Healthcare Headhunters recruits healthcare professionals for employers. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
This is what we do all day: recruit healthcare professionals.
A risk adjustment coding hire must support diagnoses that the chart can defend during audit review.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
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What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
- HCC Coder
- CRC
- Risk Adjustment Coding Specialist
What does an open seat cost you every week?
An open role costs you more than the recruiting fee. Someone covers the work, waits for care, or stops a service. We ask what is falling behind and who is carrying it. Use your own figures to compare the cost of waiting with the cost of hiring.
The seat is costing you every week.
Overtime, diverted patients, a stretched team and a schedule held together by favors.
The posting brought the wrong people.
Applicants arrive, but the person who has done this exact work is employed and not looking.
You are the one chasing.
Screening calls, no-shows and follow-ups land on the desk of someone with a facility to run.
What does this hire really come down to?
Risk adjustment coders review outpatient documentation, map supported conditions to HCC categories, and flag notes that do not support a reported diagnosis. Your hire may work in the EHR, review retrieved records, or return queries through your established process. This is not a general coding-speed search.
You need someone who can read an assessment and plan, distinguish active conditions from history, and explain why the record supports or fails to support a code. Ask for examples of decisions involving resolved conditions, medication-only references, and copied-forward problem lists.
Scope matters before interviews begin. A coder reviewing annual wellness visits has different daily work than one reviewing retrospective charts from scanned PDFs. Clarify whether the person will code, conduct a second review, prepare audit files, or send documentation findings to clinicians. That choice changes the background worth pursuing.
We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts.
What do we check before you see anyone?
AAPC CRC or CPC credentials are relevant. A CRC is closely aligned with risk adjustment work, while a CPC may be useful when paired with clear outpatient HCC experience. We confirm the stated credential and ask how the candidate applies outpatient coding guidance in actual chart reviews.
- HCC model versions matter. Ask which model versions the coder has used and how they check model-specific mappings. A strong answer covers reviewing the applicable model rather than carrying a prior-year assumption into the current project.
- Chart retrieval work matters. We ask whether the candidate has located, sorted, and reviewed records from EHR queues, scanned documents, or vendor portals. They should describe how they match the right note, date, patient, and encounter before coding.
- RADV audit readiness matters. Ask the candidate to explain what makes a diagnosis supportable in a medical record. Look for discussion of provider documentation, assessment, plan, and record provenance, not merely a code appearing on a problem list.
- Clinical note interpretation matters. We screen for how the coder handles uncertain wording, historical diagnoses, and conditions mentioned without assessment. The goal is supported reporting, not adding a condition because it appears medically plausible.
- Provider feedback matters. Ask how they would return a finding when documentation lacks support. The candidate should describe a factual, concise message that identifies the missing link without directing a clinician to document a diagnosis.
Where do we find them, and why would they move?
Medicare Advantage plans are a relevant source pool. Coders from these organizations may have reviewed prospective and retrospective records, worked with model updates, and assembled documentation for audit review. Some move when they want a narrower audit focus, a different reporting structure, or remote work that matches their schedule.
Primary care backgrounds can bring familiarity with annual visits and clinician follow-up. Vendor backgrounds may bring experience moving between client workflows, document formats, and review rules. We ask what portion of their work was coding versus quality review or chart retrieval.
Which mistakes stall the search?
Do not choose the fastest coder without testing whether their codes are supported by the assessment and plan. Do not treat inpatient, surgical, or general billing experience as proof of outpatient HCC judgment. Value-based primary care groups and risk adjustment vendors are also useful source pools.
Do not leave ownership of chart findings unclear between coding, clinical documentation staff, and provider leadership.
How would we run the search for this opening?
Tell us which records the coder will review, where they will access them, and whether they code, audit, retrieve charts, or report findings. Use redacted sample notes or a structured interview exercise. We present screened candidates for your team to assess.
Set the work scope
Identify the model version, reporting line, and any on-site document handling before outreach begins.
Test the judgment
Ask the candidate to identify supported conditions, unsupported diagnoses, and the documentation they would request. Your team makes the final technical and clinical assessment.
Select and document terms
Compare their sample coding decisions, explanations of model mappings, and handling of conflicting notes. Choose the candidate whose reasoning supports defensible diagnosis reporting and whose record review experience fits your workflow. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
Where this search connects
National median annual wage. SOC 29-2072, Medical Records Specialists.
BLS reports Medical Records Specialists as one occupation. It does not publish a separate estimate for Risk Adjustment Coder (HCC Coder, CRC), its setting or its engagement terms.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025-05, released 2026-05-15. View source. See the full guide.
Open roles
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We tell you where qualified Risk Adjustment Coder (HCC Coder, CRC) are working in your area and what it takes to move them. No fee. No obligation.
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Paste or upload the JD. We flag unclear scope, requirements and terms that may put strong candidates off. No fee. No obligation.
What happens if the hire is not the right match?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Review your written agreement before the search, since it sets the fee and replacement terms for a standard permanent placement. Locum, travel, contract, and per diem arrangements are available on request under separately confirmed terms.
Should we require a CRC for every risk adjustment coding opening?
Not always: a CRC is directly relevant, but a CPC with demonstrated outpatient HCC and audit work may fit your scope. We verify the credential claimed and ask about the work behind it.
Can this role be remote?
Often, if your access controls, record workflow, and internal review process support remote work. Local candidates may matter when physical records, in-person meetings, or employer-specific onboarding call for on-site attendance.
What should we ask about RADV experience?
Ask the candidate to describe how they prepare a record for review and what documentation they consider insufficient. Probe for their approach when a diagnosis is listed but the note lacks an assessment or plan.
How do we evaluate provider communication?
Give a hypothetical example where a clinician disagrees with a finding. Ask the candidate to draft or describe their response. Look for a direct reference to the note and a clear explanation of what is missing.
What should you send us about this role?
Send us the role, where the person will work and what needs to change with this hire. We will ask about the work, not just the title. Share any license or schedule limits that could rule someone out before we begin the search.
Tell us how your records move from retrieval to final coding, and we will screen for the judgment your review process needs.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
Which other positions in this family should you consider?
Surgical & Specialty Coder (Interventional, Cardiology, Orthopedic) · Medical Biller (Billing Specialist)
What do you get at each step of the search?
Our process for every search: calibrate the seat with you, map the market, research the real people, reach out to each one personally, qualify them in live conversation, then hand you a short list with a written brief on each person and support through the offer.
Search Calibration
You get an agreed brief: the work, reporting line, credentials, schedule, and offer you can make.
Market Mapping
You get a search aimed at relevant backgrounds, including people working now who have not applied.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We check appropriate ways to reach the people identified for your search. You do not have to chase them yourself.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We explain your actual job and follow up with people who may consider a conversation.
Live Candidate Qualification
You see people we have spoken with about the work, interest, and practical fit, not an unread resume pile.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a written brief and support through interviews and offer discussions. You make the hiring decision.
How long will it take to see a short list?
That depends on the job, schedule, available people, and what your employer can offer. We discuss those constraints before outreach and update you as candidates respond. We do not promise a fixed shortlist date. We check the job brief before arranging interviews. Tell us which parts of the role you can change.
What if a candidate receives a counteroffer?
We ask why the person wants to move and discuss competing decisions before an offer. A counteroffer can still change their choice. Keep the duties and offer clear rather than assuming more money settles every concern. Tell us early if parts of your offer cannot change, so the candidate hears it from us first.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Ask us to walk through those terms before you sign, so you know how a replacement would work for your opening and who would start it.
What do we not do in a standard permanent search?
We do not bill standard contingency search by the hour or simply repost your job. Temporary coverage is a separate arrangement. Any retainer or different engagement must be agreed, not assumed. Tell us early if you need coverage while the permanent search runs.