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Medical Coder

A Medical Coder gathers health information from medical records and assigns special codes to each patient's diagnosis and procedure.

These codes are then entered into the computer and sent to insurance companies or the federal government agency (Medicare) for expense reimbursement.

In other words, this is how the hospitals get paid!

 

This is one of the fastest growing occupations in the US. The number of jobs are expected to increase as the health care needs of the aging population increase.

 

How to get started in a Medical Coding Career

Here's what you need to know:

1) What is Medical Coding?

2) Duties and Responsibilities

3) Requirements

4) Certifications

5) Salary Potential

6) Medical Coding Programs and Schools



1) What is Medical Coding?

It is transferring verbal descriptions of diseases, injuries, and procedures into numeric or alphanumeric designations.

The codes are often entered into the computer and then used to bill the health insurance provider or the federal Medicare program.

Correct coding is important because it ensures that the hospital or healthcare provider gets paid!



2) Duties and Responsibilities

Duties vary from office to office but may include:



3) Requirements

Here are some basic requirements:

4) Certification

Certification is a process by which a nongovernmental agency or association recognizes the competency of individuals who have met certain qualifications as determined by the agency or association.

Getting certified is a good career move and often preferred or required by employers.

There are 3 certifications offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) :

 

1) Certified Coding Assistant (CCA)

The CCA is an entry-level certification given upon successful completion of a national exam. This is probably the easiest for someone starting out in this career.

 

2) Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)

The CCS is a professional skilled in classifying medical data from patient records, generally in the hospital setting. The CCS certification exam assesses the candidate's mastery proficiency in coding. Some employers will request this.

 

3) Certified Coding Specialist-Physician-based (CCS-P)

The CCS-P is a coding practitioner with expertise in physician-based setting such as physician offices, group practices, multi-specialty clinics, or specialty centers.

 

The American Academy of Professional Coders offers 2 credentials:

1) Certified Professional Coder (CPC)

For physician office coding.

2) Certified Professional Coder-Hospital (CPC-H)

For facility or hospital coding.



5) Salary Potential

Salaries vary depending on location and size of the business and the experience level of the individual.

The average entry level salary for a Medical Coder ranges from $20,000 to $40,000 per year.

Experienced Medical Coders can expect to earn from $50,000 to $75,000 per year.

6) Medical Coding Programs and Schools

Medical Coding is part of the Health Information Technology and Management field.

Some schools offer a certificate in Medical Coding and some offer an Associate degree program in Health Information Technology.

Some programs are accredited by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) while some are not.

If the accreditation is important, make sure you ask the school about its status prior to enrolling.

 

 

AHIMA Accredited Schools for Certificate in Coding

 

ARIZONA

Phoenix College

1202 W. Thomas Road

Phoenix, AZ 85013

(602) 285-7129

 

ARKANSAS

National Park Community College at Hot Springs

101 College Drive

Hot Springs, AR 71913

(501) 760-4294

 

CALIFORNIA

Ladera Career Paths Training Center

6820 La Tijera Blvd

Suite 217

Los Angeles, CA 90045

(310) 568-0244

 

Loma Linda University

1905 Nichol Hall

Loma Linda, CA 92350

(909) 558-4976

 

Santa Barbara City College

721 Cliff Drive

Santa Barbara, CA 93109

(805) 965-0581 x2851

 

ILLINOIS

Coding Basics Program (AHIMA)

233 N. Michigan

Suite 2150

Chicago, IL 60601

(312) 233-1158

 

Moraine Valley Community College

10900 S 88th Ave

Palos Hills, IL 60465

(708) 974-5315

 

NEVADA

Community College of Southern Nevada

6375 West Charleston Boulevard

North Las Vegas, NV 89146

(702) 651-5896

 

MICHIGAN

Davenport University

4801 Oakman Blvd

Dearborn, MI 48126

(313) 581-4400 x444

 

MINNESOTA

Anoka-Hennepin Technical College

1355 West Highway 10

Anoka, MN 55303

(763) 576-4970

 

Herzing College

5700 W. Broadway

Crystal, MN 55428

763.231.3165

 

Rasmussen College

3500 Federal Drive

Eagan, MN 55122-1346

(651) 687-9000

 

MONTANA

Montana State University-College of Technology

2100 16th Avenue

Great Falls, MT 59405

(406) 771-4359

 

NEW JERSEY

Camden County College

PO Box 200

College Drive

Blackwood, NJ 08012

(856) 968-1331

 

NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota State College of Science

Health Information Technology

800 North 6th St.

Wahpeton, ND 58076

(800) 342-4325 x2269

 

 

OHIO

Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron

One Perkins Square

Akron, OH 44308

(330) 543-3876

 

OKLAHOMA

Tulsa Community College

909 South Boston Avenue

Allied Health Services Division

Tulsa, OK 74119

(918) 595-7201

 

PENNSYLVANIA

Gwynedd-Mercy College

1325 Sumneytown Pike

PO Box 901

Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437

(215) 646-7300 x488

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Trident Technical College-MRC

7000 Rivers Ave, AH-M

PO Box 118067

Charleston, SC 29423

 (843) 574-6328

 

Trident Technical College-Online

P.O. Box 118067

Charleston, SC 29423

843-574-6366

 

SOUTH DAKOTA

Dakota State University

820 N. Washington Avenue

East Hall, Room 3

Madison, SD 57042

(605) 256-5137

 

TEXAS

Baylor Health Care System

3500 Gaston Avenue

Bush Annex Building, Suite 205

Dallas, TX 75246

(214) 820-7672

 

North Harris College

2700 W.W. Thorne Drive

Houston, TX 77073

(281) 765-7829

 

WASHINGTON

Shoreline Community College

16101 Greenwood Avenue North

Seattle, WA 98133

(206) 546-4757