A visit to your doctor and then your medical insurance provider receives a bill containing medical codes like CPT and ICD-10. There are many thousands of medical code for every healthcare service type, procedure and medical equipment. Here the Medical Coder comes into the picture.
Earlier studies have revealed that India is the second-largest country for healthcare outsourcing. Almost 80% of the booming U.S. healthcare industry outsources its services to developing countries like India increasing the demand for certified medical coders.
What exactly is Medical Coding?
Medical coding and record-keeping can be traced back to 17th century England and is rapidly evolving over the past few decades.
In layman terms, it is a prerequisite for medical filing and billing with claiming of medical insurance.
It is simply defined as the process of translation of significant medical information into simple codes that are used in the documentation of medical records and accurate medical billing. This information can be healthcare diagnosis, procedures, medical services and equipment. The codes are universal medical alphanumeric codes.
There are few medical codes that are used in healthcare settings but are sufficient for uniform documentation between various medical facilities. This standard system allows for seamless transfer of medical records with efficient research and analysis for tracking healthcare trends.
Who is a Medical Coder?
A medical coder job is to extract information from patient’s medical records and conversion into industry-standard medical codes for processing claims from a third party. These codes assist the government to maintain a database of health records. While drafting health care policies, the policymakers review the statistical data.
They ensure that the patient’s medical data and histories are accurately logged into Electronic Health Records (EHR).
A translator basically whose job is to develop the right universal codes every time for ensuring that the insurance companies are billed properly.
A medical coder and medical biller are different but with proper training, they can be a single person. A Medical Biller task is processing and following up on insurance claims. They are not responsible for the determination of codes used for insurance billing.
Education Requirements
High school graduates aspiring to be medical coders have three options for their undergraduate programs. A solid foundation of anatomy, physiology and medical coding is absolutely necessary.
- Certification Program of one year.
- Associate degree of 2 years in Healthcare administration or health information management.
- Bachelors’ degree of 4 years in Health care administration.
Aspiring medical coders have two options for qualifying basic credential exams that are offered through American Health Informatics Management Association (AHIMA). For maintaining standard of excellence, the coders have to recertify for these credentials and complete Continuing Education Units (CEU).
- The first option for obtaining credential is Certified Coding Associate (CCA).
- The second option is earning of Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)
Workplaces of Medical coders
Important Medical Coding skills
The following are the technical and transferable skills that most employers of medical coders look for:
- ICD-10
- Customer billing
- Health information technology
- CPT coding
- Inpatient coding
- Outpatient coding
- ICD-9
- Anatomy
- HCPCS coding
- Clinical documentation
Top Transferable Skills
- Excellent Communication skills.
- Research
- Computer literacy
- Microsoft Office®
- Detail-oriented
- Collaboration with other professionals.
- Organizational skills
- Analytical skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Time management
Career Outlook for Medical Coders
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has classified the Medical Coders under the category of ‘Medical Records and Health Information Technicians‘. This term signifies the professionals that review the patient’s files, organize their data and assigning clinical codes for reimbursement of insurance.
The BLS projects a growth rate of 11% between 2018 and 2028 that is faster than other occupations. The median salary for a medical coder in 2018 was between $35,520 and $ 43,470. Factors such as experience, education and work settings play a huge role in the determination of salaries.
As the demand for quality and economical healthcare services is increasing thereby raising demand for Medical Coders. The scope for this career is increasing exponentially in India.
There are multiple career advancement options for medical coders. They can develop skills that are beneficial in healthcare business roles like practice management, auditing, documentation improvement and compliance etc and assume larger roles.
Medical Coding is not just a career option but a lifetime assurance of your job being secure. This career provides a job guarantee and job security along with fixed working hours and reasonable pay making it a lucrative and respectable job option.
– Samiya Firdous
