Medical Coding Career Description

Medical Coding Job Profile And Description

Medical coding is an administrative job and is very important part of working in a healthcare facility because a medical coder is responsible for putting in the right code for the specific medical service that has been provided by a hospital or clinic. By referring to these codes, the health practitioners will get reimbursement payment for the services provided by them to the patients from the insurance companies. He must have the knowledge, skills and certification to perform coding properly.

Medical Coding Duties And Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of a medical coder will involve:

• Going through a patient’s medical charts and assigning the right diagnostic and procedural codes
• He uses computers to store the information where the software will organise all the information so that one can get the data regarding patient history, ailment, treatment and bills
• The individual uses the diagnostic programs like ICD-9-CM and CPT codes to identify the patient information
• He should follow all the federal rules so that there is no problem in receiving reimbursements later

Medical Coding Skills And Specifications

The skills and specifications that are required of a medical coder include:

• He must be very systematic and organised
• He should have good written and verbal skills and an eye for details
• He must have good computer knowledge.

Medical Coding Education And Qualification

The education and qualification requirements for a medical coder are as follows:

• There are many accredited institutes which provide postsecondary certification courses in medical coding
• These courses provide training for 6 to 18 months
• A high school diploma is also required

Medical Coding Salary

The salary of a medical coder depends on the field he working in as some fields pay more than others but on an average he gets $15 per hour or $50,000 per year.