Certified coding specialist vs medical biller coder

The differences between certified coding specialists and medical biller coders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a certified coding specialist and a medical biller coder. Additionally, a certified coding specialist has an average salary of $51,818, which is higher than the $38,756 average annual salary of a medical biller coder.

The top three skills for a certified coding specialist include medical terminology, ICD-10-CM and CPC. The most important skills for a medical biller coder are patients, medical billing, and ICD-10.

Certified coding specialist vs medical biller coder overview

	Certified Coding Specialist	Medical Biller Coder
Yearly salary	$51,818	$38,756
Hourly rate	$24.91	$18.63
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	62,432	54,861
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 30%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Certified coding specialist vs medical biller coder salary

Certified coding specialists and medical biller coders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Coding Specialist	Medical Biller Coder
Average salary	$51,818	$38,756
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $71,000	Between $30,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between certified coding specialist and medical biller coder education

There are a few differences between a certified coding specialist and a medical biller coder in terms of educational background:

	Certified Coding Specialist	Medical Biller Coder
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 30%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	Georgetown University	University of Pennsylvania

Certified coding specialist vs medical biller coder demographics

Here are the differences between certified coding specialists' and medical biller coders' demographics:

	Certified Coding Specialist	Medical Biller Coder
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 8.6% Female, 91.4%	Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 8.0% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between certified coding specialist and medical biller coder duties and responsibilities

Certified coding specialist example responsibilities.

Manage the outsourced transcription company.
Comply with HIPAA privacy laws.
File appeals and reviews for deny claims.
Conduct prospective E/M audits for clinic and hospital services.
Access hospital records, post E/M charges, electronically.
Post EOB's in system and file under corresponding insurances.

Medical biller coder example responsibilities.

Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding), chart assembly and analysis and patient information privacy/security.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding/abstracting), chart assembly and analysis, patient admission and patient information privacy/security.
Bill insurance claims using HCFA 1500 and UB-92 form.
Review coding, verify the diagnosis codes (ICD-9) and procedure codes (CPT) are congruent and clinically appropriate.
Have experience in all commercial insurances and government insurances including Medicare and Medicaid.

Certified coding specialist vs medical biller coder skills

Common certified coding specialist skills

Medical Terminology, 13%
ICD-10-CM, 10%
CPC, 9%
CPT-4, 6%
AHIMA, 6%
DRG, 5%

Common medical biller coder skills

Patients, 17%
Medical Billing, 5%
ICD-10, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
CPT-4, 4%
HCPCS, 4%

Certified Coding Specialist vs. similar jobs

Certified Coding Specialist related careers

Certified Coding Specialist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Certified Coding Specialist
Certified Coding Specialist vs Medical Biller Coder

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs