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Certified coding specialist vs medical record assistant

The differences between certified coding specialists and medical record assistants 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 record assistant. Additionally, a certified coding specialist has an average salary of $51,818, which is higher than the $34,870 average annual salary of a medical record assistant.

The top three skills for a certified coding specialist include medical terminology, ICD-10-CM and CPC. The most important skills for a medical record assistant are patients, data entry, and HIPAA.

Certified coding specialist vs medical record assistant overview

Certified Coding SpecialistMedical Record Assistant
Yearly salary$51,818$34,870
Hourly rate$24.91$16.76
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs62,43291,238
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Certified coding specialist vs medical record assistant salary

Certified coding specialists and medical record assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Certified Coding SpecialistMedical Record Assistant
Average salary$51,818$34,870
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $71,000Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City-Napa, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between certified coding specialist and medical record assistant education

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

Certified Coding SpecialistMedical Record Assistant
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common majorHealth Care AdministrationBusiness
Most common collegeGeorgetown UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Certified coding specialist vs medical record assistant demographics

Here are the differences between certified coding specialists' and medical record assistants' demographics:

Certified Coding SpecialistMedical Record Assistant
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 8.6% Female, 91.4%Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.5% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between certified coding specialist and medical record assistant 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.
  • Show more

Medical record assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead special department-wide task force initiative to minimize abuse of Oxycontin prescriptions bill to Medicaid.
  • Manage and organize all paperwork concerning caregivers and patients; organize filing system; ensure operation of electronic filing systems.
  • Work with EHR, provide medical records to patients and specialty centers.
  • Guide department through transition from paper charts to EHR system scan all patient records into database.
  • Scan documents into electronic medical records system and certify HIPAA compliance
  • Implement HIPAA guidelines in keeping patient information secure and confidential.
  • Show more

Certified coding specialist vs medical record assistant skills

Common certified coding specialist skills
  • Medical Terminology, 13%
  • ICD-10-CM, 10%
  • CPC, 9%
  • CPT-4, 6%
  • AHIMA, 6%
  • DRG, 5%
Common medical record assistant skills
  • Patients, 37%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • HIPAA, 6%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Vital Signs, 4%
  • Medical Terminology, 3%

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