Certified coding specialist vs medical records clerk

The differences between certified coding specialists and medical records clerks 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 records clerk. Additionally, a certified coding specialist has an average salary of $51,818, which is higher than the $32,491 average annual salary of a medical records clerk.

The top three skills for a certified coding specialist include medical terminology, ICD-10-CM and CPC. The most important skills for a medical records clerk are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Certified coding specialist vs medical records clerk overview

	Certified Coding Specialist	Medical Records Clerk
Yearly salary	$51,818	$32,491
Hourly rate	$24.91	$15.62
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	62,432	129,998
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 29%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Certified coding specialist vs medical records clerk salary

Certified coding specialists and medical records clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Coding Specialist	Medical Records Clerk
Average salary	$51,818	$32,491
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $71,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Rochester, NY
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between certified coding specialist and medical records clerk education

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

	Certified Coding Specialist	Medical Records Clerk
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 29%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	Georgetown University	University of Pennsylvania

Certified coding specialist vs medical records clerk demographics

Here are the differences between certified coding specialists' and medical records clerks' demographics:

	Certified Coding Specialist	Medical Records Clerk
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 8.6% Female, 91.4%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between certified coding specialist and medical records clerk 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 records clerk example responsibilities.

Manage transition from in-house transcription system to outsource transcription service.
Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Perform infant labs and update the system with results, triage incoming patients, perform necessary resuscitation to baby and mom.
Provide information to medical facilities and patients when necessary and respond to subpoenas and other general release of patient information.
Experience in CPT and ICD-10 coding.

Certified coding specialist vs medical records clerk skills

Common certified coding specialist skills

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

Common medical records clerk skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 7%
Medical Terminology, 6%
HIPAA, 5%
Patient Care, 4%

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Certified Coding Specialist
Certified Coding Specialist vs Medical Records Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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