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Certified coding specialist vs medical records technician

The differences between certified coding specialists and medical records technicians 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 technician. Additionally, a certified coding specialist has an average salary of $51,818, which is higher than the $37,087 average annual salary of a medical records technician.

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 technician are patients, medical terminology, and HIPAA.

Certified coding specialist vs medical records technician overview

Certified Coding SpecialistMedical Records Technician
Yearly salary$51,818$37,087
Hourly rate$24.91$17.83
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs62,43267,660
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%Associate Degree, 34%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Certified coding specialist vs medical records technician salary

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

Certified Coding SpecialistMedical Records Technician
Average salary$51,818$37,087
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $71,000Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City-Long Branch, NJ
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Guidehouse
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between certified coding specialist and medical records technician education

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

Certified Coding SpecialistMedical Records Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%Associate Degree, 34%
Most common majorHealth Care AdministrationHealth Care Administration
Most common collegeGeorgetown UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Certified coding specialist vs medical records technician demographics

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

Certified Coding SpecialistMedical Records Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 8.6% Female, 91.4%Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2%
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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

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

  • Enter all patient in-take into EMR, manage triage, scheduling, and maintain a sterile clinic setting.
  • Manage medical treatment authorizations and durable medical equipment (DME) requests and verify medical eligibility for all patients requesting treatment.
  • Perform examinations in the ER, main radiology area and surgery.
  • Order medical records for patients, medical staff, outside entities, and court subpoenas for certain dates of services.
  • Audited/Validate daily outpatient medical coding accounts involving emergency rooms, surgery, interventional radiology, radiology, and ancillary services.
  • Staff education on EMR and industry regulations.
  • Show more

Certified coding specialist vs medical records technician 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 technician skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • Medical Terminology, 11%
  • HIPAA, 6%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Medical Facilities, 4%

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