Certified professional coder vs recording technician

The differences between certified professional coders and recording 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 professional coder and a recording technician. Additionally, a certified professional coder has an average salary of $52,683, which is higher than the $34,620 average annual salary of a recording technician.

The top three skills for a certified professional coder include CPC, medical terminology and AAPC. The most important skills for a recording technician are customer service, data entry, and database systems.

Certified professional coder vs recording technician overview

	Certified Professional Coder	Recording Technician
Yearly salary	$52,683	$34,620
Hourly rate	$25.33	$16.64
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	86,465	25,621
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a certified professional coder do?

A certified professional coder oversees the daily medical coding operations of a medical facility, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations. They usually have the responsibility to provide coding to facilities, update databases, and conduct reviews and assessments to identify missing details or inconsistencies and perform corrective measures. Moreover, as a certified professional coder, it is essential to coordinate with external parties such as insurance providers and communicate with patients, assisting them by answering inquiries, explaining procedures, and solving issues and concerns if any would arise.

What does a recording technician do?

A recording technician specializes in operating audio systems and equipment for various purposes such as recordings, broadcasts, and events. It is their responsibility to prepare equipment according to project or program requirements like microphones, audio lines, speakers, and amplifiers, ensuring everything is accounted for and is functioning efficiently. Aside from setting up equipment, they must also conduct regular maintenance checks and perform repairs as necessary. Moreover, as a recording technician, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Certified professional coder vs recording technician salary

Certified professional coders and recording technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Professional Coder	Recording Technician
Average salary	$52,683	$34,620
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $73,000	Between $26,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	Santa Cruz, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Morgan Stanley	National Grid plc
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between certified professional coder and recording technician education

There are a few differences between a certified professional coder and a recording technician in terms of educational background:

	Certified Professional Coder	Recording Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Certified professional coder vs recording technician demographics

Here are the differences between certified professional coders' and recording technicians' demographics:

	Certified Professional Coder	Recording Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 8.9% Female, 91.1%	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 8.3% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between certified professional coder and recording technician duties and responsibilities

Certified professional coder example responsibilities.

Manage the outsourced transcription company.
Apply ICD-10-CM, CPT-4 codes and modifiers in accordance with federal regulations.
Validate DRG's for inpatient and inpatient RAC appeals as well as validating DRG changes.
Assist with insurance verification and registration, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Review, analyze, and code all ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM diagnoses.
Work all age reports for all Medicaid.

Recording technician example responsibilities.

Utilize SharePoint and Accutrac to convert information, by ensuring constant communication with department records coordinator and project leads.
Scan transcripts and financial documents into Onbase.
Perform periodic GMP audits to the manufacturing area.
Update procedures according to CFR & ISO requirements.
Assist processing, digitizing, and setting base-color on production materials.
Implement policy and procedures for HIPPA, OSHA and daily office guidelines.

Certified professional coder vs recording technician skills

Common certified professional coder skills

CPC, 20%
Medical Terminology, 9%
AAPC, 8%
Patients, 7%
ICD-10-CM, 5%
E/M, 4%

Common recording technician skills

Customer Service, 20%
Data Entry, 18%
Database Systems, 7%
Office Equipment, 5%
Background Checks, 4%
Computer System, 4%

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Certified Professional Coder
Certified Professional Coder vs Recording Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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