How to hire a certified professional coder

How to hire a certified professional coder, step by step

Here's a step-by-step certified professional coder hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a certified professional coder job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new certified professional coder
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a certified professional coder do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your certified professional coder job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a certified professional coder for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect certified professional coder also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of certified professional coders and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Certified Professional Coder	Description	Hourly rate
   Certified Professional Coder	Medical records and health information technicians, commonly referred to as health information technicians, organize and manage health information data. They ensure its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security in both paper and electronic systems... Show more	$18-35
   Records Manager	The records manager is an important position that handles the creation, organization, and disposal of records. They are also responsible for establishing systems for their management and the maintenance, verification, and evaluation of extant systems... Show more	$15-32
   Health Information Technician	A health information technician is primarily responsible for managing and handling patient information, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality. They coordinate with various health care workers to gather patient data, laboratory results, test findings, and medical histories, encoding them in clinical databases in a timely and efficient manner... Show more	$12-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPC
   • Medical Terminology
   • AAPC
   • Patients
   • ICD-10-CM
   • E/M
   • Data Entry
   • Diagnosis Codes
   • Medicare
   • Appeals
   • Medical Billing
   • Professional Services
   • CPT-4
   • Procedure Codes

   Check all skills

   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.

   More certified professional coder duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the certified professional coder job description is a good way to get more applicants. A certified professional coder salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a certified professional coder in Ohio may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level certified professional coder. Additionally, a certified professional coder with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average certified professional coder salary

   $52,683yearly

   $25.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level certified professional coder salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average certified professional coder salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$65,583	$32
   2	Connecticut	$63,918	$31
   3	Oregon	$63,110	$30
   4	Nevada	$61,469	$30
   5	Texas	$58,468	$28
   6	North Carolina	$57,097	$27
   7	Massachusetts	$57,054	$27
   8	New York	$56,143	$27
   9	Montana	$55,276	$27
   10	Rhode Island	$54,943	$26
   11	Pennsylvania	$54,873	$26
   12	Georgia	$54,031	$26
   13	Indiana	$53,649	$26
   14	Florida	$53,459	$26
   15	Mississippi	$52,326	$25
   16	Colorado	$52,176	$25
   17	Arizona	$51,393	$25
   18	New Mexico	$48,741	$23
   19	Michigan	$48,487	$23
   20	Iowa	$46,983	$23

   Average certified professional coder salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Morgan Stanley	$88,276	$42.44	4
   2	CVS Health	$83,409	$40.10	7
   3	Siemens	$74,127	$35.64	5
   4	Aetna	$73,237	$35.21
   5	St. John's Episcopal Hospital	$66,918	$32.17	1
   6	Molina Healthcare	$66,379	$31.91	172
   7	Mount Auburn Hospital	$66,262	$31.86
   8	Novant Health	$66,218	$31.84	10
   9	Rogue Community Health	$65,646	$31.56	3
   10	Boeing	$65,467	$31.47	2
   11	Grand View Health	$65,357	$31.42
   12	Cook Children's Medical Center	$64,866	$31.19	7
   13	Mayo Clinic	$64,599	$31.06	28
   14	University Health	$64,423	$30.97	4
   15	St. Peter's Health	$63,811	$30.68	3
   16	Ortho Montana	$63,721	$30.64	1
   17	UMiami Health System	$62,847	$30.21
   18	Catholic Medical Center	$62,756	$30.17
   19	UofL Hospital	$62,648	$30.12	6
   20	Catholic Health East	$62,094	$29.85	19

4. Writing a certified professional coder job description

   A good certified professional coder job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a certified professional coder job description:

   Certified professional coder job description example

   Reports to the Manager of Professional Coding. Under general supervision and in accordance with the policies and procedures established by BMG Professional Coding, reviews and accurately codes office and hospital procedures for reimbursement requiring exercise of initiative and judgement.
   MISSION, VALUES and SERVICE GOALS
   MISSION: We deliver outstanding care, inspire health, and connect with heart. VALUES: Trust. Respect. Integrity. Compassion. SERVICE GOALS: Personally connect. Keep everyone informed. Be on their team.
   Performs routine and non-routine revenue cycle, billing, coding and insurance functions by:
   Extracting relevant information from patient records, examining documents for missing information. Liaison with physicians and other parties to clarify information. Analyzing documentation and accurately applies CPT, ICD, and HCPCS codes to support compliant coding. Working rejected and denied claims based on assigned reports, and assists in complex denial resolution. Communicating updates on coding related changes and billing opportunities and guidelines to supervisor and/or providers. Assisting providers with required documentation, compliant coding and reimbursement. Monitoring provider documentation for trends and adherence to documentation standards and regulatory requirements through report and billing analysis. Communicates results to providers and management as needed. Participating in timely review of provider documentation and communication of results to supervisor. Auditing reports as necessary to identify and correct coding related errors. Achieving BMG's coding productivity and accuracy rates within 6 months of hire; maintains rates as evaluated by internal or external review.
   Performs other functions to maintain personal competence and contributes to the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the department by:
   Working closely with other BMG Central Business Office associates. Presenting coding and compliance related topics to team members. Completing other job-related duties and projects as assigned. ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
   
   Associate complies with the following organizational requirements:
   Attends and participates in department meetings and is accountable for all information shared. Completes mandatory education, annual competencies and department specific education within established timeframes. Completes annual employee health requirements within established timeframes. Maintains license/certification, registration in good standing throughout fiscal year. Direct patient care providers are required to maintain current BCLS (CPR) and other certifications as required by position/department. Consistently utilizes appropriate universal precautions, protective equipment, and ergonomic techniques to protect patient and self. Adheres to regulatory agency requirements, survey process and compliance. Complies with established organization and department policies. Available to work overtime in addition to working additional or other shifts and schedules when required.
   Commitment to Beacon's six-point Operating System, referred to as The Beacon Way: Le verage innovation everywhere. Cultivate human talent. Embrace performance improvement. Build greatness through accountability. Use information to improve and advance. Communicate clearly and continuously.
   
   Education and Experience The knowledge, skills, and abilities are normally acquired through a High School diploma, GED or suitable equivalent. Graduate of an accredited medical coding program preferred. Two years physician coding experience in an applicable specialty preferred. Designation as a Certified Coding Specialist-Physician Based, Certified Professional Coder, Certified Medical Coder, or Certified Coding Associated required. Must complete a minimum of 12 hours of coding related education per year to field of concentration.
   Knowledge & Skills
   Requires accuracy and proficiency with CPT, ICD and HCPCS code assignment. Demonstrates knowledge of regulatory and payer specific coding guidelines. Demonstrates proficiency in knowledge of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. Demonstrates exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail. Proficient computer skills in data entry, coding, and knowledge of Electronic Medical Record software; Microsoft Office Suite. Ability to work independently and as a member of a team. Requires excellent communication skills, both oral and written, necessary to effectively speak to a diverse audience. Demonstrates working knowledge of HIPAA and ability to maintain confidentiality of all data.
   Working Conditions
   Works in an office environment. May experience some mental/visual fatigue from careful and constant review of records, code books, and continued use of computer equipment.
   Physical Demands
   Requires the physical ability and stamina to perform the essential functions of the position.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right certified professional coder for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with certified professional coders they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit certified professional coders who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your certified professional coder job on Zippia to find and attract quality certified professional coder candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit certified professional coders, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new certified professional coder

   Once you've found the certified professional coder candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new certified professional coder first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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