How To Become A Health Information Coder: What It Is and Career Path

What is a health information coder and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

The healthcare field offers a lot of career opportunities beyond being a doctor or a nurse. One such option you might want to consider is the health information coder or medical coding. As per the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), health information coders are those people who translate reports of physicians and doctors to medical codes. That's because the insurance company will understand the whole process and establish possible medical procedures. Health information coder works in healthcare industries or hospitals with a graduate degree and two years of experience in the same field with AAPC certification.

To work in this field, you need to know different software coding and must have communication, computer literacy, analytical, problem-solving, organization, collaboration, research, and time management skills.

ScoreHealth Information CoderUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $54,353

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.28%

Asian 8.98%

Black or African American 9.28%

Hispanic or Latino 16.91%

Unknown 4.22%

White 59.33%

Gender

female 87.97%

male 12.03%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.0

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a health information coder

Explore health information coder education requirements

Most common health information coder degrees

Associate

44.6 %

Bachelor's

24.6 %

Certificate

14.9 %

Start to develop specific health information coder skills

Skills	Percentages
Medical Terminology	10.96%
ICD-10-CM	8.95%
CPC	8.78%
Patients	7.26%
Quality Standards	6.42%

Complete relevant health information coder training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New health information coders learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a health information coder based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real health information coder resumes.

Gain additional health information coder certifications

Health information coder certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific health information coder certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for health information coders include Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS).

More About Certifications

Research health information coder duties and responsibilities

Create documentation education classes to general surgery residents, increasing the leveling of reporting which lead to increase revenues.
Provide clerical services in registering patients and guests in ambulatory surgery facility.
Train staff on the HIPAA regulations.
Assist in instructing students for exam preparation for the CPC exam.

Prepare your health information coder resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your health information coder resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a health information coder resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable health information coder resume templates

Build a professional health information coder resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your health information coder resume.