Health information coder vs medical coder

The differences between health information coders and medical coders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a health information coder and a medical coder. Additionally, a health information coder has an average salary of $54,353, which is higher than the $51,563 average annual salary of a medical coder.

The top three skills for a health information coder include medical terminology, ICD-10-CM and CPC. The most important skills for a medical coder are CPC, medical terminology, and ICD-10-CM.

Health information coder vs medical coder overview

	Health Information Coder	Medical Coder
Yearly salary	$54,353	$51,563
Hourly rate	$26.13	$24.79
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	112,238	51,316
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a health information coder do?

A health information coder is responsible for translating the reports of physicians into beneficial medical codes. Health information coders make sure that all important information is appropriately coded for accuracy and consistency. The coders read the medical chart of a patient and analyze it and identify patient diagnoses and medical procedures. They categorize the diagnoses and the necessary procedures based on a national classification system. Also, they assign particular alphanumeric or numeric code to each procedure or diagnosis.

What does a medical coder do?

A medical coder's role is to interpret and analyze a patient's medical record and translate particular details according to the universal medical alphanumeric code. Moreover, a medical coder is primarily responsible for ensuring that the translations are accurate, as this will play a vital factor in processing insurance and receiving treatments. Aside from accuracy, it is also crucial for a medical coder to coordinate with other hospital personnel at all times, especially when there inconsistencies in the records.

Health information coder vs medical coder salary

Health information coders and medical coders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Information Coder	Medical Coder
Average salary	$54,353	$51,563
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $78,000	Between $37,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Trenton, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between health information coder and medical coder education

There are a few differences between a health information coder and a medical coder in terms of educational background:

	Health Information Coder	Medical Coder
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Associate Degree, 37%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	Georgetown University	Stanford University

Health information coder vs medical coder demographics

Here are the differences between health information coders' and medical coders' demographics:

	Health Information Coder	Medical Coder
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 12.0% Female, 88.0%	Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 9.0% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between health information coder and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Health information coder example 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.
Maintain establish department policies and procedures, objectives, QA program, HIPAA compliance, environmental and infection control standards.
Code charts (Inpatient/Outpatient/Observation) according to EHR records to ensure all charges are accurately capture; hydration/infusion/EM levels & procedures.

Medical coder example responsibilities.

Manage all EDI relate communication with trading partners and assist to produce all operational documents for all end users.
Manage all aspects of AR including writing letters for medical necessity, claim denials, bundling issues and charge capture.
Manage health records while applying ICD-10 coding to update and process insurance claims for time and accuracy to various insurance companies.
Manage the outsourced transcription company.
Create documentation education classes to general surgery residents, increasing the leveling of reporting which lead to increase revenues.
Adhere to regulations with CPT-4, ICD-9-CM and HCPCS coding with medical terminology and effort meet all audit requirements.

Health information coder vs medical coder skills

Common health information coder skills

Medical Terminology, 11%
ICD-10-CM, 9%
CPC, 9%
Patients, 7%
Quality Standards, 6%
AHIMA, 6%

Common medical coder skills

CPC, 11%
Medical Terminology, 8%
ICD-10-CM, 7%
AHIMA, 7%
Patients, 7%
Clinical Documentation, 5%

Health Information Coder vs. similar jobs

Health Information Coder related careers

Health Information Coder related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Health Information Coder
Health Information Coder vs Medical Coder

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs