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Health unit clerk vs medical coder

The differences between health unit clerks 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 unit clerk and a medical coder. Additionally, a medical coder has an average salary of $51,563, which is higher than the $31,986 average annual salary of a health unit clerk.

The top three skills for a health unit clerk include patients, patient care and medical terminology. The most important skills for a medical coder are CPC, medical terminology, and ICD-10-CM.

Health unit clerk vs medical coder overview

Health Unit ClerkMedical Coder
Yearly salary$31,986$51,563
Hourly rate$15.38$24.79
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs130,92051,316
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 33%Associate Degree, 37%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Health unit clerk vs medical coder salary

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

Health Unit ClerkMedical Coder
Average salary$31,986$51,563
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $38,000Between $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 unit clerk and medical coder education

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

Health Unit ClerkMedical Coder
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 33%Associate Degree, 37%
Most common majorBusinessHealth Care Administration
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Health unit clerk vs medical coder demographics

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

Health Unit ClerkMedical Coder
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 12.2% Female, 87.8%Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% 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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between health unit clerk and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Health unit clerk example responsibilities.

  • Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
  • Perform debt collections, copy and file medical information, and administer affidavits and subpoenas on patient orders.
  • Organize, analyze and technically evaluate inpatient and outpatient medical records for physician completeness according to hospital bylaws and JCAHO standards.
  • Safeguard patient information according to the HIPPA policy.
  • Remain up to date on HIPPA regulations and utilize them to obtain inmate medical records from outside providers.
  • Comply with the rule and regulations of HIPAA.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Health unit clerk vs medical coder skills

Common health unit clerk skills
  • Patients, 29%
  • Patient Care, 19%
  • Medical Terminology, 13%
  • CPR, 7%
  • Data Entry, 5%
  • Computer Programs, 3%
Common medical coder skills
  • CPC, 11%
  • Medical Terminology, 8%
  • ICD-10-CM, 7%
  • AHIMA, 7%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Clinical Documentation, 5%

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