Post job
zippia ai icon

Automatically apply for jobs with Zippi

Upload your resume to get started.

Medical coder skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Medical coder example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical medical coder skills. We ranked the top skills for medical coders based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.3% of medical coder resumes contained cpc as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a medical coder needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 medical coder skills for your resume and career

1. CPC

CPC is a digital marketing metric that measures the amount of money paid for each click in a pay-per-click (PPC) marketing campaign. Several factors determine your cost per click, including your maximum bid, Quality Score, and ad rank from other advertisers bidding on the same keyword. When using cost-per-click advertising, it is important to understand how to create your ad, choose the price you want to pay each time the ad is clicked, and how you will not only drive traffic to your website but increase conversion as well. Cost per click (CPC) is calculated by dividing ad costs by the number of clicks an ad generated.

Here's how medical coders use cpc:
  • Maintain CPC credentials by attending audio conferences, AAPC Chapter meetings and subscribing to AAPC Cutting Edge and newsletters.
  • Certified Professional Coding Certification (CPC) obtained through The Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).

2. Medical Terminology

Here's how medical coders use medical terminology:
  • Adhered to medical coding guidelines, charge capturing, anatomy, medical terminology and physiology to increase accurate reimbursement from payers.
  • Understand and apply medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, surgical technology, pharmacology, and disease processes.

3. ICD-10-CM

Here's how medical coders use icd-10-cm:
  • Provided timely and accurate ICD-10-CM codes for specific information for statistical purposes.
  • Provided staff coding training (ICD-9, ICD-10-CM, Medicare Risk Adjustment, Medicaid, professional coding, etc.).

4. AHIMA

Here's how medical coders use ahima:
  • Attended educational seminars for AHIMA certification and educated other staff as needed.
  • Assigned codes in accordance with AHA Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM and AHIMA's Standard of Ethical Coding.

5. Patients

Here's how medical coders use patients:
  • Assigned diagnostic and procedure codes to records of discharged patients and coordinated the follow-up on deficient/delinquent discharge records.
  • Register new patients and updates existing patient demographics by collecting patient detailed information including personal and financial.

6. Clinical Documentation

Clinical documentation is a record specifying an instance of administered clinical therapy, clinical care, or a clinical test. Clinical reports should be exact, opportune, and reflect all instructions and advisements given to a patient.

Here's how medical coders use clinical documentation:
  • Communicated with physicians and clinical documentation specialists to ensure dictation accuracy, as well as with providers to appeal claim denials.
  • Review and analyze health assessments to identify unclear or incomplete clinical documentation as well as determine diagnosis codes for each encounter.

Choose from 10+ customizable medical coder resume templates

Build a professional medical coder resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical coder resume.

7. AAPC

Here's how medical coders use aapc:
  • Attend monthly AAPC Chapter meetings for continuing education towards certification.
  • Obtained Professional Coder Certification through AAPC.

8. Surgery

Here's how medical coders use surgery:
  • Charge entry for Surgeries/Office Visits relating to Orthopedic, Neurology, Physical Therapy, Ophthalmology and General Surgery for several practices.
  • Created documentation education classes to general surgery residents, increasing the leveling of reporting which led to increased revenues.

9. Medicare

Medicare is a federal government insurance program that offers health care coverage to people who are 65 and above. In some cases, younger people with disabilities whose status is identified by the SSA can also avail the insurance program. Medicare covers the health expenses of people who are not able to afford it plus it protects the payee from rising health care costs.

Here's how medical coders use medicare:
  • Gathered appropriate documents for claim submission Successfully reassure all claims were coded correctly under medicare guidelines Achieved company goals daily.
  • Demonstrated the ability to complete accurate provider compliance chart audits and took initiative to learn Medicare's documentation guidelines.

10. CPT-4

Here's how medical coders use cpt-4:
  • Analyzed procedural and operative records to identify and independently assign ICD-9 and CPT-4 codes following established policies/procedures.
  • Reviewed Emergency Department medical records, applied all appropriate ICD-10 and ICD-9 diagnosis and CPT-4 procedure codes, assigned correct modifiers.

11. Procedure Codes

Procedure codes are usually referred to as the medical classification that is used to identify surgical, medical, or diagnostic interventions like durable medical equipment, surgeries, medications. These codes can be structured alphanumerically, alphabetically, or numerically depending on where they are being used.

Here's how medical coders use procedure codes:
  • Verified the accuracy of diagnosis and procedure codes on radiologist reports before attaching them to electronic medical records.
  • Work remotely verifying and abstracting medical data to assign diagnosis and procedure codes for hospital Inpatient records.

12. DRG

Here's how medical coders use drg:
  • Prepared biweekly status reports and monthly productivity reports of DRG revenue profiles to identify total amount of optimization and missed opportunities.
  • Optimize DRG assignment and establish an accurate and comprehensive database within JCAHO standards, professional and regulatory agency guidelines.

13. E/M

Here's how medical coders use e/m:
  • Reviewed inpatient and outpatient EMR and/or handwritten notes to audit physician-assigned E/M level to ensure documentation was compliant with coding guidelines.
  • Performed E/M auditing and education for providers by reviewing documentation and coding to assure accurate and timely billing for reimbursement.

14. Productivity Standards

Productivity standards are referred to as performance thresholds or requirements that must be met to satisfy organizational expectations. Productivity is calculated by measuring the number of units produced in relation to the number of working hours spent on the production.

Here's how medical coders use productivity standards:
  • Meet all regulatory guidelines and standards applicable in the coding industry reaching and maintaining department set productivity standards.
  • Maintain accuracy standard of 95% or better and consistently meet productivity standards per company specifics

15. ICD-9-CM

Here's how medical coders use icd-9-cm:
  • Assigned diagnosis, operative procedures and diagnostic procedures in proper sequence of primary and secondary diagnosis using ICD-9-CM coding reference material.
  • Assigned/completed outpatient ICD-9-CM and/or CPT codes in accordance with established guidelines for accuracy/productivity.
top-skills

What skills help Medical Coders find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

List of medical coder skills to add to your resume

Medical coder skills

The most important skills for a medical coder resume and required skills for a medical coder to have include:

  • CPC
  • Medical Terminology
  • ICD-10-CM
  • AHIMA
  • Patients
  • Clinical Documentation
  • AAPC
  • Surgery
  • Medicare
  • CPT-4
  • Procedure Codes
  • DRG
  • E/M
  • Productivity Standards
  • ICD-9-CM
  • Data Entry
  • Diagnosis Codes
  • Home Health
  • Medicaid
  • HIPAA
  • EHR
  • Accuracy Rate
  • HCC
  • Medical Billing
  • Emergency Room
  • Cycle Management
  • Good Time Management
  • Oncology
  • Medical Necessity
  • Surgical Procedures
  • Rehabilitation
  • Professional Work
  • Interventional Radiology
  • Cardiology
  • Cerner
  • CCI
  • Anesthesia
  • Physician Documentation
  • Charge Entry
  • Billing System
  • Appeals
  • Pediatrics
  • Orthopedics
  • Outpatient Services
  • Patient Accounts
  • Patient Charts
  • Internal Medicine
  • Physical Therapy
  • Gastroenterology

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs