Medical coding technician vs recording technician

The differences between medical coding technicians and recording technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a medical coding technician and a recording technician. Additionally, a medical coding technician has an average salary of $35,307, which is higher than the $34,620 average annual salary of a recording technician.

The top three skills for a medical coding technician include medical billing, data entry and front desk. The most important skills for a recording technician are customer service, data entry, and database systems.

Medical coding technician vs recording technician overview

	Medical Coding Technician	Recording Technician
Yearly salary	$35,307	$34,620
Hourly rate	$16.97	$16.64
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	67,197	25,621
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical coding technician do?

The job of a medical coding technician is to assist in the management of insurance claims, payments, and invoices. Your day-to-day duties may include reviewing claims data to ensure that the assigned codes meet the insurance and legal rules, understanding the diagnosis of patients and medical procedures that have been performed, and extracting information from documentation such as the name of the physician and the date of the procedure. Additionally, abmedical coding technician also follows up with patients and insurance firms regarding outstanding bills.

What does a recording technician do?

A recording technician specializes in operating audio systems and equipment for various purposes such as recordings, broadcasts, and events. It is their responsibility to prepare equipment according to project or program requirements like microphones, audio lines, speakers, and amplifiers, ensuring everything is accounted for and is functioning efficiently. Aside from setting up equipment, they must also conduct regular maintenance checks and perform repairs as necessary. Moreover, as a recording technician, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Medical coding technician vs recording technician salary

Medical coding technicians and recording technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Coding Technician	Recording Technician
Average salary	$35,307	$34,620
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $43,000	Between $26,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Cruz, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	National Grid plc
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between medical coding technician and recording technician education

There are a few differences between a medical coding technician and a recording technician in terms of educational background:

	Medical Coding Technician	Recording Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Medical coding technician vs recording technician demographics

Here are the differences between medical coding technicians' and recording technicians' demographics:

	Medical Coding Technician	Recording Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7%	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 8.6% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between medical coding technician and recording technician duties and responsibilities

Medical coding technician example responsibilities.

Manage health records while applying ICD-10 coding to update and process insurance claims for time and accuracy to various insurance companies.
Assign appropriate ICD-9-CM and CPT-4 codes in compliance with recognize coding principles and department policies.
Remain current on medical coding guidelines and HIPAA laws and regulations.
Reconcile clinical notes, patient encounter form, and health information for compliance with HIPAA rules.
Audit ROI program quarterly to ensure deadlines are completed and proper procedures for legal and personal requests are followed.
Train team members in all ROI processes, make independent decisions base on the provisions of these privacy laws and regulations.

Recording technician example responsibilities.

Utilize SharePoint and Accutrac to convert information, by ensuring constant communication with department records coordinator and project leads.
Scan transcripts and financial documents into Onbase.
Perform periodic GMP audits to the manufacturing area.
Update procedures according to CFR & ISO requirements.
Assist processing, digitizing, and setting base-color on production materials.
Implement policy and procedures for HIPPA, OSHA and daily office guidelines.

Medical coding technician vs recording technician skills

Common medical coding technician skills

Medical Billing, 14%
Data Entry, 12%
Front Desk, 10%
CPC, 9%
ICD-10-CM, 7%
Transcription, 6%

Common recording technician skills

Customer Service, 20%
Data Entry, 18%
Database Systems, 7%
Office Equipment, 5%
Background Checks, 4%
Computer System, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Medical Coding Technician
Medical Coding Technician vs Recording Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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