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Medical insurance coder vs medical coder

The differences between medical insurance coders and medical coders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical insurance coder, becoming a medical coder takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical coder has an average salary of $51,563, which is higher than the $32,709 average annual salary of a medical insurance coder.

The top three skills for a medical insurance coder include patients, insurance verification and medicaid. The most important skills for a medical coder are CPC, medical terminology, and ICD-10-CM.

Medical insurance coder vs medical coder overview

Medical Insurance CoderMedical Coder
Yearly salary$32,709$51,563
Hourly rate$15.73$24.79
Growth rate-3%11%
Number of jobs81,02851,316
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 33%Associate Degree, 37%
Average age4645
Years of experience212

Medical insurance coder vs medical coder salary

Medical insurance coders and medical coders have different pay scales, as shown below.

Medical Insurance CoderMedical Coder
Average salary$32,709$51,563
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 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 medical insurance coder and medical coder education

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

Medical Insurance CoderMedical Coder
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 33%Associate Degree, 37%
Most common majorHealth Care AdministrationHealth Care Administration
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Medical insurance coder vs medical coder demographics

Here are the differences between medical insurance coders' and medical coders' demographics:

Medical Insurance CoderMedical Coder
Average age4645
Gender ratioMale, 10.8% Female, 89.2%Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%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 Percentage7%9%

Differences between medical insurance coder and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Medical insurance coder example responsibilities.

  • Assign to PacifiCare of Washington a medical insurance manage care plan (HMO).
  • Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding/abstracting), chart assembly and analysis, patient admission and patient information privacy/security.
  • Maintain and update ICD-9, CPT-4 & HCPCS coding for practice.
  • Bill major insurance carriers and Medicaid using ICD-9 and CPT codes.
  • Deliver explanation of insurance coverage and patient responsibilities to patients base on their policy.
  • Determine diagnosis and E/M level.
    • 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.
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Medical insurance coder vs medical coder skills

Common medical insurance coder skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • Insurance Verification, 11%
  • Medicaid, 6%
  • Patient Accounts, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Medical Insurance Claims, 5%
Common medical coder skills
  • CPC, 11%
  • Medical Terminology, 8%
  • ICD-10-CM, 7%
  • AHIMA, 7%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Clinical Documentation, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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