Medical record coder vs medical coder

The differences between medical record 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 medical record coder and a medical coder. Additionally, a medical record coder has an average salary of $54,162, which is higher than the $51,563 average annual salary of a medical coder.

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

Medical record coder vs medical coder overview

	Medical Record Coder	Medical Coder
Yearly salary	$54,162	$51,563
Hourly rate	$26.04	$24.79
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	51,197	51,316
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical record coder do?

A medical record coder is responsible for translating medical files and documents to comprehensive files required by insurance companies and other non-medical institutions. Medical record coders disclose all the patients' information on the file, including their treatment procedures, diagnosis, and medications. They serve as the representative of a medical institution to respond to inquiries and concerns, resolve record discrepancies, and submit additional documents as necessary. A medical record coder must have excellent communication skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the medical industry to discuss medical terms accurately and efficiently.

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.

Medical record coder vs medical coder salary

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

	Medical Record Coder	Medical Coder
Average salary	$54,162	$51,563
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $75,000	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 medical record coder and medical coder education

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

	Medical Record Coder	Medical Coder
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 37%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Southern California	Stanford University

Medical record coder vs medical coder demographics

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

	Medical Record Coder	Medical Coder
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.6% White, 58.4% 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 medical record coder and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Medical record coder example responsibilities.

Create documentation education classes to general surgery residents, increasing the leveling of reporting which lead to increase revenues.
Obtain medical records through electronic health records (EHR).
Bill all Medicare, Medicaid, BlueCross, PPO claims electronically.
Maintain the strictest confidentiality and adhere to all HIPAA guidelines and regulations.
Code and charge ER records, apply E/M codes, correct billing errors, and code infusion records.
Process all charges receive from outside services to include CPT, ICD-9, or any other necessary information.

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.

Medical record coder vs medical coder skills

Common medical record coder skills

Medical Terminology, 12%
Patients, 12%
CPC, 10%
ICD-10-CM, 10%
Physiology, 8%
AHIMA, 8%

Common medical coder skills

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

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Medical Record Coder
Medical Record Coder vs Medical Coder

Updated January 8, 2025

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