Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between medical record coders and medical records clerks 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 records clerk. Additionally, a medical record coder has an average salary of $54,162, which is higher than the $32,491 average annual salary of a medical records clerk.
The top three skills for a medical record coder include medical terminology, patients and CPC. The most important skills for a medical records clerk are patients, customer service, and data entry.
| Medical Record Coder | Medical Records Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $54,162 | $32,491 |
| Hourly rate | $26.04 | $15.62 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 51,197 | 129,998 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 44% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
Medical records clerks are employees in hospitals or clinics who manage office records. They are in charge of creating, updating, and filing patient-related medical records and other related documents. They ensure that all documents are correctly filled out and labeled before storing them safely in their respective storage areas. They may also be in charge of digitizing forms for easier access to files and back up purposes. They ensure that medical records are exact and updated. Medical records clerks should be organized and must always be on top of all tasks related to patient or medical records.
Medical record coders and medical records clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Record Coder | Medical Records Clerk | |
| Average salary | $54,162 | $32,491 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $75,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Rochester, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical record coder and a medical records clerk in terms of educational background:
| Medical Record Coder | Medical Records Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 44% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Health Care Administration |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical record coders' and medical records clerks' demographics:
| Medical Record Coder | Medical Records Clerk | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% |
| 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, 17.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |