Medical records analyst vs medical coder

The differences between medical records analysts 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 records analyst and a medical coder. Additionally, a medical records analyst has an average salary of $73,609, which is higher than the $51,563 average annual salary of a medical coder.

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

Medical records analyst vs medical coder overview

	Medical Records Analyst	Medical Coder
Yearly salary	$73,609	$51,563
Hourly rate	$35.39	$24.79
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	61,145	51,316
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical records analyst do?

A medical records analyst oversees healthcare records and data within an organization. Their job duties include creating reports and using records to determine how to better streamline processes. They also need to compile, calculate, audit, verify and organize information. They review the records to ensure they are accurate, interpret billing and payment information, and generate reports to be used by the management for review. The main qualification for this position is a degree in health information management.

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 records analyst vs medical coder salary

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

	Medical Records Analyst	Medical Coder
Average salary	$73,609	$51,563
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $101,000	Between $37,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Manchester, CT	Trenton, NJ
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Hawaii
Best paying company	Mayo Clinic	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between medical records analyst and medical coder education

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

	Medical Records Analyst	Medical Coder
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Associate Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Medical records analyst vs medical coder demographics

Here are the differences between medical records analysts' and medical coders' demographics:

	Medical Records Analyst	Medical Coder
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 19.8% Female, 80.2%	Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 8.8% White, 58.6% 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 records analyst and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Medical records analyst example responsibilities.

Implement policies and procedures to achieve optimum DRG reimbursement.
Manage and transfer health records as requested following HIPAA regulations and internal procedures.
Attend state and local AHIMA, Medicare, CPT-4 and ICD-9 meetings/seminars.
Support user on ICU units.
Write appeals for claim denials.
Head up the ICD-10-CM preparation project.

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 records analyst vs medical coder skills

Common medical records analyst skills

Patients, 24%
Patient Care, 8%
Medical Terminology, 8%
Data Entry, 7%
HIPAA, 5%
CPT, 4%

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 Records Analyst
Medical Records Analyst vs Medical Coder

Updated January 8, 2025

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