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Medical records clerk vs medical coder

The differences between medical records clerks 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 clerk and a medical coder. Additionally, a medical coder has an average salary of $51,563, which is higher than the $32,491 average annual salary of a medical records clerk.

The top three skills for a medical records clerk include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a medical coder are CPC, medical terminology, and ICD-10-CM.

Medical records clerk vs medical coder overview

Medical Records ClerkMedical Coder
Yearly salary$32,491$51,563
Hourly rate$15.62$24.79
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs129,99851,316
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 29%Associate Degree, 37%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

What does a medical records clerk do?

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.

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 clerk vs medical coder salary

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

Medical Records ClerkMedical Coder
Average salary$32,491$51,563
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $40,000Between $37,000 And $70,000
Highest paying CityRochester, NYTrenton, NJ
Highest paying stateAlaskaHawaii
Best paying companyUniversity of California, BerkeleyMeta
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between medical records clerk and medical coder education

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

Medical Records ClerkMedical Coder
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 29%Associate Degree, 37%
Most common majorHealth Care AdministrationHealth Care Administration
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Medical records clerk vs medical coder demographics

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

Medical Records ClerkMedical Coder
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 13.1% Female, 86.9%Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between medical records clerk and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Medical records clerk example responsibilities.

  • Manage transition from in-house transcription system to outsource transcription service.
  • Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
  • Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
  • Perform infant labs and update the system with results, triage incoming patients, perform necessary resuscitation to baby and mom.
  • Provide information to medical facilities and patients when necessary and respond to subpoenas and other general release of patient information.
  • Experience in CPT and ICD-10 coding.
  • 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.
  • Show more

Medical records clerk vs medical coder skills

Common medical records clerk skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • Medical Terminology, 6%
  • HIPAA, 5%
  • Patient Care, 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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