Tumor registrar vs medical coder

The differences between tumor registrars 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 tumor registrar and a medical coder. Additionally, a tumor registrar has an average salary of $57,112, which is higher than the $51,563 average annual salary of a medical coder.

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

Tumor registrar vs medical coder overview

	Tumor Registrar	Medical Coder
Yearly salary	$57,112	$51,563
Hourly rate	$27.46	$24.79
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	11,463	51,316
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a tumor registrar do?

A tumor registrar specializes in documenting tumor cases such as diagnoses and treatments. In hospitals and other medical facilities, they are primarily responsible for coordinating with staff to gather patient information, medical histories, diagnoses, and treatment progress. They must also conduct extensive research and analysis, maintain accurate records, update databases, and participate in developing various programs such as screenings and information drives. Furthermore, as a tumor registrar, it is essential to keep an eye for any errors or inconsistencies, performing corrective measures promptly and professionally.

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.

Tumor registrar vs medical coder salary

Tumor registrars and medical coders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tumor Registrar	Medical Coder
Average salary	$57,112	$51,563
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $81,000	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 tumor registrar and medical coder education

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

	Tumor Registrar	Medical Coder
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Associate Degree, 37%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	Georgetown University	Stanford University

Tumor registrar vs medical coder demographics

Here are the differences between tumor registrars' and medical coders' demographics:

	Tumor Registrar	Medical Coder
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 12.1% Female, 87.9%	Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.0% 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 tumor registrar and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Tumor registrar example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPPA and clinic.
Participate in the cancer program survey by ACoS COC.
Utilize ICD-9-CM, CPT and HCPCS coding systems, and HCC coding.
Train new and inexperience coders on (ICD-9-CM), (CPT) and (HCPCS) code identification.
Experience in CoC accreditation surveys.
Staff onboard training of EHR system.

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.

Tumor registrar vs medical coder skills

Common tumor registrar skills

Patients, 25%
Abstracts, 8%
Medical Terminology, 7%
Registrars, 7%
COC, 5%
Seer, 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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Tumor Registrar
Tumor Registrar vs Medical Coder

Updated January 8, 2025

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