Medical coders play a vital role in healthcare system responsible for handling and processing medical claims. Medical coders must hold a certification or other credential that illustrates their knowledge and capabilities in the medical coding profession. In this article, we explore the perks and the best opportunities they can get in industry.
What is medical coding?
Medical coding is the act of turning healthcare procedures, diagnoses, equipment and medical services into a universal medical alphanumeric code. It is then further used to document patient medical records, correctly bill patients for medical procedures and create claims to be paid by insurance companies. Medical coding is done every time an individual visits a healthcare facility like hospital and is at the healthcare provider’s consultation as to which code is used for each visit. This allows the healthcare provider to not only keep track of patient visit history but also over the payment record.
The first step to go for this course is determining a specific field in which you seek expertise. There are a number of different specialties within the field of medical coding. The specialties are based on the type of medical setting you want to work in and the type of medicine you want to specialize in coding-wise. Some of the common specialties within the medical coding profession are: Ophthalmology, Cardio thoracic surgery, Radiology, General surgery, vascular surgery, Podiatry, Nuclear medicine, Reconstructive surgery, Intervention radiology, Family practice
Benefits of the certification:
You’ll be in demand
Do you know that U.S physicians see roughly 8 billion patients every year – and every patient encounter requires a medical coder to report the office visit. Hence, coders will always be a part of this ever in demand healthcare system.
Salary is great
AAPC certified coders earn an average of $58,055 annually, according to AAPC’s Annual Salary Survey. Not only is this income above national averages for all occupations, but the average salary can raise upto $64,712 for coders carrying 2 certificates. Certified auditors, documentation specialists, and compliance officers raise earning potential even higher. In 2021, these professionals averaged $70,320, $73,723, and $80,550, respectively.
Never run out of options
You can choose from multiple training scenarios to become a medical coder. Though an associate degree or bachelor’s degree is not required, you must get a certification at a technical school or a prestigious institute of healthcare institute. We at Om training and consultancy offer a certified study material with feasibility of learning online and offline
You can start a career in few months
It isn’t necessary to devote entire time and expense to become a certified professional coder (CPC®). AAPC’s training courses can be completed in is little as four months. To receive a CPC® designation, you must have at least two years’ medical coding experience. However, the profession gives you liberty to earn while you learn with your CPC-A, which stands for certified professional coder apprentice.
Opportunities for advancement
An experienced certified coder develops skills and knowledge that are valuable in many healthcare business roles, including practice management, medical auditing, compliance, clinical documentation improvement, education, and more. AAPC opens the doors to specialize training in all these sectors and you can move ahead for advancement.
Always a learning experience
A medical coder’s job, in simple words, never gets old, as healthcare industry is ever-growing and ever-changing. No matter how long you’ve been working in the field, you’ll face new challenges and find there’s always more to learn. This feature of the occupation is what one must enjoy in order to learn new things
You can dress comfortably at work
Coders typically work in back offices, or from home, which means you can dress for comfort. If you love to dress in professional attire then you are most welcome but no one stops you from wearing snickers as and track pants as well
At our institute, you can attain all these perks by gaining proficiency in medical terminologies, payment methodologies, HIPAA Compliance. A certified professional coder (CPC) is responsible for overseeing the medical coding for healthcare agencies. Coders make sure that medical coding used follows all medical coding laws and regulations and ensure that the coding used is for reimbursable expenses when necessary.