What Does a Medical Coder Do?: A Day in the Life

If you’re looking to train for a job that is predicted to have many openings in the coming years, a career in the healthcare field could be a good fit.

This article will help describe what your career would be like in one of the various growing jobs in the healthcare industry—as a medical secretary who specializes in coding.

Read on to get a behind the scenes look at the duties of a medical coder.

What Is a Medical Coder?

Medical coders update patient records with standardized information needed for data management and billing purposes. Every time a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider performs a service, a code needs to be assigned to each diagnosis and procedure. For example, let’s assume you’re a medical coder reviewing the health record of a patient who comes into a medical office for an X-ray.

Once the technician completes the X-ray, he or she will note the procedure on the patient’s chart. A doctor will then examine the image to diagnose the source of the injury, whether it’s a fracture or simply a sprain, and may also prescribe treatment, such as a sling or a cast. As a medical coder, it’ll be your job to read these notes and apply the appropriate codes for the X-ray, the doctor’s examination, the diagnosis, and any treatment provided.

The specific codes you assign will determine how the medical office bills the insurance company for the patient’s visit. Your main job tasks will include analyzing medical charts and assigning codes.

Your codes will help when patients need their insurance company to cover a claim, and proper coding will help to ensure the provider is reimbursed by the insurer in a timely manner.

It’s important to understand that medical billing and medical coding are two different job functions. Some offices may have one person perform both tasks, though larger facilities may employ separate billing and coding specialists.

In cases where the work is divided into two jobs, the medical coder will primarily focus on updating patient health records and verifying they are properly coded, while the medical biller will spend much of the day submitting and following up on claims with insurance companies.

Medical coders may work in different job titles. Jobs that involve medical coding include:

• Customer Service Representative
• RepresentativeMedical Office Assistant
• Medical Receptionist
• ReceptionistMedical Biller / Coder
• CoderMedical Records Coordinator / Technician
• Insurance Benefits Specialist

Why Consider a Career as a Medical Coder?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment of medical secretaries, including medical coders, will grow 8% from 2021 and 2031.¹

The BLS reports that medical secretaries earned a median pay of $37,450 per year as of May 2021.² The bottom 10 percent of earners (lowest decile) in this field earned less than $29,040. UMA’s graduates in the 2021-2022 cohort of its Medical Billing and Coding diploma and degree programs reported to UMA that they earned a median hourly wage that is approximately at or slightly higher than the BLS’s lowest decile. Earnings information for UMA program graduates from the cohort was typically obtained by a self-report from the graduate, and occasionally from the graduate’s employer or other sources.

To enter into the medical coding profession, you’ll first need your high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. Some people enter the medical coding field with no additional training and learn on-the-job.

Others enroll in a medical coding training program. When choosing a training program, you may choose between a diploma or degree program, and between campus-based classes or online education.

You can earn a certificate or diploma in under a year, while an associate degree program may take a year and a half to two years to complete (both depending on the program and the rate of the individual student). A diploma program can be an appealing choice if you want to start pursuing a medical coder career quickly after training, while an associate degree is a good option if you want to enhance your credentials or potentially enroll in a bachelor’s degree program at a later date.³

Some programs will prepare you to sit for industry certification exams, such as the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) credential. To attain certification, you’ll have to take an exam administered by the certifying organization, achieve a passing score, and meet certain eligibility requirements. For example, it takes two years of on-the-job-experience or 80 contact hours of a coding preparation course and one year of work experience to achieve CPC status. Those who pass the exam and have completed an acceptable coding training course but who have not accumulated the required amount of work experience will have a CPC Apprentice (CPC-A) designation, which can be updated to full CPC with proof of the required amount of work experience.

When you are ready to start applying for medical coder jobs at hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other healthcare facilities, here is more information about what your workday is likely to entail.

A Day in the Life of a Medical Coder

Start of the Work Day

Your day may start with logging on to your computer and opening the various programs you might need to perform your job. You’ll likely have a company email account, one or more databases, and other software programs you deal with on a daily basis.

Once you’ve opened these applications, you would check for updated patient charts. You’ll have to prioritize the charts and choose which ones you’ll handle first. Your training will help you decide which charts are urgent, and which ones can wait.

Different employers may assign you different types of medical coding tasks. In a small practice, you might be responsible for processing all patient charts, while a large hospital may have you specialize in one area of coding. For example, you might work solely with inpatient surgeries or with outpatient surgeries, or you may work as an auditor who checks other coders’ work for accuracy.

Usually when you’re hired into a new role, you’ll have an opportunity to expand and enhance your coding skills. Some employers look for candidates with knowledge of multiple coding systems, as they typically need minimal training.

Coding mistakes can cost your employer money or delay reimbursement from insurers, so it’s important to have a careful system in place for coding each procedure. First, you should identify the type of claim you are handling.

Next, you have to consider who will be reading the codes you provide. Some will be used by the insurance company to process claims, while others may primarily be for internal use to help your office maintain accurate records.

This work requires a high level of organization along with a strong knowledge of medical terminology and an understanding of billing procedures.

Middle of the Work Day

After prioritizing your charts, you may spend most of your day performing a variety of coding tasks. In addition to assigning codes, you’ll be reviewing medical charts, taking notes, and possibly assisting with billing.

A large part of your day could take place in front of the computer, so your workstation should be set up in a way that helps to improve your efficiency and productivity.

Your employer will typically have expectations as to how many charts you’ll need to complete each day, so it’s important to manage your time wisely. If your job includes both coding and billing, you may want to experiment on ways to work more efficiently. Does it make sense to complete all of the coding first before switching to billing-related tasks, or is it faster to code and then bill for each patient visit as you work your way through the charts?

End of the Work Day

At the end of the workday, once you’ve finished coding all of the patient charts, you’ll likely have a few tasks left to complete.

First, you’ll want to save your work and log out of all your computer programs and ensure any paper-based records are properly filed away or securely disposed. Due to patient privacy and confidentiality laws, you don’t want to leave health records visible to any unauthorized individuals who may walk past your desk.

If you are employed by a large healthcare facility that has coders working on multiple shifts, you may need to clear off your desk space if another medical coder will be working there on the next shift.

Finally, if any new charts have come in at the end of the day, you may want to review and prioritize them so that you’ll be one step ahead on the next day’s work.

What May Your Work Environment Be Like?

The office structure will vary depending on where you work. If you are employed in a hospital system, you’ll likely work with other medical coders, and the billing team may be considered a separate department. However, if you work in a small office, you might be the only person on the team responsible for medical coding (and maybe billing, too).

Hospital settings may seem more demanding because of the number of patients but having fellow coders to share the workload can help keep things manageable. In addition, being able to learn from experienced coding staff can make it easier for a new medical coder to learn the ropes.

Smaller offices and private practices can also be a very appealing work environment, as the setting can make it easier to build relationships with other staff members and regular patients. You may also have an opportunity to learn other aspects of medical office work on the job, which can enhance your experience and qualifications.

Entering the Healthcare Field

Does a career as a medical coder sound appealing to you? If so, Ultimate Medical Academy can help you get training for your journey. You can start exploring our Medical Billing & Coding program.

If you’re unsure about what part of the allied healthcare field you want to join, or you want to know what else is out there, take our fun and informal UMA personality quiz.

When you finish the quiz, you may have a better idea of what UMA programs might be a good fit for you.

When you’re ready to get started, UMA is here to help!