Job of a Medical Coder : A Complete Overview

Medical coders form the building blocks for any health care industry. These professionals play an indispensable role in the field of medicine as they are in-charge of ensuring accurate movement of information from the physicians to the patients and then to any third party who comprise of the insurance companies. In This Post, we will discuss job of a medical coder in detail.

Responsibilities :

Medical coders are given the responsibility to input the various medical services so that it becomes easier for the health care providers and practitioners to receive payments at correct time.(Job of a Medical Coder)

The occupation of medical billers and coders are often clubbed together and they are categorized within the industry of medical administration. But there remains a difference between medical coders and billers and the job of these professionals is combined due to the many similarities of their expertise.

Medical coders are generally employed in the financial department of a hospital and there are given the duty to assign the industry codes to patient’s health insurance claims and records. As such, a medical coder is a health information assistant who is involved in coding patient’s data for the reimbursement of hospital fee.

Also Read : CPC Certification in India (Certified Professional Coder)

Tasks Involved

This professional is given the task of appropriately interpreting medical codes in all categories. As simple as this may sound, this activity is extremely technical and demands the understanding of medical regulations and procedures and applying the correct diagnosis to ensure payment for the above services.

Medical coders are also involved in interpreting a patient’s medical flow charts in order to assign them with appropriate diagnostic procedures. These professional must enter the code into computer systems where the data is stored in an organized and accessible manner for the patient’s medical history, insurance information and other billing data.

Also Read : Best Medical Coding Books Which will definitely boost Your Professional Career

Who Can Become Medical Coder

A person who is comfortable working with numerical and can handle great amount of administrative works can seek employment as a medical coder. These professionals are employed to private clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and other non-profit health care industries followed by insurance companies.

Also Read : PDGM Home Health Coding Guidelines: How does PDGM affect home health