Medical coding is a specialized profession within the wider field of healthcare administration. Professional medical coders review the documentation contained in patients’ medical records, then they translate the written documentation into universally accepted, industry-standard medical code. These codes are used to submit claims to third party payers, and to gather statistical information, both by tracking incidents of specific diseases, and by discerning developing trends in treatment protocols.
Accurate medical coding is essential to the healthcare industry. It is how claims for payment are reported for appropriate reimbursement of provided medically necessary services. Above and beyond that, the granulated, specific data contained in medical codes provides a picture of a given patient’s health history. When collected in aggregate, this information is used by actuaries to determine how to allocate capital for future healthcare needs. It is also used to steer incentives to specific programs that encourage quality of care that focus the healthcare industry on providing services that are considered to be of benefit to the general population.
In practice, medical coding is primarily used to file healthcare claims, but the data contained in these claims has further uses for accurate diagnosis and procedure codes, long after individual claims are paid.
Medical Coder
Medical coders work in the “back office” of medical practices or hospitals. Medical coders help to complete, review, and process medical claims to help physician practices and hospitals get reimbursed from insurance companies for services and facilities provided to patients. Each medical procedure and patient encounter has a number, or CPT code, associated with it which corresponds to another code for a diagnosis (an ICD code). This helps insurance companies account for, and track the money they reimburse to physicians and practices, to help prevent fraudulent medical claims or errors in payment.
Skills Required for Medical Coding
Medical coders need to work well with numbers, and also should have a great attention to detail. While much of the job entails administrative tasks such as reviewing, processing, and submitting medical claims, some interpersonal skills are necessary. At times the medical coder may have to obtain additional information from a physician or other medical provider in the office. Also, the medical coder may have to contact insurance companies regarding questions about claims. Medical coders should also be comfortable working with computers and various types of medical coding and billing software programs.
An esteemed organisation like Apollo hospitals and Medvarsity offer Medical Online medical Coding Courses for graduates with with certification and placement support.
Compensation for Certified Professional Coders
According to industry standard the average salary for a medical coder can range between 15000-80,000 per month for a full-time employee.
What it is to be a Medical Coder
Medical coders should continue to be in high-demand. Even though software has been developed to assist with the role, a qualified person is needed to enter the data, and follow up on any discrepancies between the health care provider (physician), the hospital, and the insurance company. An effective and efficient coder is essential to the financial success of a practice. Additionally, medical coding can be an excellent stepping stone into a more lucrative, higher-level career in medical office management, or medical office operations.
What it is not to be a Medical Coder
Medical coders do not have much interaction with patients. If one likes a lot of regular interaction with patients then don’t pursue medical coding jobs. Additionally, medical coding can be a fairly routine job, so if you’re looking for a lot of variety and excitement or if you’re not seeking a desk job, medical coding may not be for you.
References:
http://www.medicalbillingandcodingu.org/what-is-medical-coding/
Medvarsity Online Ltd 
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