Healthcare records and other documents should be compiled smoothly. Some of the relevant patient’s documents in a hospital setting include billing and insurance. However, these records should be well- organized, encoded and reflected into the computer for easy retrieval and storage.
What is a medical coder?
A medical coder is an indispensable part in the wide industry of health information. These professionals are responsible in inputting appropriate codes of different medical services. This is important so that health providers and practitioners can receive their payment for the health services rendered in the institution. These specific codes assigned are used in order to establish the correct amount that the health care practitioner will get as reimbursement from the various insurance companies.
Duties of a medical coder
- The work of medical coders include interpretation of patient’s medical records and charts and assign appropriate diagnostic as well as procedural codes.
- After determining the codes, medical coders should reflect it into their computer system. This system allows the data to be well organized and for easy accessibility of patient’s history, services rendered as well as for billing and insurance purposes.
- Medical coders identify and assign the information with the use of an accurate CPT codes and ICD-9-CM codes (diagnostic coding programs).
- A medical coder is responsible in making certain that the codes assigned meet all legal, federal and insurance regulations so that payments to services are easily obtained in a timely manner.
- Before submitting the codes for reimbursement, medical coders should review claims to ensure that they are correct by verification of data and signatures. This manner reduces the possibility of denied claims.
Condition of Work
Medical coders deal with lots of medical paper works and are mostly seen in the clinical office. With this, a medical coder should be medically inclined as they mostly deal with health care services and procedure that are reflected to the patient’s records.
Educational Requirement
In order to become a medical coder, it is important to be aware of the different medical terminologies. A degree in any related course is required by most employers. Some employers also require that their medical coder holds a certification in the particular field. One of the most prominent institutions that offer certification of medical coders are CCS or Certified Coding Specialist designation and ART or Accredited Record Technician’s certification.
Occupation and Progress
One noted advantage in becoming a medical decoder is that you are not exposed to lots of diseases that are present in the hospital setting. According to US BLS (Bureau of Labor and Statistics), the job prospect of a medical coder will increase by 7% until year 2018.