Who is a Medical Coder?
A person who updates a patient records with standardized information needed for data management and billing purposes is a Medical Coder.
Role of a Medical Coder?
Their main role is to read through a patient’s medical records for their appointment, from admission to discharge, and convert all of that information into regulated codes to determine billing and submission for insurance reimbursement.
How do they help Patients?
Their 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.
Start of the Work Day
Most coders work in a cubicle or shared desk. A day of a coder typically starts by logging onto their computer and opening the various programs that are needed to perform the task. Every day they are assigned a certain number of cases to work through. Assigning the accurate code according to the patient’s procedures and reviewing all medical charts to ensure that assigned code is correct are the two major tasks performed.
The work environment can be demanding as a coder is expected to complete a certain number of charts per hour or per day. The ICD-10 system, has over 68,000 codes, which means that a coder needs to be sure that they have the most accurate code for the diagnosis that is given. Sometimes in order to accurately complete this work, they need to follow up with various other medical staff. They should also be able to extract meaning from bad handwriting and conflicting notes. For this reason, being a medical coder requires fairly independent work, but also requires you to interact well with your colleagues and medical staff. Coding mistakes can cost the employer money or delay reimbursement from insurers, so it’s important to have a careful system in place for coding each procedure.
This work requires a high level of organization along with a strong knowledge of medical terminology and an understanding of billing procedures.
AIHT Education is an accredited medical school in Stratford CT that offers MBC training. Visit our website at aiht programs to schedule an appointment to speak with an admission counselor. Our friendly and knowledgeable counselors will help you get acquainted with AIHT and our professors, discuss our training programs and answer any and all questions you may have. Your future in healthcare starts at AIHT Education.
