Medical coding can be defined as the assignment of medical codes to different diagnoses and procedures, used in a hospital or in allopathic medicine, in order to facilitate the reimbursement procedure for all parties involved.
A medical coder must have the ability to convert a disease into an ICD-9-CM code (International Classification Manual of Diseases acronym) and a medical diagnosis into a CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code. This requires an accurate and detailed knowledge of the codes and the procedure they represent. Schools and universities that offer medical billing and coding courses provide extensive training in this field.
There are many types of medical coding courses that teach subjects such as advanced medical coding, medical procedural coding, advanced medical coding, medical coding and billing associate certification programs, advanced medical office coding, and advanced procedural coding. These courses are available online and also in classrooms. Distance learning is another option that is open to people who want to pursue medical coding as a secondary career.
Some medical coding courses emphasize topics other than coding, such as accounting, business communication, and professional development. Another specialization available under medical coding is medical insurance coding training. This course teaches the coder to recognize and apply correct codes, government compliance regulations, optimization of refunds, and eligibility for an entry level insurance position.
Staff working in a hospital or a doctor’s office (other than physicians) have the opportunity to become successful medical coders because of the experience they possess. Health information management coders work in hospitals and doctor’s offices, and many are self-employed. In large organizations like hospitals and insurance companies, coders work under the supervision of a health information manager or technician.
As the healthcare industry is constantly expanding, the career prospects for a certified medical coder are actually very good. However, a medical coder has to keep up with the continuous changes and advancements that are made in this field on an almost daily basis.