Work Environment Medical Coders work with little supervision in physician’s offices, and many are self-employed.
U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the salary range for medical coders is between $20,850 and $51,510. The Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook classifies medical coders as Medical Records and Health Information Technicians. These estimates are from the 2010-2011 edition of the Occupational Outlook. This data provides a good look at salaries by employer and industry.
The Occupational Outlook does not distinguish medical coding salaries from the medical billing salary as it considers both to be medical records and health information technicians. They kind of lump everything together into what is more like medical billing coding salaries. However I would expect the medical coding salary to be on the higher end of this data. This is because medical coders typically require some training and many are certified which results in better pay.
Type of Employer
A breakdown by type of employer shows that hospitals are the largest employers, followed by physician offices, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers, and the federal branch of government. The average wage by employer is:
- Hospitals: $35,870
- Physicians Office: $28,460
- Nursing Care Facilities: $33,100
- Outpatient Care Centers: $30,650
- Federal Government: $45,120
For more details about this entire certificate program and requirements you should click on each of the courses listed on this page and print out the entire course description. It is important that you have taken Medical Terminology as a prerequisite to Coding. This comprehensive course will prepare you very well for anything that requires medical coding expertise, including CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) and ICD (International Classification of Diseases). Students have up to 6 months to complete this program. |