Nowadays a lot of opportunities are available, especially fresher job opportunities in the field of medical coding, but no one has clarity regarding the career growth graph of the medical coding domain. Medical coding is growing field in India where a lot of opportunities are being created by companies every month. The need for certified medical coders is in demand.

What exactly do medical coders do?

Medical coders are actively involved in transforming complex healthcare information (medical reports, diagnosis reports, treatments, etc.)  into universally acceptable codes. A medical coder analyzes the health care reports and extract relevant information  and convert them into acceptable codes.

In simple conversion of healthcare reports into medical codes is called medical coding.

Why do healthcare reports need to be converted into codes?

1. Uniform language for all the medical procedures, diagnosis etc.
2. Ease of billing and reimbursement – in countries like US medical expenses are claimed through insurance for this health care reports are converted to universally acceptable codes.
3. Health care data management
4. Data collection and public health monitoring by governmental agencies.
5. Medical history management.

What codes are used in medical coding?

1.ICD (International Classification of Diseases

2.CPT (Current Procedure Terminology)

3.HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System).

Eligibility for medical coding : Life science graduates are eligible for medical coding , but  anyone can become a medical coder by doing a medical coding certification – CPC ( Certified Professional Coder )  & CCS – Certified coding Specialist . This exam is conducted every 2 months in India.

Salary of a medical coder:

Entry level salaries ranges from 2 lacs to 3.5 lacs per year whereas certified ones get a higher salaries.