Overview
When you visit your doctor, your medical insurance provider will probably receive a bill for CPT code “99211.” That code tells the insurer that you had an “office visit.” If you got an x-ray or had blood taken, those services would also be represented by CPT codes on your bill.
There are over 9,000 CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes – one for every type of health care service provided by health care practitioners or facilities. There are another 13,500 ICD-9 codes for medical diagnoses, plus more codes for medical supplies and for various health care settings.
Medical coders spend their days sorting through patient charts to assign these codes and ensure that the health care providers they work for are properly reimbursed for their services. Coding accurately is not easy – the coder must carefully read the doctor’s and nurse’s notes to determine exactly what services the patient received.
Like taxpayers who fail to declare all the deductions they’re entitled to, coders often fail to bill for services performed. By some estimates, inaccurate or incomplete coding costs the average doctor thousands of dollars a year in lost payments.
Because physicians and hospitals depend on accurate coding to receive proper reimbursement, the role of the coder is becoming more valued. Coders once learned their work “on the job.” Now you can train to become a Certified Professional Coder (CPC), a designation that demonstrates to potential employers a certain level of coding skill and accuracy.
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Salary:
$30,000
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$40,000
[*]
Years in school:
0
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2
after high school graduation
Job outlook:
Very Good
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