Medical Coding and billing professionals are an asset to healthcare registries, nursing registries, nursing agencies.

The Medical Coding and billing professional plays a crucial role in healthcare delivery of business for nursing agencies, nursing registries, nursing homes, and home healthcare agencies. Medical records containing vast amounts of information must be converted into a set of classifications (codes) that are recognized by health insurance companies. Coders must make this conversion before the patient can be billed.

How can I become a Medical Coder? If you are a competent person who can be trusted with sensitive information and who enjoys working with computers, you may be able to begin working in this profession after you:
1. Successfully complete an approved course.
2. Independently satisfy the Medical Terminology requirement of this course*
3. Pass the CCA *Certified Coding Associate) Exam offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) to become credentialed.

The course is usually blended online course with class room  lecture, and will require additional time for intensive practice. It teaches the two coding classification systems used nationwide (ICD-9 and CPT).

*There is also a comprehensive medical terminology component to the class, which students complete independently.

What is it like to work as a Medical Coder?

Once certified, coders can work in a variety of facilities, including hospitals, clinics, physician practices, skilled nursing facilities, insurance companies, and government offices, nursing registries, nursing agencies, home healthcare agency, homecare settings. To succeed in coding, an individual must be detail-oriented and very accurate in computer entry. Timeliness is also important, since coded data is used for billing purposes. The facility that you work for will
have quality and quantity standards that coders are required to meet. Most coders spend their day reading medical records, coding them, and entering the information into a computer. Some facilities offer the benefit of allowing coders to work from home, after they are experienced. (For
accurate, up-to-date information, go to www.ahima.org, the website for the American Health Information Management Association, the professional organization that represents and credentials coders.)