The annual salary for a medical coder ranges between $30,000 and $50,000. The median annual salary for medical coders is $42,000.

The annual salary for a medical coder is between $39,000 and $43,000. Medical coders are responsible for assigning codes to medical procedures, services and products. The code must be accurate, clear and concise. A medical coder needs to be able to read and understand medical records, maintain confidentiality of patient information and keep up with current coding guidelines.

The average annual salary for a medical coder is $40,000 per year

Annual Salary For Medical Coder

A medical coder works in the billing department of doctor’s offices, hospitals, or other medical facilities. Medical coders transfer healthcare claims into universal medical codes for insurance reimbursement. To work as a medical coder, you must have great attention to detail and a solid base knowledge of medical terminology, procedure and visit authorizations, and insurance billing procedures. Having a degree is not required, but many employers prefer candidates who have an associate degree in medical coding or the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) credential. When you first start in this job, your employer may have you shadow other billing staff members and be supervised when you submit your first few claims.

Employers have varying preferences for the qualifications that you should have to apply for a medical coding job, though most medical coders have at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Some aspiring medical coders complete a medical coding certificate program or earn an associate degree in medical billing. These programs provide you with hands-on experience in medical billing software and teach you how to understand the different billing codes required to file claims. Many employers provide on-the-job training and start medical coders as billing department assistants; as an assistant, you learn how to navigate through insurance claims procedures and the proper ways to translate medical services into billing codes. Certification is not required, but those who wish to become certified may take the certification course and exam administered by the Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT) Organization.

High Paying Medical Coder Jobs

• Coding DirectorSalary range: $60,000-$103,500 per yearIn the medical industry, a coding director oversees the review process or audit of medical records and ensures compliance. They assign duties related to clinical coding policies and are ultimately responsible for ensuring that the department and institution as a whole comply with all regulations and laws regarding coding and information validation. Academic qualifications for a coding director include a bachelor’s degree as well as training or experience in medical terminology and compliance. Professional certification is typically required.
• Coding ManagerSalary range: $65,000-$99,500 per yearA coding manager oversees medical coding operations in a health care facility, such as a hospital or medical clinic. In this position, you ensure that coding staff perform their duties accurately and handle records and data according to health privacy regulations. As a manager, your responsibilities include hiring and training new medical coders and facilitating audits to assess employee performance and security and privacy practices. A coding manager may also work with facility administrators and medical staff to establish policies and procedures that improve medical records and coding accuracy. Some managers work for third-party contractors that provide coding services to medical facilities.
• Medical Coding ManagerSalary range: $60,000-$94,000 per yearAs a medical coding manager, your responsibilities are to oversee medical coding staff, clients, and projects. You hire, train, and manage coding professionals, ensure quality and productivity remain at the expected level, and develop staff schedules to cover clinic visit volumes adequately. You also supervise the audit of coded medical records, communicate all coding issues with the appropriate clinical staff members, and identify solutions for project, process, or client challenges. Other duties include managing project finances and reporting results while adhering to company policies. You also onboard new clients, regularly collaborate with your team to maintain the satisfaction of patients and customers, as well as write and present reports on performance, compliance, and documentation issues.
• Coding Compliance SpecialistSalary range: $45,500-$79,000 per yearA coding compliance specialist enforces medical billing and coding regulations. As a coding compliance specialist, you are in charge of training medical staff on the different medical codes used in treatment and insurance billing. You also review medical records, clarify billing issues, and conduct audits, while maintaining patient privacy. Medical insurance companies, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities have coding compliance specialists on staff.
• Remote Inpatient CoderSalary range: $59,500-$75,000 per yearA remote inpatient coder works remotely to perform all coding duties for an inpatient facility. Their job duties include entering the corresponding codes for diagnoses and procedures into classification system software for medical billing. This career requires a thorough knowledge of healthcare coding and software. Additional qualifications for a remote inpatient coder may include an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in health information management, a strong internet connection, and professional certification.
• Physician CoderSalary range: $43,000-$75,000 per yearThe majority of Physician Coder salaries across the United States currently range between $43,000 (25th percentile) and $75,000 (75th percentile) annually. This large range of salary potential suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay depending on skill level, location and years of experience. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Physician Coder job market in the United States is very active, with many companies hiring.
• Medical Coding AuditorSalary range: $45,000-$71,500 per yearA medical coding auditor is an administrative professional in the healthcare industry. As a medical coding auditor, you check medical coding and billing information for accuracy, suspicious activity, and compliance with healthcare regulations. Your responsibilities require you to review medical data and document any areas where the medical coding could improve in terms of accuracy and efficiency. Your duties also include reviewing records of patients to make sure that there is documentation for each item on a billing inventory. Though you work in the medical coding and billing department, your focus is on regulations, compliance, and efficiency rather than on coding for billing and records purposes.
• Inpatient CoderSalary range: $46,500-$68,000 per yearAn inpatient coder works in the medical field and is responsible for medical coding. As an inpatient coder, you are a certified professional and have undergone extensive training, both in class and on-the-job, to understand how to interpret and apply medical codes to patient files based on health and treatment documents received from doctors and nurses. A variety of medical personnel use codes for purposes that include diagnosis, treatment, insurance, and billing. You work with coding software to process claims and should have a broad understanding of terms used in the medical field related to anatomy, biology, and pharmacology. One of your primary responsibilities is keeping accurate medical records.
• Remote Medical CoderSalary range: $43,000-$67,000 per yearRemote medical coders are medical coders who work from home or locations outside of healthcare facilities. They process patient information, such as diagnosis, services rendered, and equipment used to conduct tests, in order to translate it into medical codes consisting of numbers and letters. Billing and coding specialists manage this information so that patients or their insurance companies can be billed appropriately. Remote medical coders may be self-employed or work for large coding firms that contract with hospitals or healthcare facilities.
• CoderSalary range: $32,000-$67,000 per yearThe job title “coder” may refer to someone who works in software development or it may be administrative professional in the health care industry or it. A software coder helps write and develop applications using software coding languages, such as Python. A medical coder checks insurance and bills for medical services using insurance codes. Although medical coders need to be computer literate and often work with digital systems, they are not responsible for programming software. Conversely, a computer coder might be assigned to create software for the medical industry, but they probably are not familiar with medical insurance codes and procedures.
• Hcc CodersSalary range: $43,000-$61,500 per yearAn HCC coder, or hierarchical condition category coder, is someone who transcribes a patient’s medical history into a database using standardized codes. This includes diagnosis and treatment and is typically later used for insurance and medical billing purposes. As an HCC coder, you may go over a patient’s records to ensure accuracy and audit records and documentation to ensure the entering of codes was correct. You typically work in a hospital or other health care setting. There are several different jobs that fall into the HCC coder category, such as specialist, manager, trainer, auditor, and analyst.
• Certified Procedural CoderSalary range: $39,000-$60,000 per yearThe majority of Certified Procedural Coder salaries across the United States currently range between $39,000 (25th percentile) and $60,000 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Certified Procedural Coder job market in the United States is somewhat active, with a few companies hiring.
• Orthopedic CoderSalary range: $42,500-$58,500 per yearOrthopedic coders have similar job duties as other medical coders, but they work specifically with orthopedic surgeons or other orthopedic specialists. As an orthopedic coder, you review physician recommendations for treatments to ensure they are accurate, match the correct billing code to all surgical and non-surgical procedures, and submit the documentation to the insurance company or other departments that require the information. You may also be responsible for ensuring that patient records are current and address any discrepancies you find. Many orthopedic coders start their careers in a general medical practice or facility before moving to a specialty office, such as orthopedics.
• Coding SpecialistSalary range: $35,500-$58,000 per yearA medical coding specialist is trained to enter billing and coding information. They are responsible for ensuring that patient records have the correct codes and managing insurance billing. Job duties include contacting insurance companies and reviewing medical records. Coding specialists must be skilled in gathering data and assigning ICD-10 codes, as well as understanding current procedural terminology (CPT). Coding specialists can learn about this by earning the certified professional coder (CPC) certification, and gain relevant skills through on-the-job training.
• Coding CoordinatorSalary range: $36,000-$57,500 per yearThe majority of Coding Coordinator salaries across the United States currently range between $36,000 (25th percentile) and $57,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Coding Coordinator job market in the United States is very active, with many companies hiring.
• Health Information CoderSalary range: $43,500-$57,000 per yearThe majority of Health Information Coder salaries across the United States currently range between $43,500 (25th percentile) and $57,000 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Health Information Coder job market in the United States is very active, with many companies hiring.
• Outpatient Medical CoderSalary range: $40,500-$55,500 per yearThe majority of Outpatient Medical Coder salaries across the United States currently range between $40,500 (25th percentile) and $55,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Outpatient Medical Coder job market in the United States is very active, with many companies hiring.
• Surgical CoderSalary range: $35,000-$54,500 per yearA surgical coder assigns medical codes for general surgery procedures for medical records and billing purposes. Usually, employers refer to a professional in this coding specialty as a Certified General Surgery Coder. As part of your duties, you look at medical records and information and assign codes for each procedure and diagnosis for each patient. You sometimes contact physicians or medical providers to obtain additional information or verify details about an examination, diagnosis, or surgery. You use coding systems such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT). Other responsibilities include handling all data according to healthcare privacy regulations.
• Coding Team LeadSalary range: $40,500-$54,000 per yearThe majority of Coding Team Lead salaries across the United States currently range between $40,500 (25th percentile) and $54,000 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Coding Team Lead job market in the United States is very active, with many companies hiring.
• Certified Medical CoderSalary range: $38,000-$53,500 per yearAs a certified medical coder, you work in the medical records billing department of a hospital or other medical facility. You are responsible for assigning medical billing codes to each treatment and procedure performed for a patient so that the claims can be billed or filed with insurance or Medicare. You also examine patient records and use your expertise to correctly code all diagnoses and procedures according to the national medical billing coding system.
• Medical Coding SpecialistSalary range: $35,500-$50,000 per yearA medical coding specialist reviews patients’ health information and medical records and ensures that bills are paid in a timely manner. Your job duties as a medical billing specialist include data entry using medical coding software and contacting insurance companies and billing offices in hospitals and physicians’ clinics. As a medical coding specialist or health information technician, you spend most of your working hours on a computer using either the CPT or ICD-9 medical coding systems. You need to understand medical terminology, pathophysiology, and reimbursement methods to succeed in medical coding specialist jobs.
• Certified Medical Coding SpecialistSalary range: $40,500-$49,500 per yearThe majority of Certified Medical Coding Specialist salaries across the United States currently range between $40,500 (25th percentile) and $49,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Certified Medical Coding Specialist job market in the United States is very active, with many companies hiring.
• Coding TechnicianSalary range: $35,000-$47,500 per yearThe majority of Coding Technician salaries across the United States currently range between $35,000 (25th percentile) and $47,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Coding Technician job market in the United States is very active, with many companies hiring.
• Coding and Reimbursement SpecialistSalary range: $33,500-$46,500 per yearThe majority of Coding and Reimbursement Specialist salaries across the United States currently range between $33,500 (25th percentile) and $46,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Coding and Reimbursement Specialist job market in the United States is moderately active, with several companies hiring.
• Medical Billing and Coding SpecialistSalary range: $31,500-$42,000 per yearAs a medical billing and coding specialist, your job is to review treatments and procedures given to patients and select codes to send to insurance companies and other payers. In this role, you may also examine medical records, audit work by other coders, obtain referrals and pre-authorizations, check patient bills for accuracy and completeness, and follow up on any unpaid claims. Medical billing and coding specialists sometimes talk with healthcare providers to gather more information, use electronic billing software, research denied claims, answer questions from patients or insurance companies, and otherwise help process financial transactions as necessary. Employers may occasionally ask you to perform other duties as needed.