A medical coding specialist will review and read medical documentation that’s provided by doctors or other health care professionals in order to learn detailed information regarding their injury, disease, medical procedures and surgical operations. The detailed information is then translated into a code used from manuals such as the ICD9.
Specialist Work Environment
Using a coding manual the medical coder specialist will need to be sure to use correct code selections for compliance with the insurance carriers and federal regulation requirements. The medical codes used are for reimbursement purposes for the medical facility’s and physician’s claims for Medicaid and Medicare insurance payments. The information that’s gathered by the coder is used in order to prepare statistical reports that are used by hospital administrators for marketing, planning and other management purposes. State and federal governments will also use this type of information in order to identify health care concerns that are critical to the public as a whole. Coders will need to know about the medical and business side of health care is essential in this field of health information management. 
A specialist will work in surgery centers, hospitals, clinics, home health care agencies, consulting firms, dental offices, government agencies and long term care facilities. A specialist will typically work under the supervision of the chief financial officer or the health information manager.
Education Requirements for the Specialist Field
Students those students that are interested in a career in the medical coding field will need to take courses in high school for biology, algebra, data processing, English, computer skills, and typing. After graduating high school the student can enroll in a certificate program or enroll in an associate’s degree program. To earn certification you will need to pass the exam that’s offered by the American Health Information Management Association of the AAPC, also known as the American Academy of Professional Coders.
The majority of specialists will work in an office building or in the back administrative offices of a hospital or other type of medical facilities. The coding specialist will spend several hours analyzing coding patient’s charts. They will also devote a significant amount of time on their computers working with medical coding software programs, electronic health records and other types of applications. In order to resolve diagnostic questions the coding specialist will use codebooks like the ICD9 or the ICD10. A coder will primarily work by themselves but may need to clarify services provided with the attending physician or supervisor. The specialist will work full-time at forty to fifty hours a week. When working in an in-patient setting the specialist will sometimes work evenings and overnight shifts.
Certification for this profession is voluntary but is worth pursuing. Applicants with AAPC or AHIMA credentials are highly preferred by potential employers and will typically earn more than those that have no certification. The APPC estimates that specialists who hold certification as a coding specialist can earn 30% more than those that have no certification. This type of AAPC certification will also require a mandatory amount of CEC.
