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Inpatient medical coders

Inpatient medical coders perform/handle the following responsibilities/tasks:

• Inpatient coders mostly assign standard procedural codes, but to perform this responsibility, the inpatient coder has to do the following activities:
  • Reviewing records of discharged patients including patient medical notes documented records provided by attending physicians
  • Summarizing statistical data
  • Determining different level of diagnoses forming a treatment episode
• Inpatient coders also perform leadership roles and work as liaisons, mostly interacting with outside parties such as an oversight organization.

Note: Some of these responsibilities may apply depending on experience and the nature of environment.

Salary Range

• Inpatient coders working in the US earn around $53,000 annually depending on organization size or type, area, expertise, industry  and so on (figures taken from industry sources)

Certification Needed

Certifications for inpatient coding are not a must; however, candidates with formal training will have better job opportunities. The following trainings are recommended:

• Specialized training in coding to quality as a certified inpatient coder
• Associate's degree in medical record coding

Additional qualifications

• Knowledge of coding software to process insurance and billing claims
• Familiarity with medical terminologies related to anatomy biology
• Knowledge of pharmacology and all major diseases

Work Environment and Outlook

• Inpatient coding job growth is expected to grow further as shown by data from the United States
• Inpatient coders with strong computer and technology skills will have more industry demand due to increasing use of electronic health records
• General dynamism is helpful for this role as it will help the coder to adjust to various environments and nature of activities
• Should have knowledge of international ICD-9 and the ICD-10 codes classifications