In the field of Healthcare Administration, medical coding is an up-and-coming, in-demand and trending career. In India the demand for medical coders is rising exponentially as the global healthcare sector also experiences tremendous growth. Over the past few years, however, the supply and demand gap for qualified medical coders has been growing. The coding must be secure, efficient and accurate to maintain a good revenue.
Medical coding as a profession involves high ethical standards as the patient data they work with is extremely personal.
A medical coder extracts information from a patient’s medical records and converts it into a universally recognized medical code which is in accordance with the industry-standards . For tasks such as filing insurance claims with third party payers – these codes are specifically used. They are also used to compile statistics that track data on a particular illness, medication, course of therapy, etc.
Medical coding is a type of Transformation process as it translates medical reports into brief alphanumeric codes that are used in the healthcare industry. Professionals with medical coding certification perform this task. Coders obtain medical reports from medicos. These reports may contain information about the patient’s condition, a diagnosis, a prescription from a physician, and other procedures and operations that the medico team carried out on the patient.
Here is a list of some popular medical coding courses:
- Certified Professional Coder (CPC)
- Certified Coding Associate (CCA)
- Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)
- Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA)
- Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC)
- Medical Billing and Coding
- Medical Coding and Reimbursement
- ICD-10-CM/PCS coding
- Advanced Coding Specialist
- Outpatient Coding
It's important to research and choose a medical coding course or program that aligns with your career goals and interests, and is recognized and respected by employers in the healthcare industry.
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In order to become a professional medical coder, one must pursue a relevant diploma or certification from a recognized University/Institution. The eligibility criteria for diploma/ certificate training program is:
- 10+2 from a recognized board
- No age limit
- Can be pursued by students who have completed their bachelors/ masters degree
- Can be pursued by professionals looking for career enhancement
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In order to become a professional medical coder, one must fulfill these criteria:
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree preferably in life sciences (eg- B.Pharma, BSc, B.Tech)
- Analytical ability as they will have to analyze medical bills
- Technical skills: CPT coding, ICD-10, Medical billing, Medical Terminology, and Data Entry.
- Soft skills: Communication Skills, Organizational and research skills.
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The course fee for the Medical Coding course varies according to the type of program whether it is a diploma or certificate training program and the duration of the course, while some courses last for only a month, other training programs last upto 6-7 months. Hence the course fee ranges between Rs. 5000-80,000 for different institutions.
There are many Government approved medical coding course available in india. A few institutions that offer Medical Coding courses in various certificate and diploma programs are as follows:
Institution | Course Duration |
Henry Harvin | 90 hours |
Magnet Medical Coding Solutions | 3 months |
Xpert Healthcare Group | 6 months |
Academy of Medical Coders in India | 6-12 months |
Elate Academy | 4 months |
Medos Healthcare Solutions | 3-6 months |
Udemy | 15-17 hours |
Cigma Medical Coding Academy | 3-4 months |
Apex Medcom | 1 month |
Also Read: Master of Hospital Administrations
Here is a list of some popular medical coding certifications:
- Certified Professional Coder (CPC)
- Certified Coding Associate (CCA)
- Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)
- Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA)
- Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC)
- Certified Outpatient Coder (COC)
- Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC)
- Certified Professional Biller (CPB)
- Certified Professional Compliance Officer (CPCO)
- Certified Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP)
Medical coding course after 12th is comparatively less popular among professionals as most of the candidates opting for this course are either working professionals in the healthcare industry or students fresh out of college who want to pursue the course for career enhancement.
The course entails requirements such as:
- Data entry into programs, in order to incorporate arrangements of all protection transporters, charge plans, ICD-10, and CPT-4 codes.
- ICD-10 and CPT coding
- Graphics tailored to your professional and personal needs.
- Circle back to claims at 31 days
- Requests and Denials.
- Mandatory exams for CPC, CCS, COC, etc examinations
For healthcare professionals looking to amplify the qualifications in their CV, this is the best option as a Medical coding course brings on the benefits of working in the administrative domain and brings about a balance in the hospital’s revenue. The course also provides opportunities to work overseas. All in all Medical Coders have many perks and benefits and can provide you the needed career jump. Hence, in order to become a Medical coder, one must complete the medical coding course.
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