Career Outlook for Medical Coders

Is There a Large Demand for Medical Coders?

Medical coding jobs are expected to increase much more quickly than the average occupations in the United States between 2010 and 2020. The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that the medical coding job field will grown by 21 percent during that time period. This means that more offices and hospitals will be looking for medical coder specialists, which may bring salaries up in some areas where competition is fierce for certified employees. Source: http://www.medicalbillingandcodingworld.com/medical-billing-and-coding-outlook-for-2013-and-beyond

As the demand for health care services increases, so does the need for medical coders and medical billers who assign codes to each diagnosis and procedure and manage reimbursement within physician’s offices, hospitals, outpatient centers, and other healthcare settings, making expected growth in this field significant as more and more Americans reach old age and require more medical care.

Job growth for health information technicians and medical records technicians will also be spurred by the rising use of electronic health records, and the need for specialized knowledge to manage such data, according to the BLS.

Those who have an in-depth knowledge of health information systems will have an advantage in finding employment, with ample prospects expected in all types of high-tech medical records tracking and billing. Source: http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/salary/

What Is The Average Medical Coding Salary?

The 2012 average salary of a certified medical coding professional was $48,033. However, the following breakdown, from the AAPC’s 2012 publication is via type of coding credential:

• Certified Professional Coder (CPC) – $47,796 (increased by almost $900 in one year)
• Certified Professional Coder – Hospital Outpatient (CPC-H)– $56,466 (increased by almost $1,800 in one year)
• Certified Professional Coder – Payer (CPC-P)– $55,255 (increased by almost $3,800 from last year)
• Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA)– $59,365 (increased by almost $3,200 over last year)
• Overall average earnings of all specialty credentials was $54,145

Related Article: Breaking News! Medical Coder Salary On The Rise

One of the driving factors for salary is geographic region in the U.S. Of note, those who work in the Mid-Atlantic, New England, and Pacific regions have higher salaries ranging from an average of about $52,400 to about $55,000. The regions that had a lowest medical coding salary range were the East South Central, West South Central, and West North Central regions of the country, which ranged from an average of about $41,500 to about $44,500. Overall, salaries are on an upward trend for 2012, based on the AAPC’s recent report. That is good news for the industry! Source: http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/qnas/the-coder-is-in-demand-medical-billers-coders/

What Are the Top 5 US Cities, States for Medical Coding Jobs in 2015-2016?

If you are a certified medical coder or biller looking at the employment scenario in 2015 or 2016 then these are the Top 5 cities* right now to train your job-search glasses on:

1. Houston, TX
2. Phoenix, AZ
3. Dallas, TX
4. Chicago, IL
5. New York, NY
* based on October 2015 figures. Sourced from actual job listings and employment data.

What puts these cities in practical prominence are 3 unique factors: (a) higher per-hour salary for certified medical coders, (b) growth opportunities within a re-energized health care economy, and (c) stable employment prospects that have proven themselves be recession proof.

Related Article:  Medical Coder Salary — Four Ways to Earn More Money

We would also add the following 9 cities to this list given a very visible, stable growth in hospital and physician coding requirements for those with a CPC, CCS or CPMA certification (updated October 2015):

• Los Angeles, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Atlanta, GA
• Nashville, TN
• Tampa, FL
• Miami, FL
• Austin, TX
• Las Vegas, NV
• Seattle, WA

Source: http://www.medicalcodingworld.com/2013/01/medical-coding-certification-salary-and.html

Relarted Article: Medical Coding — Do You Have What It Takes?