Preparing and maintaining medical records is an important part of health care and properly charging patients and insurance providers. Medical billing and coding involves two occupational specialties, medical coding and transcription. If you are considering a career in the health information field you need to know the differences between the two to decide which specialty is right for you.
Identification
Medical coders take source documents such as diagnostic findings and treatment and medication records and convert them into standardized coding for patient charts, billing and data analysis. Medical transcriptionists use dictation records from physicians and other health care workers to create properly formatted medical and billing records and assist in resolving conflicts that arise regarding charges for health care services.
Function
The majority of transcriptionists and coders work in hospitals, outpatient healthcare facilities or doctor's offices. Of these, hospitals offer higher salaries. Some medical coders work for insurance companies or public health agencies doing statistical analysis of medical records to track diseases and health problems, and generally these draw the highest salaries. Transcriptionists often work for medical laboratories or are independent contractors providing transcription and consulting services. These are the highest-paying positions.
Benefits
Overall, the compensation for medical coders and transcriptionists is about the same. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006 the mean hourly wage for medical transcriptionists was $14.40. The lowest 10 percent earned an average of $10.22 per hour and the highest paid 10 percent $20.15 per hour. The same year the median salary for medical billing coders was just over $19,000. The lowest 10 percent averaged $22,240 while the upper 10 percent averaged salaries of $45,260.
Features
Both medical transcription and coding require post-secondary training, usually in the form of an associate's degree from a community college or distance learning school. For transcription, an alternative is a one-year certification program, although this is recommended primarily for those who already have a health care background. Students take courses in physiology, anatomy, medical terminology, legal issues and information technology. Medical coding students also take statistics and data management. The training for transcription is more "hands-on" and frequently includes supervised internships.
Considerations
To get hired and for career advancement, both medical coders and transcriptionists need professional certification. For medical coding and billing, medical coders can earn certification by passing the coding exam with a specialty in medical billing offered by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) (see Resources below). Certification for medical transcriptionists is provided by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI; see Resources below). New graduates can take the exam for registered medical transcriptionist (RMT) but must have at least two years' experience to become a certified medical transcriptionist (CMT).
