Program availability
Your Preferences
Update your Zip code, preferred campus, and preferred program
How to Become a Medical Coder
Learn about a career in medical coding, including education requirements, potential salary and job availability, key certifications, and much more.
Discover what it takes to begin a new career path as a medical coder
You have many options when taking the first step down a career path as a medical records specialist (also could be titled as medical records technician, medical biller, or medical coder, among others). The biggest decision is your educational pathway, which may vary depending on how quickly you want to get started and your overall career goals.
You can take these general steps to become a medical coder or medical records technician/specialist:
Quick facts: what to know about becoming a medical coder
| How long it takes | 10-20 months |
|---|---|
| Education requirements | Diploma or associate degree |
| Average salary | $53,690 per year, $25.81 per hour (BLS)* |
| Job outlook | 9% increase from 2022-2032 (BLS)* |
| Key certifications | Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) |
1. General job description: understand the role of a medical coder and determine if it’s right for you
Medical coders are key contributors in the healthcare revenue management process. Their responsibility is to interpret care provided for patients into codes computers can understand to classify services for billing purposes and ensure the accuracy of Electronic Medical Records (EMR).
Success requires proficiency in anatomy and medical terminology to properly assign diagnostic and procedural codes based on Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) standards.
The day-to-day life of a medical coder primarily involves reading cases as detailed by a physician’s notes and correctly assigning diagnostic and procedural codes. This can become more difficult depending on the complexity of the case and clarity of the notes. You’ll need to become comfortable referring to documentation and communicating with healthcare staff efficiently to do the job and keep up with the queue.
Medical billers use these “instructions” provided by coders to file insurance claims and post payments to accounts. Billers work with insurance companies to deal with denials/rejections, finalize any outstanding details and send out statements. These roles can be entirely separate, or in some facilities be combined in a “medical billing and coding specialist” position.
Skills required: is it right for me?
Don’t worry—medical coding is not the type of “computer coding” you may associate with conventional “computer programming.” You won’t need to decipher huge walls of obscure text and numbers or learn any advanced programming languages like JavaScript or Python.
However, in some respects you will need to think like a programmer. Your job is to interpret text and categorize it as numbers. You must be a highly detailed, analytical problem solver with the patience to approach every case with equal diligence and streamline your process as best as possible to maximize efficiency.
Introverts may be better suited for medical coding, while extroverts may prefer a job more specialized in medical billing. If you’re a bit of both, you could excel in a role as a billing and coding specialist.
2. Get educated in medical coding
With Herzing University, you have several options to begin your educational path to becoming a medical coder.
You may consider our medical coding, insurance billing and coding specialist, or health information management programs. All options feature 100% online classes with several start dates throughout the year.
Our admissions team can help you determine the best starting point based on your personal circumstances, but here’s a general breakdown of how you might weigh your choices:
My goal is to...
Find a good job ASAP
Our fastest pathways to graduate with a college-level education are diploma options in medical coding or Insurance Billing and Coding Specialist, which can each be completed in as few as 10 months. You can complete the program, get certified and become qualified for an entry-level job in medical coding in less than a year.
Build a long, growing career
In addition to associate degree options in billing and coding, the broader field of Health Information Management (HIM) can present a wide variety of advanced career opportunities. An undergraduate education in HIM can prepare you both for success as a medical coder and potential jobs as a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) or manager in the future.
...Both!
Here’s the good news: there’s a pathway for you no matter where you start. You can choose a lower degree level today to become certified and find a job faster, then transfer credit earned into a higher degree level in the future and continue your education. We exist to help you build the career you want as quickly or methodically as you choose.
Waived Enrollment Fee
Discover the educational pathway designed to maximize your career potential. Reach for greater heights with Herzing University.
3. Get certified1
There are two crucial medical coding certifications we recommend earning to best qualify for entry-level coding jobs:
- Certified Professional Coder (CPC) from the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
- Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
Complete any of our program options and you’ll be very well-prepared for each certification’s respective exams. We have preparation for these exams built right into our medical coding curriculum.
You will also learn the knowledge and skills to potentially pursue additional coding certifications such as Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) from the National Healthcareer Association, Certified Coding Associate (CCA) from AHIMA, and several others.
Are the certification exams hard?
It can be tough! According to AHIMA, the CCS exam pass rate for first time testers is 55%. The AAPC does not publicize pass rates for the CPC exam, though some sources suggest about half of exam takers pass on the first try.
Exams are designed to be challenging to ensure you’re ready to succeed. Without any formal education, training, or experience, passing these exams on the first try can be very difficult.
By earning a degree or diploma through one of our programs, you’ll be very prepared and in a great position to pass on the first try.
4. Find a job and advance
After earning an education and certification, you’ll be ready to find your first job as a medical coding professional and begin an exciting new career path.
You can go back to school, earn a college education, and build your new career path. We want to help you make it possible.
Related reading
Learn more about our medical billing and coding program options
1. Certification is not a state requirement.
* Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics 2023 / Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.