Medical coders
' salaries vary due to many factors including location, experience, education, qualification and position. A medical coder should check out the positions offered by various institutions to obtain the best salary possible for the work he performs.
Education
Medical coders must have basic education requirements before they may pursue this career. However, they may obtain additional certifications, which may increase salary.
Location
Some areas and states have more need for medical coders, so they pay more to attract people into this field. Some of the highest paying medical coding job areas are in California, where the average hourly wage can range up to $24.95, according to Payscale.com (see References).
Experience
As a medical coder gains job experience, he will command a higher salary. Starting hourly salaries for medical coders begin at $10 to $14. At 1 to 4 years, they increase to $12 to $16. At 5 to 9 years, experience commands a range of $14 to $19. This increases to $15 to $20 at 10 to 19 years. Finally, 20-plus-year medical coders receive hourly salary ranges of $16 to $22.
Qualifications
Medical coders may have various levels of certification such as certified professional coder, paying between $15 and $19 per hour; certified coding specialist, $14 to $20; registered health information technician, $11 to $22; certified coding associate, $14 to $17; and medical billing and coding certified, $10 to $15.
Position
Coding salaries vary by the specialty the coder codes. According to the American Academy of Professional Coders 2008 coder survey (see References), the highest paid coders worked with neuropsychiatry receiving an average of $62,500 annual salary; rheumatology, $57,800; nephrology, $50,900; plastic surgery, $47,200; and interventional radiology, $47,100.
Tags: certified coding, medical coder, Medical coders, medical coders, salaries vary
