If you’ve looked for a job in the last few years, you know they’re not easy to find. A rapidly evolving business environment, economic fluctuations, and other factors all contribute to a harsh job market, one where a stable, lucrative career often feels out of reach. But if you know where to look, a financially rewarding career is well within reach.

Unlike the many career fields that seem to shrink more and more every year, medical coding is an industry that is undergoing tremendous growth.1 Thanks to changes in medical regulations, the need for people trained in medical coding is now bigger than ever, creating plenty of opportunities for people to find a stable career in the healthcare industry.

Healthcare is a vibrant, lucrative industry that offers many opportunities for making a living. And unlike becoming a physician or a nurse, becoming a medical coder doesn’t require attending an expensive medical school or spending years obtaining a post-graduate degree.

Medical coders play a vital role in the healthcare industry. When doctors or nurses record information about a patient’s medical conditions and the treatments provided, medical coders translate that information into a series of categorized codes. These codes are the information that is sent to insurance companies in order to obtain payments and reimbursements.

By translating individual patient information into quantifiable data, medical coders ensure that a consistent standard of care is maintained, and that insurance companies can make timely payments to healthcare providers. Medical coding info is also used to track important trends, such as the rates of diseases and measure the performance of healthcare providers.

Medical coders can find work in a versatile list of settings, including doctors’ offices, hospitals, emergency rooms, pharmacies, and insurance companies. Some medical coders work in an office, while others work as independent contractors, and are often able to perform their job from home!

Medical coding requires knowledge of several aspects of healthcare, such as medical terminology, anatomy, pharmacology, business, and (most importantly) the coding systems used by healthcare providers and insurance companies. Recently, the industry switched to a new coding system, known as ICD-10, which replaced the old ICD-9 system.

In order to find work as a medical coder, you need to get the right training. While there are no hard and fast rules about formal education, most jobs will require you to have a postsecondary certificate in medical coding in order to obtain an entry level job. Thankfully, there are dedicated training programs where people can easily gain the appropriate certification to start their medical coding careers.

LS Coding & Education LLC teaches students the AAPC Professional Medical Coding Curriculum, empowering them to find jobs in the rewarding medical coding field. For more information, visit certifiedcodertraining.com today.

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1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2594405/

Summary

Medical coding is a stable, potentially lucrative career path that is currently experience growth. In order to become a medical coder, it’s necessary to obtain a postsecondary training certificate and have knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and the ICD-10 coding system.