4 Reasons Why Medical Coding Is a Smart Career Choice

The healthcare industry is undergoing dynamic changes, paving the way for more jobs in the sector. There is a mounting pressure on healthcare providers to provide quality care and the best patient experience while optimizing costs and other resources too. This is driving the growth for medical coders. The amount of Medical Coding guideline knowledge is boosting tremendous growth. Medical coders are the key facilitators of this service and the demand for their niche skills can only be seen growing.

Medical billing and coding specialists are vital to keeping costs down, reducing medical coding mistakes on claim forms and generally ensuring accuracy on medical records. In other words, they’re an important member of a team that keeps vital healthcare facilities up and running.

In short, medical coders are essential. Making sure data is prompt and accurate is a core part of the behind the scenes work that keeps hospitals and clinics running.

Here are four reasons why medical coding is such a smart career choice these days:

1. The Salary is Competitive

The need for medical coders is on the rise with the increasing demand for quality economical healthcare services. With its flexible hours, job security and great pay, it has earned the status of being a respected lucrative career choice. In fact, the CPC Credential Average Salary is $52,605 (a 1.9% increase from 2015). Talk about a great income!

2. The Job Demand Is High

If you’re worried about finding a job after devoting the time and money to get trained and certified, don’t’ be. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates demand for medical billing and coding specialists to rise by 15% from 2019 to 2024. That’s faster than national average for all occupations!

By comparison, the average job in the United States is estimated to see demand for workers increase by just seven percent over that same period. That translates into a lot of new hiring for medical billing and coding specialists.

Other areas that are looking to hire in large numbers are the greater parts of New York, Chicago, Boston, Cincinnati, Orlando, Atlanta, Dallas and Baltimore. If you don’t already live in one of these exciting and dynamic areas, this may be the chance for a new start. On the same token, most coders are now working from home so where you live is non-factor.

3. It’s In a Growing, Stable Industry

Medical coding is a booming career option for such students, with huge scope for those who would like to be part of the healthcare industry.

Billing and coding is one of the areas experiencing the greatest evolution today. One of the core provisions of the legislation attempting to reform the healthcare industry has been encouraging better use of electronic medical records as manila medical folders are becoming a thing of the past.

By improving the way patient medical records are shared and used, the US healthcare industry is looking to cut costs and improve outcomes on a huge level. Medical billing and coding specialists are at the core of these vital reforms, placing them in the middle of one of the most exciting areas of healthcare.

4. You Don’t Need to Go to COLLEGE

For anyone who’s considering a career change, the amount of years involved in most medical professions are not realistic or attainable.

Every year, a large cluster of science students graduate with an ambition to become a doctor/nurse/medical professional. While only a few get to achieve their goal, many life science graduates are unable to make a decision on the alternate career option. The biggest hurdles preventing people from chasing their dreams in medicine is the time and cost of medical school. Between the cost of a four-year pre-med bachelor’s degree, four more years of medical school, a residency, it’s no wonder people come to a standstill.

But there’s great news!  Becoming a medical coder doesn’t require a medical degree at all. All you need is a medical coding course! This is hugely important for anyone considering a career change, as they often don’t have the time to devote four years or more to obtain a degree for their new career.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2019. It has been updated for accuracy and clarity.