Top 4 Work Environments For Professional Medical Coders

by  Find-A-Code™
Jul 21st, 2023

Both new and experienced medical coders depend on Find-a-Code for accurate and up-to-date medical code lookup. Perhaps you have stumbled across our website looking for more information about medical coding in hopes of getting into the industry yourself. If so, welcome aboard.

Medical coding has a lot to offer. It is a profession that continues to grow along with healthcare in general. It pays well, and professional coders can choose the type of work environment they prefer. Most are employed by healthcare facilities and medical billing companies. Some are self-employed contractors.

To give you a better idea of what you are looking at, here are the top four work environments for professional medical coders:

1. Hospitals

Hospitals are arguably the most common work environment for medical coders. By their very nature, they can treat tens of thousands of patients annually. The largest hospitals tend to be the busiest for both coders and billers. And most importantly, hospital cases are among the most complex.

Case complexity is one of the biggest challenges of working in a hospital. So many different procedures and services are rendered that keeping track of it all can be difficult. Coders are also tasked with looking at notes and records compiled by multiple clinicians – as compared to a private practice, where coders might only deal with one or two clinicians.

2. Healthcare Clinics

For the purposes of this post, a healthcare clinic is a smaller facility that can provide everything from primary care to emergency services. Think of public clinics, after hours offices, and standalone emergency departments. They are all smaller than hospitals but larger than private practices.

One of the big advantages of working in a healthcare clinic is less complexity. Coders also find that they face fewer interruptions because of a more predictable workload. Even so, medical coding in a smaller clinical setting still requires hard work and attention to detail.

3. Private Practices

As far as employee positions go, private practice could be the most coveted among medical coders preferring a quieter and less hectic environment. Coders do not face nearly as many interruptions or distractions during the day. Case complexity is also kept to a minimum.

The one downside is that working at a private practice generally means a heavier workload. Private practices, due to their relatively small size, can't afford a whole army of medical coders and billers. Usually, the team is fairly small. The smallest of private practices might employ only one coder and one biller.

There is a significant risk inherent to working for a private practice: acquisition. A private practice acquired by a larger healthcare group could be subject to the natural effects of consolidation, which is to say that coding and billing is transferred out of the office and sent to the healthcare group's billing department instead.

4. Remote Work

Medical coding can be handled remotely as long as coders have adequate computer hardware and software along with a high-speed Internet connection. Some employers allow their coders to work from home five days per week. Others ask coders to split their time between home and the office.

Independent contractors are another story. They tend to work remotely all the time. Working remotely may be the ideal option if you are not big on commuting or working in a hectic office.

Medical coding has a lot to offer in terms of work environments and the types of jobs available. It is definitely a career worth looking into if you're interested in healthcare and back-office work. Whether you choose traditional employment or independent contracting, there is work awaiting you.