Medical Coding Course: Eligibility, Syllabus, Courses List, Scope

As every parent knows, kids love role-playing. One of the more popular pastimes is imagining being a doctor. "I'll be the doctor, and you be the nurse."But here's what many of them don't realize. The healthcare profession offers plenty of job opportunities beyond being a doctor or nurse. One option that is often disregarded is medical coding. Medical coding is collecting all data and converting data into simple codes that can be accessed easily anytime.

 Let us understand more about medical coding courses and their eligibility, scope, skills, and career aspects.

Table of Contents:

• What is Medical Coding Course?
• Medical Coding Course Eligibility
• Medical Coding Course List
• Medical Coding Fee Structure
• Medical Coding Syllabus
• Steps to Become a Medical Coder
• Medical Coding Course Scope
• Medical Coding Course Skills
• Top Institutions for Medical Coding

What is a Medical Coding Course?

According to the definition stated by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), medical coding is stated as follows: "Medical coding is the transformation of healthcare diagnosis, procedures, medical services and equipment into universal medical alphanumeric codes." In simple words, this refers to the process of decoding relevant medical information into simple codes to document medical records and implicate specific medical billing.

A medical biller and coder will have, usually, the same kind of duties no matter what sort of facility they're hired. From clinics to hospitals to practitioners' departments, medical billers and coders utilize medical codes to document patient examinations and therapies. Specifically, their duties involve:

• Understanding and interpreting patient records.
• Defining the correct codes for patient records.
• Using codes to invoice insurance providers.
• Communicating with practitioners and assistants to assure correctness.
• Managing trail of patient data over recurring visits.
• Maintaining detailed and individually coded information.
• Maintaining patient confidentiality and data security.

Medical Coding Course Eligibility

To seek a medical coding course, a person must have a bachelor's degree or master's degree, first from a medical science backdrop or anything relevant. There are some course-specific eligibility criteria, which are listed below:

• Medical coding course qualification criteria require the aspirant to be a graduate from medical science or life-sciences course.
• Aspirants should have a minimum of 50% aggregate in their undergraduate degrees and have basic biology knowledge.
• Apart from that, graduates should also have the analytical expertise to study and analyze medical records and patient details by using the appropriate codes for billing procedures.
•  Graduates from any domain are eligible for this course and are mandatorily required to know anatomy and physiology modules. 
• A non-life science or medical science student expects them to produce a valid certification program on medical science modules like anatomy, physiology, medication, etc. So far, there is no age limit for medical coding in India. Graduates satisfying the required eligibility criteria are free to pursue this course.

Medical Coding Course List

Medical coding is conducted worldwide, with most nations adopting the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). ICD is advanced by the World Health Organization and revised by each member country to complete its obligations. In India, there are six standard HIPAA-mandated code sets assisting for different needs. Medical coding courses are differentiated by the type of coding method opted and the purpose of the code. Some of the popular medical coding methods in India are listed below:

• Procedure Codes (CPT: Current Procedural Terminology)
• Diagnosis Codes (ICD: International Classification of Disease)
• Dental Procedure Codes (CDT: Current Dental Terminology)
• Another Procedure Codes (HCPCS: Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System)
• Drug Codes (NDC: National Drug Codes)
• Coding for Inpatient Services (ICD)

Medical Coding Fee Structure

Applicants must pay the class fees for the CPC program in full at the beginning. The cost is approximately INR 21,000 per aspirant. Additionally, some companies offer to pay their employees to attend this course on their dime.

Medical Coding Course Syllabus

Medical coding duration depends upon the type of certification opted by the aspirant. In general, the medical coding course duration is 150 hours and ranges from 2 to 8 months of study, depending upon the type of certification or specialization opted. The coursework is charted on basic medical science concepts combined with diagnostic coding for particular domains. Students are provided more practical training on CPT coding and ICD coding. 

Some of the common syllabus in the medical coding coursework include:

• Introduction to Medical Terminology
• Anatomy Structure
• Medical Terminology
• Medical Ethics
• ICD-9-CM Coding Manual
• Infections using ICD-9-CM
•  Digestive System using ICD-9-CM
•  Coding for Pregnancy using ICD-9-CM
•  CPT Coding for Reproductive Systems
• Coding for Mental Disorders using ICR-9-CM 

Steps to Become a Medical Coder

After completing the preliminary education, medical coders have the opportunity to earn professional credentials that can separate them from the pack and kickstart their careers. A medical coder must possess a wide range of professional skills in addition to certification credentials. In addition to being analytical and detail-oriented, medical coders must also be able to communicate accurately with physicians and hospital administration teams about patient data. Here is a step-by-step guide to becoming a medical coder:

Step 1: One to four years of postsecondary education.

Step 2: Earn preliminary credentialing for at least six months.

Step 3: Get work experience of one to two years.

Step 4: Earn additional credentials for one to two years.

Step 5: Pursue continuing education

Medical Coding Course Scope

While each of the other sectors and work is being influenced by technology and automation, medical coding courses may not encounter many challenges in terms of human sources. Medical coding has plenty of scopes both in India and abroad in terms of employment. Technological advancements have boosted all sectors, and the demand for medical coders has become imminent. Let us get a clear picture of medical coding scopes in India and some insights into salary and job roles.

Scope of Medical Coding in India

Medical coding is completely automated, and there are no physical challenges for a developing sector. Therefore, there is much scope and need for medical coding in the upcoming ages. The urgency and requirement for medical coding will only keep soaring since the new computer-assisted coding progress (CAC) has exclusively helped reduce the job burden of medical coders over the world. It is a device that helps enhance productivity and further increases the highly significant coding method's efficiency. Automated coding is a measure towards treating claims quicker as well. It is helping save charges alleviating the task of coding transactions.

Medical Coding Jobs in India

Medical billers and coders play a requisite role in connecting health care providers, patients, and insurance corporations and work interrelated. 

Career path as a medical biller and coder will require graduates to manage excellent attention and locus in medical science. On a day-to-day basis, medical coders will be administering all types of patient charts, which requires proper coding with accuracy and billing to insurance companies. Some of the common areas of recruitment include:

• Hospitals
• Physicians' offices
• Nursing care facilities
• Home health care services
• Insurance Companies

Some of the top recruiters and job roles for medical coders in India are listed below:

• Online Assignments from US and UK
• Certified Professional Coder
• Opportunities in Medical Insurance Companies
• Reimbursement Specialist
• Coding Specialist 
• Claims processor/Claims Reviewer
• Patient Account Representative
• Medical Collector
• Electronic Claims Processor
• Med-Rec Solutions
• Omega Healthcare
• KIMS Hospitals
• Recoup Med
• UnitedHealthcare
• Cognizant
• Bajaj|Allianz
• Apollo Hospitals

Medical Coding Salary in India

The average salary earned by eligible medical coders in India is INR 2.63 Lakh for medical coders from the companies GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, Omega Healthcare, and Vee Technologies Pvt Ltd. Recited wages are highest at AJUBA Solutions, where the average pay is INR 4.30 LPA. Other companies that offer high payrolls for this position include Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp and Omega Healthcare, making about INR 3.7 LPA, sequentially. GeBBS Healthcare Solutions gives the lowest at around INR 2.50 LPA. Other companies listed are Business Solutions, and Vee Technologies Pvt Ltd also pays on the lower edge of the scale, paying INR 2.63 - 2.65 LPA, respectively.

Medical Coding Course Skills

There are some technical skills medical coders are required to achieve in this field, but transferable skills are essential. The data revealed the most important skills employers are seeking. Medical coding is a relaxed job, but the on-time process is quite crucial. A person getting into this field needs to possess top skills to handle the required position.

Following are the top skills that graduates must obtain before joining the workplace:

Top Technical Skills

• ICD-10
• Customer billing
• Health information technology
• CPT coding
• Inpatient coding
• Outpatient coding
• ICD-9
• Anatomy
• HCPCS coding
• Clinical documentation

Top Transferable Skills

• Communication
• Research
• Computer literacy
• Microsoft Office
• Attention to detail
• Collaboration
• Organization
• Analytical skills
• Problem-solving
• Time management

Top Institutes for Medical Coding Courses

Unlike conventional degree programs, medical coding courses are offered in institutes and not in normal colleges. Numerous institutes are offering medical coding certifications across the country. Some of the top institutes are :

• Medical coding Training in Pune 
• Medical Coding Training CPC Certification Hyderabad
• Odyssey Informatics-Medical Coding Training
• NIMC Medical Coding Training, Chennai
• Academy of Medical Coders, Noida
• Apex Medcom & Training Institute Bengaluru
• Transcode Solutions, Hyderabad
• Resolve Medicode -Medical Coding Training Process
• Cardea Medical Coding Training Centre
• Joshi Medicode Technologies Hyderabad, Telangana
• Sigma Healthcare Academy
• Zipcode-medical Coding Training Centre