Medical coding is essentially the process of applying formal, standardized codes to patient medical records. Procedural and diagnostic information is converted into easy numerical codes that can be electronically processed for payment by third party payers: Insurance companies and Medicare, for example.

This is a highly regulated and closely supervised activity. It is also subject to repeated and rigorous audits to guarantee accuracy in the medical billing process as there are literally billions of dollars at stake. In many ways, it is a great deal more scrutinized than medical transcription.

As a result, the certification requirements are greater for individuals embarking on a medical coding career compared to many other career fields. Before you can enter any profession you are generally required to get entry level or advanced certification.

There are two national organizations where you can receive your certification:

AHIMA- American Health Information Management Association

AAPC- American Association of Professional Coders

Right now the majority of medical coding work is still carried out by people working in clinics or hospitals. These people are employed in a professional environment and execute essential behind the scenes billing support activity.

There is a movement toward outsourcing work to third party vendors. As this trend becomes more popular, more and more work will be done in homes and it will evolve to become more of a home based career, much like medical transcription is today. It's believed that as technology keeps evolving and remote coding platforms are developed, the outsourcing model will begin to take hold in the industry. Nevertheless, right now it is good to point out that the majority of it is still performed in hospitals and clinics.

NOTE: Use of this article requires links to be intact.

Chris Dunn enjoys writing articles about medical coding. See also: About-Medical-Transcription.com.

Source: www.articlesbase.com