Medical coder CV examples to help you build yours

Medical coding specialists take the diagnoses a patient receives, the treatment they need, and other medical information and turn them into codes that an automated system can easily parse, making it easier to organise patient records. Here’s what you need to know to create a CV that showcases the highly specialised skills you need as a medical coder.

Build My CV

Your knowledge of coding procedures and coding guidelines will be paramount for your CV. Highlight not only the fact that you have knowledge of coding but also your efficacy in doing so and avoiding any mistakes. High-quality medical coders help organisations avoid audits and save money.

Build My CV

The structure of your medical coder CV will largely depend on the CV format you end up using. The chronological format, which emphasises your work history, is most common, but if you don’t have much work history to go on, then you might use the functional format or the combination format. These headings will be the same in every CV, although you may have to change how you structure them.

Header

At the very top of your CV will be the header, which includes your full name, your contact information, and professional networking links like your LinkedIn.

Professional summary or career objective

Next is your professional summary or career objective. This gives recruiters a “quick look” at your CV, as this two-to-three sentence paragraph should explain your important strengths and accomplishments. For entry-level CVs, a career objective is best, as it also includes a statement of your career or job goals.

Skills

Your skills will be a primary part of the benefits you provide to an employer as a coding expert. Here are a few of the bullet points that you might want to focus on as part of your CV writing:

• Knowledge of medical terminology and general health care
• Ability to scan medical records
• Experience with insurance companies and medical billing
• Knowledge of different coding systems (CPT coding, CPT-4, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM, DRG, HCPCS codes)
• Inpatient vs. outpatient coding
• Knowledge of different specialities (Radiology, family practise, paediatrics, orthopaedics)
• How to handle patient information and medical documentation with regards to the Data Protection Act.

These skills will help you read patient charts and then effectively code them. While most of these are hard skills, soft skills like communication skills can also be beneficial in proving to hiring managers that you’re the right choice.

Work history

Your work experience section should include up to the last ten years of experience in coding and related areas. For example, you could list work as a healthcare provider, a data entry worker, or in another field where you manage patient medical records or handle reimbursement claims.

Education

Most hiring managers want you to have at least a bachelor’s degree, with some programmes requiring a master’s degree. It’s also best to become a certified medical coder. The industry standard coding certification is the Accredited Clinical Coder (ACC) certification from the National Clinical Coding Qualification (UK) (NCCQ), which is important to list on your professional CV.

Build My CV

Do:

• Emphasise skills and experiences that show how you can help the company. Consult the job posting and note what the employer needs, then try to answer those needs through your CV.
• Include any other experience you have with medical information or working in a medical office. This shows you’re familiar with the information you’re coding.
• Showcase that you’re good at data entry as well as the actual coding. Knowing how to navigate an Excel spreadsheet is a great tool for a medical coder.

Don’t:

• Apply to medical coding jobs before looking at the certifications required. The job description should indicate what certifications are necessary for that specific job.
• Include work experience that’s completely irrelevant to the job. If you have non-relevant experience, then you can include it on your LinkedIn.
• Include health information from any clients you worked for in the past. When citing previous experience, avoid discussing specific patient information.

Build My CV