June 21, 2024

Medical Coder Resume Tips

By Janine Mothershed

How to Craft an Effective Medical Coding Resume? Essential Tips for Success

Your resume is your first impression when applying for a medical coding position. It serves as a crucial tool to showcase your skills, qualifications, and experience in the field. Here are some essential tips to help you craft a compelling medical coder resume that stands out to potential employers:

Clear and Professional Formatting

Start with a clean, professional layout that is easy to read. Use bullet points to list your skills, experiences, and achievements for clarity. Choose a legible font (e.g., Arial, Calibri) and keep the font size between 10 and 12 points.

Include Relevant Contact Information

At the top of your resume, include your full name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile (if applicable). Ensure your contact information is current and professional.

Summary or Objective Statement

Consider adding a brief summary or objective statement at the beginning of your resume. Highlight your experience in medical coding, your specialties (if any), and your career goals.

Highlight Key Skills

Create a dedicated section to showcase your relevant skills in medical coding. Include skills such as proficiency in ICD-10-CM, CPT, HCPCS Level II coding systems, knowledge of medical terminology, and familiarity with electronic health records (EHR) systems.

Detail Your Education and Certifications

List your educational background, starting with your highest degree achieved.

  • Include any certifications related to medical coding (e.g., CPC, CCS, RHIT) and their respective dates of attainment.

Showcase Professional Experience

  • List your work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent job first).
  • For each position, include the job title, name of the employer, location, and dates of employment.
  • Provide bullet points detailing your responsibilities and achievements, focusing on your contributions related to medical coding, accuracy, productivity, and compliance with coding guidelines.

Quantify Achievements and Impact

  • Whenever possible, quantify your achievements with numbers or percentages (e.g., “Achieved a 98% accuracy rate in coding”).
  • Highlight any specific improvements or efficiencies you brought to previous coding processes.

Emphasize Continuing Education and Professional Development

  • Include any relevant training programs, workshops, or continuing education courses you have completed.
  • Demonstrate your commitment to staying updated with coding guidelines and industry trends.

Tailor Your Resume to Each Job Application

  • Customize your resume for each job application by emphasizing skills and experiences that match the specific job requirements.
  • Use keywords from the job description to ensure your resume passes through applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by many employers.

Proofread and Edit Carefully

  • Before submitting your resume, proofread it carefully to eliminate any typos, grammatical errors, or formatting inconsistencies.
  • Consider asking a trusted friend or colleague to review your resume for feedback.

Coding Clarified Resumes 4 Coders;  https://www.resumes4coders.com/

A well-crafted medical coder resume effectively communicates your skills, qualifications, and experience to potential employers. By following these tips and presenting yourself professionally, you can increase your chances of landing interviews and securing a rewarding position in medical coding. Remember, your resume is a reflection of your professionalism and dedication to the field, so invest time and effort into creating a polished document that highlights your strengths as a medical coder.

Tips from a medical coding recruiter

1.) Be specific in your bullet points AND Job title!  

-What type of medical coding did you perform (Risk Adjustment, Pro-Fee, Inpatient, Outpatient, HCC Codes, etc.) 

-What type of code sets did you work with (ICD-10, CPT, HCPCS, E/M, etc.) 

-Were you working on Medicare, Medicaid, or Commercial Charts? 

2.) List coding certifications and all other certifications at the TOP of your resume next to your name! : You worked so hard to get your credentials, make them jump out on your resume like they deserve! EX: First Last, CPC, CRC, RN 

-Make sure that while you are on the job hunt your credentials are staying ACTIVE and up to date, to make the hiring process smoother on both ends!  

3.) Check for grammar and spelling: These are things recruiters notice! Your experience DESERVES the recognition, don’t let your skills be passed up for silly spelling mistakes. Proofread your resume and run it through spell check before submitting your application 

4.) List your Education very clearly on your resume: In a specialized field like Medical Coding, it is to your benefit to highlight your well-earned achievements, not having this list could make or break a recruiter reaching out!  

-List Credentials: Top of resume AND in the Education Section – List year obtained and organization you are certified through (CPC, CRC, CCS, RN, etc.) 

-List Education: Diploma earned, name of school, graduation year (GED, High School Diploma, Bachelor, Master, Doctorate, etc.) 

5.) Employment history  

-List BOTH Months AND Years of employment (This is something that jumps out to recruiters) 

-Feel free to address any gaps of employment (We know life happens, it is okay if you have gaps of employment!)  

-Make sure your job title describes the type of coding you were doing (Ex: Risk Adjustment Medical Coder) 

-List if the position was a contracted position next to the Employer OR Dates of employment (Ex: MM/YY (Contract Complete)) 

6.) List Encoders/EMR systems that you are familiar with : 

-Show off your skills, we want to know!  

7.) Production standards: We want to see the STAR that you are! Were you meeting or even EXCEEDING metric expectations? Brag on yourself here!  

-In your bullet points highlight the metric standards that you were being held to and what your average scores were (EX: 95%+ accuracy rate, 6-8 charts per hour, etc.) 

https://csicompanies.com/  Send your resume to Alexis Darnall at [email protected] & tell her Lori Jaramillo sent you.

Good Luck!

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