2015 Salary survey: Look at your tasks, not just your title

A medical coder’s career path is not always a straight progression from coding school to coder to manager and the better pay of a managerial position. (See chart: Salary by anesthesia practice administrator title.) A coder may start as a medical assistant and pick up coding on the job. Or the nature of the organization may change. “A portion of our business (the original portion) is a medical transcription service. I also aid in hiring and training of transcriptionists,” explains a respondent who is a coding supervisor and transcription coordinator for a Miami-based company that offers consulting, billing and transcription services.