888.200.9942

888.200.9942

Are Medical Codes Hard to Learn?

Great Careers Start Here

Campus*
Program*
First Name*
Last Name*
Phone*
Email*
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Zip Code*
Military Status*
High School Status*
Email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

All information submitted to Charter College is subject to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking 'Learn More About Charter College', I authorize Charter College to call (on a recorded line), text, or email me at email and telephone number provided above with additional school information, and that such communications may be initiated using an automatic telephone dialing system. Reply STOP to end texts. I understand that I am not required to provide this consent to be eligible to enroll or otherwise purchase services. Messaging and data rates may apply.

With tens of thousands of medical codes that represent every symptom, illness, and treatment, it may seem intimidating to learn about medical codes. But they’re not as hard to learn as you might expect. And you don’t need to memorize every code. If you can grasp the coding structure, you can learn the language and succeed in a medical billing and coding career.

What Codes Does a Medical Coder Use?

The most common codes you use as a medical coder are International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The ICD-10 is broken down into the ICD-10 Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) and the ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS). The ICD-10-CM is used to code all diagnoses in healthcare settings and is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ICD-10-PCS can be used to code inpatient procedures and is maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. You also use the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), which is a set of numbers that represents medical procedures and services.

How Are Medical Codes Used?

Both CPT and ICD-10-PCS codes report the services patients receive. The main difference is that ICD-10-PCS codes are only for the inpatient hospital setting. ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes explain the patient’s diagnoses that justify the services received.

These codes are recorded in a patient’s medical record to accurately describe their healthcare history and the services they receive. Codes provide a universal language that an entire healthcare team can understand and translate into quality, consistent, and continuous patient care. At the time of billing, you also use codes to fill out insurance claims so your facility can be reimbursed for its services. If you don’t accurately code the forms, claims can be denied or come back to your desk for resubmission.

What Is the Structure of Medical Codes?

The ICD codes include a combination of three to seven letters or numbers that are used to describe a symptom, illness, injury, surgical procedure, or medical treatment. For instance, if you know that numbers 10004 to 69990 mean surgery, you know anything in that range is surgical. And if you see the prefix number 150, you know at a glance it’s something that has to do with the heart. Here are a few examples of common medical codes that you can easily recognized once you’re in the profession:

J00 – Common cold
Y83.4 – Reconstructive surgery
R51 – Headache

How Does a Medical Coder Learn Thousands of Codes?

You don’t need to memorize every single code. If you understand how the codes are put together, you can make sense of the letters and numbers in front of you. With a little experience, you will learn the most common codes by heart. There are also resources available to help you learn the codes including software and medical coding books that can help you find the codes you need.

Educational Programs to Learn Billing and Coding

The education you choose to learn billing and coding depends on your long-term goals. You can learn medical billing and coding through a certificate or degree program. The courses you take introduce you to all those codes and teach you about healthcare delivery systems, medical terminology, computerized billing and coding, and medical insurance processing. You become familiar with the software used by Medical Coders, receive an introduction to ICD-10, and learn how to code diagnostic and professional services the physician provides. You learn basic medical terms and come to understand the types of health issues you need to code into a medical record. That gives you the foundation to speak the same language as other medical professionals.

Are you ready to pursue a career in health care as a medical biller or coder? Charter College offers an A.A.S. In Medical Billing and Coding that you can complete in as few as 15 months. If you’ve already completed significant coursework in this or a related field, our degree completion program could be an option for you. Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more.

Caleb Kellicutt2025-03-12T16:52:29-04:00

Request Info 888.200.9942