Medical Coder resume example
By Bhagirath Sheela, founder of JobCatch ·
Medical coding is one of the largest healthcare-services jobs in India, mostly for US healthcare clients, and employers hire on certification, specialty and accuracy. Put your credential (such as CPC), the code sets you work in, your specialties, and your accuracy and productivity figures at the top.
What recruiters look for
- Certification: CPC, CCS or similar, with the year
- Code sets: ICD-10-CM, CPT, HCPCS
- Specialties: radiology, E/M, surgery, emergency, inpatient
- Accuracy and charts per day against the client's standard
Section order
With experience
- Summary
- Qualification and registration
- Experience
- Skills
- Certifications
As a fresher
- Summary
- Qualification and registration
- Clinical training
- Skills
- Certifications
Summary examples
Fresher
Life sciences graduate (B.Sc Microbiology) and certified professional coder (CPC), trained in ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS with 300 practice charts in radiology and E/M.
Experienced
Certified medical coder (CPC) with four years coding radiology and emergency charts for US clients, at 97% accuracy and above the productivity standard.
Skills, spelled the way postings spell them
An applicant tracking system matches the words in the job posting, and it does not reliably treat two spellings as one skill. The left column is the form most postings use; the right, other spellings people type. Use the posting's own spelling for each application, and list only what you can discuss in an interview.
| Skill | Also written as |
|---|---|
| Medical coding | ICD-10, CPT coding |
| Clinical documentation | Medical records |
| Microsoft Excel | Excel, MS Excel, Advanced Excel |
| English | — |
| Data entry | Typing |
Also worth listing if you have them: ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS, Medical terminology and anatomy, Coding audits.
Bullet examples
Each bullet says what you did and what changed because of it. Change the numbers to your own; a recruiter will ask about every one.
- Code about 120 radiology charts a day with 97% accuracy in client audits.
- Moved to emergency department coding and reached the team's productivity standard in six weeks.
- Audit junior coders' charts and give weekly feedback; the team's accuracy rose from 93% to 96%.
- Flagged documentation gaps to the client's providers through queries, reducing denials on the account.
- Kept up with annual ICD-10-CM and CPT updates and briefed the team on each change.
For freshers: projects and internships
- Certified Professional Coder (CPC) after a four-month training programme.
- Coded 300 practice charts in radiology and E/M with feedback from trainers.
- B.Sc Microbiology, with anatomy and physiology coursework.
Mistakes to avoid
- Not saying which specialties you code. Radiology, E/M and inpatient coding are hired separately.
- Leaving out accuracy figures. They are the first thing a coding manager asks about.
- Writing a generic healthcare resume. Coding is a specialised job; name the code sets and the credential.
What an ATS reads from this sample
An applicant tracking system turns the PDF into plain text before anyone reads it. This is that text for the sample above, extracted by the same code as "What the ATS reads" in the app. Everything is in reading order, under the right heading, with the name and email intact — which is what a single-column template is for.
Divya Raman Medical Coder [email protected] | +91 98765 43210 | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | linkedin.com/in/divyaraman Profile Certified medical coder (CPC) with four years coding radiology and emergency charts for US clients, at 97% accuracy and above the productivity standard. Education B.Sc, Microbiology 2017 – 2020 University of Madras · 79% Licences & certifications Certified Professional Coder (CPC), AAPC, 2020 Experience Senior Medical Coder, Medicode Health Services Jul 2022 – Present Chennai Code about 120 radiology charts a day with 97% accuracy in client audits. Moved to emergency department coding and reached the team's productivity standard in six weeks. Audit junior coders' charts and give weekly feedback; the team's accuracy rose from 93% to 96%. Medical Coder, Carelink Revenue Solutions Aug 2020 – Jun 2022 Chennai Flagged documentation gaps to the client's providers through queries, reducing denials on the account. Kept up with annual ICD-10-CM and CPT updates and briefed the team on each change. Projects Peer audits Weekly feedback that raised team accuracy from 93% to 96%. Skills Medical coding, Clinical documentation, Microsoft Excel, English, Data entry, ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS, Medical terminology and anatomy, Coding audits Languages English, Hindi
Interview questions to prepare
The app's interview prep for this sample and a plain Medical Coder posting. It works from the resume and the posting only, and tells you how to prepare, never what to say.
Questions every interview has
- Tell me about yourself. Two minutes: what you do now (Senior Medical Coder at Medicode Health Services), one result you are proud of, and why this role is next.
- Why do you want this job? Read their website and one recent piece of news before the call. Name something specific.
- Why are you leaving your current job? Say what you are moving towards. Do not criticise your employer.
- What is your notice period, and what salary are you expecting? Decide your number before the interview, so you are not deciding it on the call.
About the skills the job asks for
- Tell me about a time you used Microsoft Excel. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used Data entry. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used Clinical documentation. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used Medical coding. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used English. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
About what the resume claims
- You wrote: "Code about 120 radiology charts a day with 97% accuracy in client audits." Expect three follow-ups: how exactly, what was your own part, and how you know it worked.
- You wrote: "Moved to emergency department coding and reached the team's productivity standard in six weeks." Expect three follow-ups: how exactly, what was your own part, and how you know it worked.
- You wrote: "Audit junior coders' charts and give weekly feedback; the team's accuracy rose from 93% to 96%." Expect three follow-ups: how exactly, what was your own part, and how you know it worked.
Questions to ask them
- What would a good first three months in this role look like?
- Who would I work with most closely?
- What are the next steps, and when should I expect to hear back?
Templates that suit this role
All of these are single-column and read cleanly by an applicant tracking system. Classic is free, with no watermark.
Questions
Which certification is best for medical coding jobs in India?
CPC (from AAPC) is the one most Indian employers ask for, because most work is for US clients. CCS and specialty credentials help for inpatient and senior roles.
Can a non-life-science graduate become a medical coder?
Many employers prefer life sciences, pharmacy or nursing graduates because of the anatomy and terminology involved, but a certification and strong training can get others in.
Next: the Medical Coder cover letter the app drafts from this resume, and how to show Microsoft Excel, Data entry on a resume.
More healthcare resume examples: Staff Nurse · Pharmacist · Medical Lab Technician