Did medical coders’ salaries take a dive in 2018?

The first responses to DecisionHealth’s annual coder salary survey hint at one worrying trend: the average coder salary fell by nearly $10,000 in 2018.

 

Based on the data we’ve collected so far the average salary in 2018 was $56,964. The average salary in 2017 was $66,834 according to last year's survey.

 

If the early results are any indicator the average raise in 2018 fell to 2% from the 3% reported in 2017. However, the percentage of who respondents received some sort of raise is 8%, a two percent increase compared to last year's survey.

 

One final detail that stood out in a quick scan of the results is that respondents who hold some sort of coding certification — CPC, CCS-P, RHIT and so on — saw their salaries fall. The good news is that their salaries are about 2% higher than average.

 

These are early results and may not reflect the true state of coders’ salaries. Take a moment to complete the survey to help us create a complete picture. At the end you can enter win an Amazon gift card or one of three on-demand DecisionHealth or HCPro webinars.