Have you been considering a career in healthcare? Are you looking for a stable career that is mentally stimulating and has a good entry-level wage? Getting into medical billing and coding might be the job you’re looking for! Campus is now offering an Online Medical Billing and Coding program for our students in New Mexico. If this sounds interesting, here’s more about this exciting career.
What is Medical Billing and Coding?
Medical billing and coding is the process of encoding patient appointments and interactions into alphanumeric codes which can be universally understood by healthcare facilities and insurance companies. Every diagnosis, procedure, prescription, and piece of medical equipment that goes home with the patient matches up to a specific code. Medical coders encode the patient appointments and the medical biller uses these codes to prepare insurance claims and update medical records. This process is crucial to the healthy revenue cycle of every medical facility, ensuring the healthcare facility gets paid properly and patients are responsible for the correct portion of the bill.
Medical coders take the details of a patient appointment and encode these into alphanumerical codes which are used by every healthcare facility and insurance company. These codes are used to update electronic medical records and create insurance claims. Because insurance companies have idiosyncrasies they each use for approving claims, using the correct codes and understanding nuances in coding is vital to this job.
Medical billers are primarily responsible for creating, scrubbing, and submitting insurance reimbursement claims, as well as following up with the insurance payer to correct errors. The codes come from the medical coder or directly from the medical services provider. Scrubbing is the process of checking the claims form for potential warnings and errors and formatting the claim so the payer approves it quickly.
Medical coders and billers may be separate people or the same person, depending on the size and complexity of the medical office or the service they use for billing and coding.
Reasons to Become a Medical Coder or Biller
There are a few compelling reasons to become a medical biller and coder.
Right now, there is still a big demand for more trained and qualified medical coders, and jobs are still being added. With the increase in population in the US and the aging of the median population, there is an increased demand for medical services. These patients need qualified billers and coders to keep up with the demand from medical offices and hospitals.
Another reason people choose to become a medical biller and coder is the ability to earn a good wage and room for career growth. The pay for medical billers and coders is good for entry-level position, and earning additional speciality certifications may also help you earn more, according to the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC). [2] Most specialized certifications require a certain number of hands-on experience hours, so as your experience grows, your salary can also potentially grow.
One of the biggest reasons people decide to go into medical coding is many of these positions are now remote. Many medical billing and coding jobs became remote in the early 2020s, meaning that you can work from home, save time and money avoiding the commute to work, and have more time for your work-life balance. There are many people that find medical billing and coding to be a perfect fit because of the remote positions. For individuals who are self-starters and can manage their time effectively, this is a great career choice.
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What Do You Need to Know as a Medical Biller and Coder
The main thing medical coders need to know are the different code sets and which procedures, diagnoses, equipment, and prescriptions match up with specific codes. Accuracy is of critical importance, as insurance companies will look for discrepancies in reimbursement claims.
These are the coding sets that medical coders all across the US work with every day:
ICD-10-CM: International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification. This is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO).
CPT®: Current Procedural Terminology codes, these were created by the American Medical Association (AMA), currently maintained by the CPT Editorial Panel, appointed by the AMA.
HCPCS: Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, created for use by government agencies such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Medical billers should also be familiar with these codes, but also with the process of scrubbing claims before they are submitted for approval. Each insurance company has their own specific formats, so understanding these small details will help medical offices keep the revenue cycle flowing.
Salary and Job Outlook
The job demand for medical billers and coders in the US is still very healthy, with jobs projected to increase by 7 percent from 2024 to 2034 according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics [1] [3] (BLS). In May 2024, the BLS showed medical coders and billers earned a median annual salary of $50,250 across the US and a median wage of $24.16 per hour.
As of May 2024 in New Mexico, the BLS reported [4] medical billers and coders earned an annual median salary of $50,340 and a median hourly wage of $24.20. Medical billers and coders from New Mexico in 2024 earned an annual mean salary of $51,470 and a mean average hourly wage of $24.75 according to data from the BLS.
Salary and Wage for Medical Billers and Coders (2024)
| New Mexico (2024) | United States (2024) | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Salary | $50,340 | $50,250 |
| Mean Annual Salary | $51,470 | $55,970 |
| Median Hourly Wage | $24.20 | $24.16 |
| Mean Hourly Wage | $24.75 | $26.91 |
Learn Medical Billing and Coding Online with Campus
If you’ve been thinking about starting a career in healthcare, Campus offers an Online Medical Billing and Coding program for our students in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Cruces and the rest of New Mexico. In about ten months, you’ll learn all about procedural coding, ICD-10 codes, CPT codes, insurance claims billing, and how to encode patient visits. You’ll learn everything you need to know to pass any of the entry-level medical coding and medical billing certifications and start your career. For more information on start dates, class schedules, or financial aid, contact our friendly Admissions team or call 888-675-2460.
[1] Note: The data provided in this article is from sources unaffiliated with Campus, formerly known as MTI College, are for informational purposes only and represent the employment field as a whole. They are not solely specific to Campus graduates and, by providing the above information, Campus makes no representation, direct or implied, or opinion regarding employability.
[2] American Association of Professional Coders, https://www.aapc.com/resources/medical-coding-salary-survey , Retrieved November 2, 2025.
[3] Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-records-and-health-information-technicians.htm#tab-1 , Retrieved November 4, 2025 .
[4] Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Maps, https://data.bls.gov/oesmap/ , Retrieved November 3, 2025 .