Is medical coding or billing good for introverts?
The ratings for the 3 roles we compared are close together: contact with others runs from 4.2 to 4.4 out of 5, so the choice of role inside medical coding and billing changes less than you might hope.
Coding and billing are often suggested as quiet healthcare jobs. They differ most on face-to-face discussions, which billing clerks report less often than medical records specialists.
Medical records specialists also rate teamwork as more important than billing clerks do.
Medical coders are classed as medical records specialists in the federal data. We compared them with billing and posting clerks, who work in every industry, not only healthcare, and with data entry keyers. The ratings come from O*NET, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, where workers answer questions about what their job involves.
What the data shows
- Contact with others ranges from 4.2 out of 5 for data entry keyers to 4.4 for billing and posting clerks. Both are closest to "contact most of the time".
- After contact, the biggest difference is in dealing with customers or the public: 2.3 out of 5 for data entry keyers, against 3.4 for billing and posting clerks.
- The next biggest is face-to-face discussions: 3.9 out of 5 for billing and posting clerks, against 4.8 for medical records specialists.
- 1 of the 3 occupations with their own pay data involve more contact with others than the typical US occupation.
- 57% of billing and posting clerks say they have face-to-face discussions every day, compared with 89% of medical records specialists.
- All 3 rate working in a team as very important or more.
- Among occupations with their own pay data, the lowest-contact one is data entry keyers, at a median $41,340 a year. The best paid is medical records specialists, at $51,140.
Social demands, side by side
Each figure is an O*NET average on a 1 to 5 scale. Lower means less of it. Hover a heading for the exact question.
| Role | Contact | Face-to-face | Phone | Speaking | Customers | Teamwork | Conflict | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Records Specialists | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Billing and Posting Clerks | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 2.8 |
| Data Entry Keyers | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
Pay, entry and outlook
| Role | Median pay | Typical entry education | Typical training | Growth 2025-35 | Projected openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Records Specialists | $51,140 | Postsecondary nondegree award | None | +7.8% | 14,000 |
| Billing and Posting Clerks | $48,500 | High school diploma or equivalent | Moderate-term on-the-job training | -0.1% | 37,000 |
| Data Entry Keyers | $41,340 | High school diploma or equivalent | Short-term on-the-job training | -25.5% | 7,700 |
Each role in detail
Medical Records Specialists
Contact with others: 4.3 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 40% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 89% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "extremely important"; dealing with customers or the public "important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a month or more".
Median pay $51,140 a year. Typical entry education: postsecondary nondegree award. About 14,000 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
- Review records for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations.
- Scan patients' health records into electronic formats.
Billing and Posting Clerks
Contact with others: 4.4 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 51% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 57% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "once a week or more". Public speaking: closest to "never". Teamwork rated "extremely important"; dealing with customers or the public "important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a month or more".
Median pay $48,500 a year. Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent, with moderate-term on-the-job training. About 37,000 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Verify accuracy of billing data and revise any errors.
- Prepare itemized statements, bills, or invoices and record amounts due for items purchased or services rendered.
- Keep records of invoices and support documents.
Data Entry Keyers
Contact with others: 4.2 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 38% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 78% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "once a week or more" (11% say never). Public speaking: closest to "never". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "fairly important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a month or more".
Median pay $41,340 a year. Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent, with short-term on-the-job training. About 7,700 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Locate and correct data entry errors, or report them to supervisors.
- Compile, sort, and verify the accuracy of data before it is entered.
- Compare data with source documents, or re-enter data in verification format to detect errors.
What the numbers can't tell you
- O*NET ratings are averages of worker answers on a 1 to 5 scale. Some questions ask how much (contact), some how often (face-to-face, phone, public speaking, conflict, noise) and some how important (teamwork, customers). They are shown on their own scales.
- The ratings describe the job, averaged across workers and workplaces. A particular employer, team or shift can be very different.
- They don't measure personality, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.
- Pay and openings are national figures from the BLS. Local pay varies.
Common questions
Which medical coding and billing job involves the least contact with others?
Of the 3 roles compared here, data entry keyers report the least, at 4.2 out of 5 on O*NET's contact rating, closest to "contact most of the time".
Do these medical coding and billing jobs need a degree?
2 of the 3 occupations with BLS education data typically need no more than a high school diploma: billing and posting clerks, data entry keyers.
Do these ratings measure personality?
No. They are averages of what workers say their job asks of them. They describe the work, not the people doing it, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.