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Medical coding FTE calculator

Calculate the exact number of full-time equivalent medical coders needed to process your daily charts.

Sets the days off, the code sets and the filing limits. Offshore teams coding US charts pick the country they work in for the days off.
Depends on the setting: AHIMA's benchmark is 15 an hour for emergency charts and 3 for inpatient, and ICD-10 studies put inpatient at 1.4 to 1.6.
Hours spent coding, after breaks, meetings, queries and audits.
No federal law gives paid vacation or holidays. Private-industry workers who get them average 8 paid holidays and 11 vacation days after a year (BLS, March 2026); about a fifth get neither. Add sickness and training.
Leave at 0 to skip the comparison.
Leave at 0 if there's no backlog.

Required FTEs

10.26 FTEs

Show the working

1,000 charts ÷ 15 an hour = 66.67 hours. 66.67 ÷ 6.5 productive hours = 10.26 FTEs

Chart volume, charts an hour and productive hours are your inputs.

Total daily coding hours required: 66.67

Coders to cover leave
12 coders
11.07 FTEs of people, at 241 days at work each
Charts per coder a day
97.5
Charts per coder a year
23,497
Over 241 days at work

Each coder clears 97.5 charts in a 6.5-hour productive day, so 1,000 charts take 10.26 FTEs. With 19 days off each a year, a coder is at work 241 of 260 working days, so covering every day takes 11.07 FTEs of people: 12 coders.

This is the exact headcount you need to clear your daily chart volume without creating a backlog.

If software coded a share of the charts
Coded automaticallyFTEsFTEs of people
None, today
10.26
11.07
25%
7.69
8.3
50%
5.13
5.53
75%
2.56
2.77

Scenarios, not a forecast: people code the rest at the same rate, though the charts software leaves are usually the harder ones. Someone still audits a sample of what it codes.

Published US coding rates
SettingCharts an hour
Yours
15
Ancillary tests (AHIMA benchmark, ICD-9)
30
Emergency department (AHIMA benchmark, ICD-9)
15
Ambulatory surgery and procedures (AHIMA benchmark, ICD-9)
5
Inpatient (AHIMA benchmark, ICD-9)
3
Inpatient (Ciox and Pittsburgh study, ICD-10, 2016)
1.6
Inpatient (Ciox and Pittsburgh study, ICD-10, 2015-16)
1.4

Required 10.26 FTEs. 12 coders to cover leave.

An estimate from published figures, checked on 10 October 2026. Not legal, tax or financial advice.

On this page

What the result means

This is the exact headcount you need to clear your daily chart volume without creating a backlog.

  • Required FTEs is the coders a working day needs: the day's coding hours over the productive hours one coder gives a shift.
  • Coders to cover leave is the people it takes to have those FTEs at work on every working day, after each coder's days off, rounded up to whole coders.
  • Charts per coder a day and a year are what one coder clears at your rate: the figure to set a target or price an outsourcing quote against.
  • With your staff and backlog in, the tool says how far the team falls behind or gets ahead each day, and how long the backlog takes to clear against the payer's filing limit.

How it works

A full-time equivalent (FTE) is the work of one person coding every working day. The number of coders a team needs is the FTEs its volume takes, grown to cover each coder's days off.

The tool divides your total daily chart volume by your average charts coded per hour to find the total hours of work required. It then divides that number by the actual productive hours in a standard shift to determine the required full-time headcount.

  1. Total daily coding hours required = daily chart volume ÷ average charts coded per hour.
  2. Required FTEs = total daily coding hours required ÷ productive hours per shift.
  3. Days at work = 260 working days − days off a year.
  4. FTEs of people = required FTEs × 260 ÷ days at work, rounded up to whole coders.
  5. Daily gap = (required FTEs − coders on staff × days at work ÷ 260) × charts per coder a day.
  6. Days to clear a backlog = charts waiting ÷ the spare charts a day: the team's own, or one extra coder's.
  7. With software coding a share, FTEs = required FTEs × (1 − the share).

Assumptions

  • Charts arrive on every working day, five days a week, and every chart is coded once at the average rate.
  • Days off fall evenly through the year. Where they bunch, as with school holidays, the team needs cover for the peak, not the average.
  • The days off default to each country's statutory minimum annual leave and its public holidays on weekdays; in the US, where the law sets none, to the private-industry averages. Sickness and training come on top.
  • Productive hours are hours spent coding, and they can't run past the law's normal day without becoming overtime; the tool says when they do.
  • Figures are rounded to two decimals, as the brief shows FTEs, and coders up to the next whole person.

Published coding rates

The only national figures found are from the US. AHIMA's 2007 benchmark was set in ICD-9 per eight paid hours; the ICD-10 inpatient studies since measured slower coding, and AHIMA says no standard yet rests on research. Use them as a guide to check your own rate against, not as a target.

Example

Example: 1,000 charts a day

1,000 charts a day at 15 an hour, with 6.5 productive hours per shift and the US survey's 19 days off a year:

  1. Daily coding hours: 1,000 ÷ 15 = 66.67.
  2. Required FTEs: 66.67 ÷ 6.5 = 10.26.
  3. Days at work: 260 − 19 = 241.
  4. FTEs of people: 10.26 × 260 ÷ 241 = 11.07, so 12 coders.

Processing 1,000 charts a day at a rate of 15 charts an hour requires 66.67 hours of continuous coding. If a coder averages 6.5 productive hours per shift, you need 10.26 FTEs to keep up with the volume. With leave and holidays, that's 11.07 FTEs of people: 12 coders.

Example: an NHS trust

450 episodes a day at 20 an hour, with 7 productive hours per shift and 28 days of statutory holiday, bank holidays included:

  1. Daily coding hours: 450 ÷ 20 = 22.5.
  2. Required FTEs: 22.5 ÷ 7 = 3.21.
  3. Days at work: 260 − 28 = 232.
  4. FTEs of people: 3.21 × 260 ÷ 232 = 3.6, so 4 coders.

That's 22.5 hours of coding a day, 3.21 FTEs. Each coder is at work 232 days a year, so the trust needs 3.6 FTEs of people: 4 coders.

When this is wrong

This assumes a flat volume and a single specialty complexity. It does not account for seasonal volume spikes, sick leave, or the mix of simple diagnostic visits versus complex surgical coding.

  • A mix of settings. Code each stream on its own (emergency, outpatient, inpatient) at its own rate and add the FTEs; one blended rate hides the slow charts.
  • Peaks. Volume that swings by month needs cover for the busy months; size for the peak, or plan the backlog you'll carry.
  • New code sets. A new edition slows coding while coders learn it: the US moves to new ICD-10 files every October, and the Philippines' DRG shadow billing from August 2026 asks for many more codes per claim.
  • Queries and denials. Time spent on physician queries and denial work comes out of productive hours; if your coders also work denials, lower the hours.
  • Audits. Quality checks take coder time too, from the 200 episodes a year an NHS acute trust has audited to Abu Dhabi's monthly internal audits.

To cost what coding errors do once claims are denied, use the claim denial cost estimator.

What we couldn't confirm

  • Official source unavailable. The current ICD-10-CA and CCI versions in Canada: CIHI's site refuses access.
  • Not found in official sources. Which ICD-10-AM edition Singapore codes in, in 2026.
  • Official source unavailable. Malaysia's coding manuals: the Health Ministry's pages don't load.
  • Not found in official sources. Official coding productivity figures outside the US.
  • Not final yet. Indian states' final working-hours rules under the OSH Code, such as Maharashtra's 10-hour day.

Rules by country

For each country in the tool: the code sets in force, the published rates and quality rules, who may code, the leave, holidays and hours the law sets, and the payer's filing limit that a backlog runs into.

United States

Code sets: ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, CPT and HCPCS.

  • Code sets. Diagnoses in ICD-10-CM and inpatient procedures in ICD-10-PCS, FY 2027 editions from 1 October 2026, with a PCS update due on 1 April 2027; physician and outpatient services in CPT and HCPCS, with CPT 2027's 299 new codes from 1 January 2027. (CMS ICD-10 FY 2027; AMA CPT 2027; 45 CFR 162.1002)
  • Published rates. AHIMA's ICD-9-era benchmark was 3 inpatient records an hour, 5 ambulatory surgery records, 15 emergency department records and 30 ancillary tests. Studies since ICD-10 put inpatient coding at 1.4 to 1.6 records an hour, 38 to 42 minutes each, and AHIMA says no national standard has a research basis. (Journal of AHIMA, 2012; Journal of AHIMA, 2016; Journal of AHIMA, 2017; Journal of AHIMA, 2019)
  • What errors cost. Incorrect coding was 11.1% of Medicare fee-for-service improper payments in FY 2025, and recovery auditors may review coding up to three years after a claim is paid. The VA requires 95% coding accuracy. (CMS CERT 2025; CMS RAC statement of work; VHA Directive 1082)
  • Credentials. AAPC's CPC and AHIMA's CCS are the main coder credentials; 36,925 people held the CCS at the end of 2025. (AAPC CPC exam; AHIMA CCS)

Working time: No federal law gives paid vacation or holidays. Private-industry workers who get them average 8 paid holidays and 11 vacation days after a year (BLS, March 2026); about a fifth get neither. No federal paid sick leave; those who have it average 7 days a year after a year's service, and states and cities can require more. No daily limit in federal law. Time and a half for hours over 40 a week for non-exempt staff; no premium for night work. (BLS employee benefits, March 2026; BLS benefits release, 2026; DOL on holidays; DOL on night work and overtime)

Filing limit: Medicare (fee for service): Within 1 calendar year of the date of service. (42 CFR 424.44; 42 CFR 405.942)

Canada

Code sets: ICD-10-CA and CCI.

  • Code sets. Coders code and abstract diagnoses in ICD-10-CA and interventions in CCI, under the Canadian Coding Standards; CCHIM's entry-level coding credential tests exactly that. (CCHIM coding micro-credential)

Working time: In Ontario, 2 weeks of vacation (3 from five years' service) and 9 public holidays. Ontario gives 3 days of unpaid sick leave a year. Ontario sets at most 8 hours a day and 48 a week unless the employee agrees to more. Time and a half after 44 hours a week in Ontario. (Ontario ESA: vacation; Ontario ESA: public holidays; Ontario ESA: sick leave; Ontario ESA: hours and overtime)

Filing limit: Ontario (OHIP): Within 3 months of the date of service, for services from 1 April 2023 (6 months before). (OHIP bulletin 231001; OHIP claims submission; Health Insurance Act (Ontario))

United Kingdom

Code sets: ICD-10 5th Edition and OPCS-4.11.

  • Code sets. Diagnoses in ICD-10 5th Edition since 2016 and procedures in OPCS-4.11 from 1 April 2026, replacing OPCS-4.10, under national standards renewed every April. England plans to move to ICD-11 by April 2031. (NHS ICD-10 standards 2026; NHS OPCS-4 standards 2026; NHS England on ICD-11)
  • Audits. Each acute trust has at least 200 episodes a year audited by an approved clinical coding auditor (50 for a mental health trust), for the Data Security and Protection Toolkit. (NHS coding audit framework)
  • Credential. The National Clinical Coding Qualification is the only nationally recognised one for NHS coders; passing it confers ACC. (IHRIM NCCQ)

Working time: 5.6 weeks of paid holiday, 28 days on a five-day week, which can include the 8 bank holidays in England and Wales (10 in Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2026). Statutory Sick Pay is £123.25 a week, or 80% of earnings if lower, from 6 April 2026. At most 48 hours a week on average over 17 weeks, unless the worker opts out. No statutory overtime premium, as long as average pay stays above the minimum wage. (GOV.UK holiday entitlement; GOV.UK bank holidays; GOV.UK maximum hours; GOV.UK overtime; Working Time Regulations, reg. 13A)

Filing limit: Private medical insurers: Set by the insurer's terms with the hospital or consultant. (FCA DISP 1.6)

Germany

Code sets: ICD-10-GM and OPS.

  • Code sets. Diagnoses in ICD-10-GM Version 2026, which now changes on a three-year cycle, and procedures in OPS, revised every year: OPS 2027's provisional version came out on 14 August 2026. (BfArM ICD-10-GM; BfArM OPS)
  • Who codes. The treating physician is responsible for the codes, whoever enters them, and in one survey of German hospitals doctors did the coding in 69% of cases and specialist coders in 19%. (DKR 2026; Burger et al., 2017)
  • What errors cost. Hospital bills the Medizinischer Dienst audits and cuts carry a surcharge on top of the cut, so coding accuracy has a direct price: see the claim denial cost estimator. (§ 275c SGB V)

Working time: 24 working days of leave on a six-day week, 20 on five, plus the 9 nationwide public holidays, 7 of which fall on weekdays in 2026; the Länder add more (Bavaria up to 14). Full pay for up to 6 weeks of each illness, after 4 weeks' employment. At most 8 hours a working day, or 10 if 8 is kept on average over six months. No statutory overtime premium; Sunday and public holiday work is banned unless an exception applies. (§ 3 BUrlG; BMI: national holidays; § 3 ArbZG; § 3 EntgFG)

Filing limit: Statutory health insurance (GKV), hospital bills: Payment claims expire two years after the end of the calendar year they arose in. (§ 275c SGB V; § 109 SGB V; § 17c KHG; Bundesgesetzblatt; GKV-Spitzenverband and Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft)

India

Code sets: WHO ICD-10, and the US code sets for offshore work.

  • Domestic records. Health records use SNOMED CT for terminology and WHO's ICD-10 for classification and reporting; PM-JAY claims use the scheme's own package codes, with medical audits of at least 5% of hospitalised cases. (India EHR Standards; PM-JAY audit manual)
  • US charts. Coders in India who work US charts code in the US sets, and AAPC runs the CPC exam at test centres in India with the current CPT, ICD-10-CM and HCPCS books. Pick the US to size that work: the codes, rates and filing limits are the payer's. (AAPC CPC in India)

Working time: One day of paid leave for every 20 worked under the OSH Code, about 12 a year, plus the state's paid holidays: 10 in Karnataka, 9 in Tamil Nadu, 8 in Maharashtra. The Code sets no sick leave; state Shops and Establishments Acts do, up to 12 days in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. At most 8 hours a day under the OSH Code, in force since 21 November 2025. Overtime at twice the wage rate, with the worker's consent; women may work nights with consent, transport and security, but no night premium is set. (PIB, Ministry of Labour and Employment; OSH Code, hours and leave; Karnataka holidays act; Tamil Nadu holidays act; Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act)

Filing limit: Health insurers and their TPAs: Set by the policy and the insurer's agreement with the hospital. (Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Finance)

Singapore

Code sets: ICD-10-AM and MOH's Table of Surgical Procedures.

  • Code sets. Admitted patients are coded in the Australian classification, ICD-10-AM, adopted from 1 January 2012; surgical procedures on MediSave and MediShield Life claims use MOH's Table of Surgical Procedures, revised from 1 June 2026 with 80 codes added and 62 removed. (MOH TOSP update 2026; HIM-Interchange, 2014)

Working time: 7 days of annual leave in the first year, rising a day a year to 14, plus 11 public holidays. 14 days of paid outpatient sick leave a year after 6 months' service. Up to 9 hours a day or 44 a week on a five-day week, for staff covered by Part 4 of the Employment Act. 1.5 times the basic rate, at most 72 hours a month, but only for Part 4 staff: non-workmen earning up to S$2,600 a month. (MOM: annual leave; MOM: public holidays 2026; MOM: hours and overtime)

Filing limit: MediSave and MediShield Life: Within two weeks of the visit or discharge, under MOH's requirements for medical institutions. (MOH circular 30/2015; CPF Board)

Philippines

Code sets: ICD-10 and PhilHealth's relative value scale.

  • More codes per claim. A case-rate claim carries at most two diagnosis or procedure codes, but DRG shadow billing from 1 August 2026 takes up to 12 secondary diagnoses and 20 procedures per inpatient claim, so each chart takes longer to code. (PhilHealth Circular 2026-0012)

Working time: 5 days of service incentive leave after a year, covering sickness and vacation, plus 12 regular holidays in 2026 (and 8 special non-working days, unpaid unless worked). None beyond the 5 days of service incentive leave. Normal hours of at most 8 a day. Overtime at least 25% more, and a night shift differential of at least 10% for work between 10 pm and 6 am: the hours offshore teams coding US charts usually work. (Labor Code, Articles 83 to 95; Labor Advisory 12-25)

Filing limit: PhilHealth: Within 60 days of the patient's discharge; PhilHealth may extend this for reasonable cause. (PhilHealth Circular 2025-0019; PhilHealth claim form reminders; PhilHealth Advisory 2025-0011)

Malaysia

Code sets: ICD-10 for MY-DRG, ICD-11 for ministry reporting.

  • Casemix. MY-DRG codes diagnoses in ICD-10, and in one teaching hospital coding errors changed the DRG in 74% of the erroneous cases. (Zafirah et al., 2018)
  • What's changing. Ministry hospitals have reported in ICD-11 since 1 January 2024, and DRG payment is coming to private hospitals with the MediAsas plan, piloted from July 2026. (Ooi et al., 2025; MOF on MediAsas)

Working time: 8 days of annual leave under 2 years' service (12 to 5 years, 16 after), plus 11 paid public holidays. 14 days of paid sick leave a year under 2 years' service, rising to 22. At most 8 hours a day and 45 a week. Overtime at 1.5 times, guaranteed by statute for staff earning up to RM4,000 a month. (Department of Labour, Peninsular Malaysia; Attorney General's Chambers, Malaysia)

Filing limit: Medical and health insurance and takaful: Set by the policy. (BNM claims settlement practices)

United Arab Emirates

Code sets: ICD-10-CM and CPT, 2021 editions.

  • Code sets. Abu Dhabi and Dubai claims use ICD-10-CM and CPT 2021; Dubai's move to the 2024 sets, planned for April 2026, is deferred until further notice. (DOH coding manual; DHA GC 02-2026)
  • Certified coders. In Abu Dhabi a coder needs AHIMA or AAPC certification or a health information degree or higher diploma, and a facility without coding certification is paid only the lowest visit level. (DOH adjudication rules 2025; DOH coding manual)

Working time: At least 30 days of annual leave a year plus 12 public holidays (13 if Ramadan has 30 days). The law doesn't say working days: if your contract counts calendar days, the leave is about 22 working days. After probation, 15 days of sick leave on full pay and 30 on half pay a year. Normal hours of 8 a day and 48 a week. Overtime at least 25% more, and 50% more between 10 pm and 4 am except for shift workers. (UAE Government portal (u.ae); u.ae: public holidays)

Filing limit: Dubai (DHA): Set by the claims management directive in force since 16 November 2025, whose full text wasn't published to check; the 2019 standard it replaced required claims by the 15th of the month after the service. (DHA notice 03/2019; Al Tamimi & Company, on GCC BDI)

Australia

Code sets: ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS Thirteenth Edition.

  • Code sets. Admitted patients are coded in ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS Thirteenth Edition from 1 July 2025; IHACPA is consulting on the Fourteenth. (WA Health, Thirteenth Edition; IHACPA, ICD-10-AM)
  • Credential. A clinical coder needs the Diploma of Clinical Coding or an accredited bachelor's or master's in health information management. (HIMAA career pathways)

Working time: 4 weeks of paid annual leave, 20 days, plus public holidays: 8 national days and the state's own, 9 of NSW's 13 falling on weekdays in 2026. 10 days of paid personal leave a year. 38 hours a week plus reasonable additional hours. Under the Clerks Award, 150% for the first 2 hours of overtime and 200% after, and 115% for afternoon or night shifts. (Fair Work Act, NES; NSW public holidays; Clerks Award)

Filing limit: Medicare, bulk-billed claims: Within 1 year of the date of service, for services from 5 September 2025 (2 years before). (Services Australia, late lodgement; Services Australia, bulk bill claims; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (MBS Online))

Anywhere else

Code sets: your country's classification.

  • Code sets. Every country in this tool codes diagnoses in ICD-10 or a national version of it, but procedures differ by country, so rates from one country rarely carry to another.

Working time: Use your own annual leave and public holidays: across the countries in this tool they run from 17 to 42 days a year. Add the sickness and training days your team takes. Check your country's limit on daily and weekly hours. Check whether your country's law sets an overtime premium.

Sources

Every source this page cites (95)

Each one was opened and checked on the date beside it.

  1. Journal of AHIMABest practices for coding productivity: assessing productivity in ICD-9 to prepare for ICD-102012
  2. Journal of AHIMAICD-10 coding productivity study highlights emerging standards2016
  3. Journal of AHIMANew study illuminates the ongoing road to ICD-10 productivity and optimization2017
  4. Journal of AHIMAAHIMA seeks more coders for participation in productivity survey17 September 2019
  5. Perspectives in Health Information ManagementResults from the Veterans Health Administration ICD-10-CM/PCS coding pilot study1 July 2015
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesStatement of work for the Medicare fee-for-service Recovery Audit Contractors28 April 2025
  7. Veterans Health AdministrationVHA Directive 1082(1): patient care data capture and closeout11 December 2023
  8. NHS EnglandApproved Clinical Coding Auditor requirements framework 2026-272026
  9. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesICD-10 codes: 2027 ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS10 October 2026
  10. eCFR45 CFR 162.1002: medical data code sets1 October 2026
  11. American Medical AssociationAMA releases CPT 2027 code set9 September 2026
  12. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services2025 Medicare fee-for-service supplemental improper payment data2025
  13. AAPCCPC exam: length, passing score and apprentice status10 October 2026
  14. AHIMACertified Coding Specialist (CCS)10 October 2026
  15. US Department of LaborVacation leave and holidays10 October 2026
  16. US Bureau of Labor StatisticsEmployee Benefits in the United States, March 202625 September 2026
  17. US Bureau of Labor StatisticsEmployee Benefits in the United States, March 2026 (news release)25 September 2026
  18. US Department of LaborNight work10 October 2026
  19. eCFR42 CFR 424.44, time limits for filing claims8 October 2026
  20. eCFR42 CFR 405.942, time frame for filing a request for a redetermination8 October 2026
  21. Canadian College of Health Information ManagementEntry-to-Practice Medical Coding national micro-credential10 October 2026
  22. Government of OntarioYour guide to the Employment Standards Act: vacation5 February 2026
  23. Government of OntarioYour guide to the Employment Standards Act: public holidays8 July 2024
  24. Government of OntarioYour guide to the Employment Standards Act: sick leave5 February 2026
  25. Government of OntarioYour guide to the Employment Standards Act: hours of work and overtime pay5 February 2026
  26. Ontario Ministry of HealthBulletin 231001: update, three-month submission timeframe for in-province claims4 October 2023
  27. Ontario Ministry of HealthClaims submission (resources for physicians)22 April 2026
  28. Government of Ontario, e-LawsHealth Insurance Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.625 September 2023
  29. NHS EnglandNational Clinical Coding Standards ICD-10 5th Edition for morbidity coding (2026)2026
  30. NHS EnglandNational Clinical Coding Standards OPCS-4 (2026)2026
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  32. Institute of Health Records and Information ManagementNational Clinical Coding Qualification (UK)18 August 2026
  33. GOV.UKHoliday entitlement5 October 2026
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  36. GOV.UKMaximum weekly working hours10 October 2026
  37. GOV.UKOvertime: your rights10 October 2026
  38. Financial Conduct AuthorityDISP 1.6 Complaints time limit rules1 June 2026
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  41. Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft, GKV-Spitzenverband, PKV-Verband and InEKDeutsche Kodierrichtlinien, Version 202620 November 2025
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  43. Bundesamt für Justiz§ 275c SGB V, Durchführung und Umfang von Prüfungen bei Krankenhausbehandlung12 December 2024
  44. Bundesministerium der JustizBundesurlaubsgesetz § 3: Dauer des Urlaubs20 April 2013
  45. Bundesministerium des InnernNationale Feiertage10 October 2026
  46. Bundesministerium der JustizEntgeltfortzahlungsgesetz § 3: Anspruch auf Entgeltfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall10 October 2026
  47. Bundesministerium der JustizArbeitszeitgesetz § 3: Arbeitszeit der Arbeitnehmer23 October 2024
  48. Bundesamt für Justiz§ 109 SGB V, Abschluss von Versorgungsverträgen mit Krankenhäusern2026
  49. Bundesamt für Justiz§ 17c KHG, Prüfung der Abrechnung von Pflegesätzen2026
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  52. National Resource Centre for EHR Standards, IndiaEHR Standards for India (2016) and the WHO family of international classifications2016
  53. National Health Authority, IndiaField investigation and medical audit manual, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY2020
  54. AAPCCertified Professional Coder (CPC) certification, international10 October 2026
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  56. India CodeThe Karnataka Industrial Establishments (National and Festival Holidays) Act, 1963, section 320 March 2019
  57. India CodeThe Tamil Nadu Industrial Establishments (National, Festival and Special Holidays) Act, 1958, section 329 July 2025
  58. India CodeThe Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017, section 1831 December 2025
  59. PIB, Ministry of Labour and EmploymentFour Labour Codes made effective from 21 November 202521 November 2025
  60. Press Information Bureau, Ministry of FinanceHealth insurance sector records strong growth momentum in 2024-2526 March 2026
  61. HIM-InterchangeSingapore's migration to a new classification system (Dimitropoulos et al., 2014)2014
  62. Ministry of Health, SingaporeMOH FCM No. 01/2026: updates to the Table of Surgical Procedures5 January 2026
  63. Ministry of Manpower, SingaporeAnnual leave: eligibility and entitlement17 April 2023
  64. Ministry of Manpower, SingaporePublic holidays for 202619 June 2026
  65. Ministry of Manpower, SingaporeHours of work, overtime and rest days24 July 2025
  66. Ministry of Health, SingaporeAudit requirements for MediSave/MediShield Life claims submissions (FCM No. 30/2015)22 December 2015
  67. CPF BoardWhy are my MediSave and MediShield Life claims not processed after my visit or hospital discharge?25 February 2025
  68. PhilHealthPhilHealth Circular 2026-0012: shadow billing for the transition to diagnosis-related groups1 August 2026
  69. Department of Labor and Employment, PhilippinesLabor Code of the Philippines, 2022 DOLE edition (Articles 82 to 95)2022
  70. Department of Labor and Employment, PhilippinesLabor Advisory No. 12, series of 2025: wages for the regular holidays and special days of 20262025
  71. PhilHealthCircular 2025-0019: flexibility in claims submission deadline for claims filed from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2024 (revision 1)23 October 2025
  72. PhilHealthImportant reminders for the implementation of PhilHealth claim forms 1, 2 and 32013
  73. PhilHealthAdvisory 2025-0011: good claims ensure faster payment7 March 2025
  74. BMC Health Services ResearchPotential loss of revenue due to errors in clinical coding during the implementation of the MY-DRG casemix system (Zafirah et al., 2018)2018
  75. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision MakingFacilitators and challenges to ICD-11 implementation (Ooi et al., 2025)21 August 2025
  76. Ministry of Finance, MalaysiaJBMKKS advances RESET strategy with MediAsas pilot programme6 July 2026
  77. Department of Labour, Peninsular MalaysiaEmployment Act 1955 (Act 265)1 January 2023
  78. Attorney General's Chambers, MalaysiaP.U.(A) 262/2022, Employment (Amendment of First Schedule) Order 202212 August 2022
  79. Bank Negara MalaysiaClaims settlement practices (BNM/RH/PD 029-69)1 July 2024
  80. Department of Health, Abu DhabiCoding manual for coding within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (version 2.0)1 January 2025
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Frequently asked questions

What is a standard productive shift for a coder?

There's no official standard. AHIMA's benchmarks were set per eight paid hours, and AHIMA says no productivity standard since ICD-10 rests on research. Many teams plan on fewer productive hours than paid ones, to allow for breaks, meetings, queries and audits; measure yours from your coding system's time stamps. The law caps the normal day too: 8 hours in Germany, India, Ontario, Malaysia, the Philippines and the UAE.

How many charts should a coder process per hour?

This depends entirely on the specialty. AHIMA's 2007 benchmark, set in ICD-9, was 15 emergency department records an hour, 5 ambulatory surgery records, 30 ancillary tests and 3 inpatient records. Studies since ICD-10 put inpatient coding at 1.4 to 1.6 records an hour, and longer stays and higher case mix slow it further.

How does automation change this calculation?

Autonomous medical coding can handle the repetitive, straightforward encounters, acting as a fixed FTE that processes charts instantly, leaving your human staff to focus strictly on complex exceptions. The tool shows the coders left if software coded 25%, 50% or 75% of charts. Someone still audits what it codes: an NHS acute trust has at least 200 episodes a year audited, and the VA requires 95% accuracy.

How many coders cover one FTE?

More than one, because each coder takes leave and public holidays while the charts keep coming. People per FTE, covering 260 working days at each country's minimum days off: 1.08 in the United States (19 days off), 1.12 in the United Kingdom (28 days off), 1.12 in Germany (27 days off), 1.09 in India (22 days off), 1.07 in the Philippines (17 days off) and 1.19 in the United Arab Emirates (42 days off), before sickness and training.

What happens if the coding backlog grows?

Claims wait to be billed, and past the payer's filing limit they can't be: Medicare allows a year from the date of service, Ontario's OHIP three months and PhilHealth 60 days from discharge. Coding stays exposed after payment too: Medicare's recovery auditors can review it up to three years after a claim is paid.

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Built and maintained by Stafflo. Questions or a wrong number: contact. Last updated 11 October 2026.