ICD 10 would bring more opportunites for coders

ICD 10 implementation is usually described as Y2K of medical coding. As Y2K brought huge opportunities for software professionals, ICD 10 would do the same for medical coding professionals. Coding is going to become much more complex and coders would be required to apply their analytical skills to choose from 100's of codes rather than just remembering a few codes.

Productivity will go down by about 23-50%. Even after complete transition, coding productivity will not reach the Pre-ICD-10 levels so hospitals will be required to hire new coders to compensate for lower productivity. It is also expected that many senior coders who are in their fifties and sixties would leave their jobs rather than learn the new system, thus creating opportunities for the new coders. Also, ICD 10 implementation will require the creation of new data analyst positions in the hospitals thus increasing the opportunities for medical coders.