Medical coding is a job that requires copious research and razor sharp concentration, and some coders struggle with work environments in which it is hard to do both.

I recently talked with one coder who codes complex surgeries at a nationally reowned university health system that will remain nameless. She works in one of four cubicles crammed into a tiny office that holds 4 coders. Her desk can not hold a monitor AND her coding books.

To make things worse, surgeons are constantly squeezing in to answer questions, so she is often struggling to concentrate in the noise that 4 coders and 5-6 clinicians can make in the tiny space.

She hopes to move offices soon but in the meantime, wears headphones a lot and is looking into coding reference software so she does not have to shuffle around books.

Paying attention to your work space may seem like a little thing, but it can be an important step towards improving your coding accuracy. She suggests you ask your supervisor to support your coding excellence by providing the following:

1. A quiet corner … away from all communal technology. If you can not have your own little space, ask for the most remote corner in the back of the back office. Stay away from hallways, the copy machine, and the fax machine.

Clinicians and staff understand that you are smart and resourceful, so they will be tempted to rope you into solving toner problems instead of working to get the reimbursements that pays their paychecks.

2. Time away from the phone. Many coders take on phone duty for part of the day, but do not expect to code accurately during your phone duty times. If your supervisor puts you on the phone during busy times, encourage her to let you set out your 'coding time' for pure coding. You simply can not focus on an op report if you are constantly interrupting your train of thought to answer calls.