What is the primary role of a medical coder?

The primary role of a medical coder revolves around assigning standardized codes to diagnoses and procedures as they appear in clinical documentation. This process is essential in transforming healthcare services into numerical or alphanumeric codes that facilitate billing, record-keeping, and communication with insurance providers. By accurately coding the details of patient encounters, medical coders play a critical role in ensuring that healthcare organizations receive appropriate reimbursement for services rendered, as well as maintain compliance with regulations.

In light of this primary function, it's clear that providing patient care, conducting medical research, or performing physical examinations, while important roles in the healthcare system, do not align with the specific responsibilities of a medical coder. Coders focus exclusively on the coding aspect of healthcare documentation, making option B the correct choice.