Job Overview for a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist

A medical billing and coding specialist is an integral member of the medical team who specializes in health information management. This means that a medical billing and coding specialist works in an office, separate from patient contact, rather than in an examination room. The job of a medical billing and coding specialist is to review doctor and hospital examination and procedural notes in order to determine which universally-used numeric codes should be listed on medical bills. These codes must comply with federal regulations and health insurance provider requirements, and are also used to compile statistical information for the medical industry. Therefore, it is very important that a medical billing and coding specialist be thoroughly versed in medical as well as business practices. If you are interested in becoming a medical billing and coding specialist, this job overview for a medical billing and coding specialist should help you on your way:

Education. Medical billing and coding specialists are requirement to at least have a high school diploma or its equivalent. High school courses that can be taken in preparation for a career as a medical billing and coding specialist are biology, computer information technology, algebra, English, office procedures, typing, data processing, and any other class that provides a knowledge of health and medicine. Additionally, specific programs in medical billing and coding specialist training often take nine months to two years to complete and are offered by colleges and universities, although it is also possible to receive on the job training to become a medical billing and coding specialist. Those who want to get certified in medical billing and coding may sit for a certification examination offered by either the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) in order to receive certified medical coder designation.

Job Duties. Medical billing and coding specialists must analyze and interpret notes on medical evaluations, patient histories, and medical procedures in order to transcribe them into medical code. They also collect, post, and manage payments to patient accounts, submit claims to insurance companies, and are responsible for following-through with insurance companies to ensure appropriate and timely payouts. Additionally, medical billing and coding specialists may be required to prepare and send out statements, answer patient billing inquiries, identify and resolve billing issues, follow-up on delinquent accounts, and prepare unpaid accounts for collection.

Work Environment. Medical billing and coding specialists are needed in every environment that provides any type of medical service, and therefore have a variety of options when it comes to work locations. They may work in hospitals, private practice doctors’ offices, home health care agencies, dental offices, consulting firms, billing and coding service businesses, insurance companies, surgery centers, long-term care homes, clinics, and government agencies. Additionally, some medical billing and coding specialists opt to start their own billing and coding services and to work from home.

Salary. Medical billing and coding specialists tend to average relatively higher salaries than those in other healthcare information management professions. An experienced medical billing and coding specialist may expect to earn anywhere from $38,000 to $74,000 per year, depending on the geographic location of employment, education, the size of the employer, and the amount of experience. Those who choose to train, rather than practice medical billing and coding, can expect to earn an average of $48,000 per year.

Job Outlook. Medical billing and coding is one of the fastest growing careers in the medical field. On top of that, there is often a shortage of qualified medical coding and billing specialists to go around, so there are a lot of opportunities in this profession, and job candidates can even afford to be a little picky when it comes to settling down with an employer.

There are many reasons why the medical billing and coding profession is growing so fast. A career in medical billing and coding requires relatively minimal training, and offers job stability, employment flexibility, a good salary, and the opportunity to perform a multitude of varying tasks in a fast-paced environment. If this sounds good to you, then you can enroll in a training program to get you on the fast track to being a professional medical billing and coding specialist and see your goals come to fruition in as little as two years.