Medical Billing and Coding

According to the Labor Bureau, about 170,000 Medical Billing and Coding specialist were employed in 2006. Most worked in hospitals, while others worked in nursing care centers, outpatients centers and home health care services. One perk of this profession is that you can work from home or as a freelancer, working for a number of different facilities.

According to the US Labor Bureau, an 18% increase in the number of Billing and Coding specialist will be employed by 2016. Employment for this profession is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations thought 2014.

Why such a growth you may ask? Growth is due to the increasing number of medical tests, treatments and procedures required by hospitals, as well as heightened scrutiny and accountability required by insurance companies, regulators, courts, and consumers. This change in the health care landscape has made precise and accurate documentation a necessity. Additionally, a new federal regulation requires all medical records be kept in electronic format, thus the need for more and more record keeping personnel.

In this profession you can work from home or as a consultant, working for many different medical institutions. Keep in mind that this option becomes more feasible as you spend more time in the profession. It is hard to enter into this field and expect to work from home right away. According to Salary.com, the average annual salary ranged from $33,370 and $41,561.

Billing and coding specialist most often obtain an associates degree from a community or junior college. These colleges provide flexible course scheduling and many online distance learning courses. This is a great degree to obtain online since many courses require a great deal of memorization. An online degree program will also allow you to study and take exams at your own pace and your own time line.

While associate degree programs usually last 2 years, you may start by obtaining a certificate or diploma program that usually takes nine months to a year. Bare in mind that an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree program will lead to more opportunities for advancement and open doors for management positions.

Classes offered at medical billing and coding programs include both general education courses as well as specialized courses in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, legal aspects of the health information, health data standards, coding and abstraction of data, statistics, database management, and computer science. Taking biology, math, chemistry, health and computer science courses in high school can improve your chances for admission into a program of your choice.

Do you like talking to people? Do you like solving problems? Are you detail oriented? Are you interested in the health care industry but don’t want the stress of working with patients? If so, a career in medical coding and billing may be for you.

Medical Billing and Coding professionals organize and code treatment information recorded by doctors for both facilities records as well as insurance companies. While often cited together, medical billing and medical coding are two separate careers. You can choose to work in a blended job – spending some time coding and some time billing. Make sure to choose a school that will prepare you for both career options. So what’s the difference between medical coding and medical billing you ask?

Medical billing deals with submitting medical claims to insurance companies, compiling records to charge for services rendered, calculating the amount of these services, preparing invoices to be mailed out to patients. They often contact insurance companies to determine the items and amounts that will be reimbursed. They make sure that the medical billing process runs smoothly.

On the other hand, medical coders specialize in translating patient medical charts to a series of codes that are clear and universally understood. They assign a code to each diagnosis and procedure for insurance billing purposes. If you like analyzing data this job is perfect for you.

Return from Medical Billing and Coding to Online Nursing Degree