Medical Billing and Coding: A Hot Career Possibility for the Physically Challenged—and others with brain but not much brawn

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Single parent, Maria S. gets her kids off to school, stacks her personal mail for the postman, pushes the dishes into the sink for her housekeeper and navigates her high-tech wheel chair into her quiet, brightly lit office at the back of her house. Soon the computer keys are clicking, the fax spitting out crisp sheets, punctuated by occasional rings from the phone. She checks the caller ID before answering. Her friends know better than to call before noon, but sometimes they forget. At 9:00, her assistant will arrive, giving her a few moments to take personal phone calls if she chooses to do so.

Maria's clients are doctors and hospitals. She is a coding and billing specialist with over 10 years of experience. She has a back-up assistant in case she has doctor appointments or needs a vacation herself, but those occasions are rare. Most of her clients have no idea that Maria has no legs, having lost both of them (along with her husband) in a tragic auto accident. Many people would have given up and just spent the rest of their lives receiving food stamps and disability checks—but not Maria.

Are your working capabilities limited by either circumstance or physical challenges? Do your head and hands work just fine? Then we have the career for you. Medical Billing and Coding—while not by any means new—is currently one of the hottest careers in the medical field. Plus, if you're good, you will be able to demand a very attractive salary once you get started and become known. The following list will give you a brief idea—from the view point of the doctors and hospitals—of just why this field, which once seemed rather ho-hum, has seen recent explosion.

• Ninety-six percent of all health claims must be submitted more than once.
  
  
• Hospital professionals say that the average medical facility could save more than $1 million per year if their billing and coding could be done more efficiently.
  
  
• Patients would suffer less stress—and need less care, if they didn't have to face charges resulting from billing errors.
  
  
• Insurance companies are very little help to the doctor. They assume the doctors know how to bill. The company will not take the responsibility of correcting a bill just so they can pay it.
  
  
• Advanced Medical Insurance Coding is beyond the capability of the average overworked office manager.
  
  
• Even a one doctor facility often needs several full time individuals to keep the billing and coding up to date.
  
  
• The average doctor's office would recover up to $60,000 in just three months if the coding was correct the first time, every time.
  
  
• Due to the complexity of this field, many doctors are looking for individuals who have completed highly qualified programs and are certified as medical billers and coders. Doctors know that certified specialists cost money. They are willing to pay for perfection.

Of course, you don't have to be physically challenged to take on this new career. You DO have to able to operate a computer, pay attention to specific detail, be well organized, dependable, honest, and willing to stay on top of this growing field.

Certification programs from Basic to Advanced billing and coding are available. Many are available through accredited, online schools, with classes taking from 9 months to 2 years to complete. Due to the complex nature of the field, anything less is not advisable.

When you acquire formal training, you also have the advantage of hands on learning with many institutions. Once you have the skills, you can start your own business and decide just how big you want to let it grow.

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