Medical Billing and Coding Certified Specialists: Formal Education Solidifies Your Career

Anyone looking for a health related career would have to be deaf not to have heard about the explosion of the Medical Billing and Coding branch of the field.

With medical advances, and specialist treatments along with complex insurance regulations, the need for professional billers and coders is way
ahead of the number of people available to fill the positions.
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Editor's top picks online coding/billing schools:

American InterContinental University has an online HealthCare Medical Billing and Coding (Associate's) program. Throughout this course you will learn medical vocabulary while gaining the necessary skills you'll need to succeed as an Insurance Verification Representative, Medical Records Specialist, as well as other related positions. Coursework for this program includes coding, anatomy and physiology and the legal aspects of health information.

Colorado Technical University offers an Associate of Science in Medical Billing and Coding degree program that focuses on classifying and coding diagnosis and procedures. Coursework includes anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, IT for healthcare professionals, healthcare management, health tech systems, healthcare legal concepts, and more. With this degree, graduates also earn the following two professional certificates: ICD9 and CPT IT for Healthcare.

Herzing College offers an Associate's in Medical Billing and Coding degree program or a Diploma program in Medical Coding and Billing. Both programs are designed to provide students with a complete understanding of the medical coding processes. Coursework includes medical terminology and anatomy, physiology, and disease processes.

Stonecliffe College offers an Associate of Science in Medical Billing and Coding degree program that focuses on classifying and coding diagnosis and procedures. Coursework includes anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, IT for healthcare professionals, healthcare management, health tech systems, healthcare legal concepts, and more. With this degree, graduates also earn the following two professional certificates: ICD9 and CPT IT for Healthcare.

Most private doctor's offices are still depending on their overworked office managers—and nearly every bill has to be submitted at least twice before all the codes are correct. Each time a bill has to be resubmitted, the doctor has to pay out of his own pocket. Simply submitting correctly coded bills would bring the average doctor another $60,000 in revenue over a three month period.

Whether you want to start your own 'at home' business profession, work with a single doctor, or be a part of a large team that handles the billing and coding for major medical facilities, you should ensure the quality of your operation by obtaining formal education and becoming a certified medical biller and coder.

The education is not a legal requirement, but due to the detailed nature of the business and the high cost of errors, your career will get off the ground much more quickly if the doctor or hospital sees that you are certified as an expert in this important and rapidly growing field.

Many excellent institutions now offer training as a medical biller and coder. Several have online classes, requiring little or no campus residency. And with the growing popularity of distance education, you can rest assured that accredited medical billing courses online are just as rigorous and comprehensive as if you had spent time in a traditional classroom.

The following are just a sampling of the occupational titles and job opportunities related to medical billing and coding.

• Billing specialist
• Coding Specialist
• Medical specialist
• Patient Account Representative
• Claims Analyst
• Claims Processor
• Electronic Claims Processor
• Reimbursement Specialist
• Claims Review
• Billing Coordinator
• Claims Assistant Professional
• Billing Coordinator

According to the US Career Institute, the health care field is growing faster than any industry. The health care providers can't begin to keep up with the CPT codes alone...that stands for "current procedural terminology," and for 2007, there are 9000 CPT codes alone. If you think that's overwhelming, consider that there are 17,000 ICD-9 codes for 2007 (International Classification of Diseases). The ICD-9 Code is used with a CPT code. The CPT code describes a procedure while an ICD-9 code describes a diagnosis. The combined codes verify the medical necessity of a procedure. A Medical Biller and Coder is taught how to choose these and many other types of codes, based on the doctor's 'superbill.' When the correct codes are identified, a reputable insurance company will usually pay the claims in a timely fashion.

Of course, the doctor has to pay for each code on the bill. An incorrect code doesn't mean a refund. It means he will have to pay again. Even for a few cents per code—imagine how much money is lost if 96% of all medical bills have to be submitted at least twice. That's why you need to formalize your new career with an earned certification from one of the many fine institutions available.
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