If you have enough motivation to enhance your medical billing knowledge and pursue a career in this line, you could consider learning new skills for maximizing medical reimbursement. You could advance your career in medical billing by simply investing a few hundred dollars and several weeks to get your medical billing certification. Learn about the preparation and education required for becoming a medical biller. Here are a few details about medical billing training, certifications, job description and responsibilities that would help you know more about the career you wish to pursue.
Who Are Medical Billers?
Accurate, effective and prompt reimbursement of medical services is supposed to be a major issue for practitioners, patients, and insurance providers. Medical billing and coding experts are highly-trained professionals who are responsible for establishing, as well as, maintaining the efficient and smooth functioning of every aspect of communication in the healthcare industry.
Who Are Referred to as Medical Records & Health Information Technicians
People involved in medical billing & coding are called Medical Records & Health Information Technicians. Medical billing requires professionals who are skilled in the complicated system involving medical invoicing for the purpose of insurance and reimbursement. The first step towards an entry-level medical billing position would be requiring a 2-year degree program or a 1-year certification in medical billing & coding. Several technicians eventually opt for a certification in a specialized area of medical billing.
Key Career Information
Medical Records & Health Information Technician actually is supposed to be a job title that is commonly used for describing numerous positions in this arena of work. This could be including technicians who are known to specialize in billing precisely and those who concentrate on coding. These expert technicians would be operating in healthcare-associated environments which may include physician’s offices, clinics, hospitals, or even insurance companies.
It is up to the technicians to opt for specialization in hospital-oriented billing or physician-oriented billing and coding. Moreover, some medical records & health information technicians would be becoming specialized in any particular field of medicine, including gastroenterology or pediatrics or anesthesia services. The billing & coding specialists possess sound knowledge about all these specific procedures relating to the medical specialties because it is associated with billing and coding.
Medical Billing & Coding Job Requirements
For entry-level jobs in medical billing software & coding, it is mandatory to complete a certification course or an associate’s degree program pertaining to medical billing & coding. These programs would be introducing students to the frequently used classification systems like CPT, ICD-9, DSM-IV, and HCPCS. Students are supposed to complete a course in medical terminology & pathophysiology. They would receive adequate training in medical insurance. Moreover, medical coders need to possess a sound understanding of all the latest laws and ethics associated with medical billing, health insurance, and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
Certification Information
As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers would be looking for employees who possess certification in the specific field. However, this certification is not a compulsory prerequisite for this job. Certified Coding Assistant (CCA) is supposed to be the most popular certification examination that is operated via the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association). This exam is usually, taken after graduating from a training program. After accumulating a few years’ work experience, the technicians would become eligible for taking the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) examination that would be including either a hospital-based option or a physician-based.
Medical Billing Career Outlook
According to the BLS, the number of working Medical Records & Health Information Technicians has been projected to achieve a 15 percent growth between the years 2014 to 2024. This implies that growth is faster than the average. The median annual wage for these workers was $37,110 as in May 2015 as per the statistics published by the BLS.
Conclusion
You could be successfully maintaining the medical billing certifications by consistently upgrading yourself and staying updated. You require earning a number of CEUs (Continuing Education Credits) every year: 12 units for CMBS and precisely15 units specifically for CMRS. You could easily be fulfilling all these requirements simply by completing the approved billing courses, also by being present in association-approved conferences, or even by taking part in some other approved medical billing professional development programs. In addition to the certifications and training, you would require determination and dedication to pursue your career in the field of medical billing.
