There is a need for more people in the medical billing and coding fields, so if you are looking for a career option, this might be a good thing to look into.
Although it is possible to get trained for this field on the job, it probably isn’t very easy to find this sort of position.
Most employers prefer that candidates are already trained through an accredited program. Candidates who are certified are even more in demand. Some reputable campus and online schools provide job placement for graduates of their courses with employers, so it’s worthwhile to look into one of these schools.
Medical Billing Vs Medical Coding
Medical insurance billing and coding are two separate fields, though many people combine them to make themselves even more in demand in the job market. Medical billing involves sending out the actual bills to insurance companies, patients, Medicare and Medicaid for the services that have been provided. Medical coders go through the records of the services that were performed for a patient and assign the appropriate ICD and CPT codes for use in billing. Each procedure has a separate code, and these professionals need to learn how to figure out which codes go with which procedures.
Types of Programs
There are a number of options for medical billing and coding courses. You can choose between certificate programs, associate’s degree programs, and bachelor’s degree programs. If you are thinking of getting certified, it is preferable to get at least an associate’s degree, as some certifications require at least this much education. Certificate programs will get you ready to start working in less than two years, which associate’s degree programs take two years and bachelor’s degree programs require four years to complete.
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) accredit programs of study in this area, so you should look on the AHIMA website for a list of available accredited programs. Although there aren’t accredited programs in every state, there are a number of distance education options so that everyone has access to an accredited program, either online or in a classroom.
Medical Billing And Coding Certification Exam
Once you have completed your training, it is wise to seek certification from one of the professional organizations the have these available. One of the better known organizations for these certifications is AHIMA, though there are a number of others that you can look into as well. Employers know that in order to become certified you need to pass an exam, so if you are certified they know that you have a certain level of knowledge in your career field and they are more likely to hire you than someone that doesn’t have the certification.