Medical Billing And Coding Education And Opportunities

Not many people know much about medical billing and coding although it’s rapidly growing in popularity among younger professionals. It’s a great way to get into the medical field without having to be on the front lines direct patient care and the average salary for a medical billing and coding specialist is pretty decent. Sitting at around $54,000 a year.

What is medical billing and coding?

Medical billing and coding is the process of identifying diagnoses, medical tests, treatments, and procedures found in clinical documentation and then transcribing this patient data into standardized codes to bill government and commercial payers for physician reimbursement.

How to find medical billing and coding schools

There are a ton of options when it comes to finding schools that can teach medical coding, which can make it difficult to decide where to go. Here are a few things you should consider. You’ll need to pass the CPB and CPC certification exams in order to join this field. When looking for schools you must make sure that each school offers the proper training and certifications.

Here are two ways to find schools

Degree Finder: This quick search tool helps you get matched with schools in your area or online so you can jumpstart your medical coding career. 

Find Colleges: This college search website allows you to search for many types of degree options as well as medical billing and coding. Answer a few questions and learn about your on-campus or online schooling options. 

Career benefits to medical billing and coding

This profession has many great benefits that make it an attractive choice for young professionals around the nation. Take a look. 

Salary: A good salary and financial security is one of the major perks of medical billing and coding. These professionals earn an average of $54,401 a year salary with an average growth rate of about 9%.

Quick entry: It doesn’t take long to become certified as a medical biller and coder, in fact, your education and training can be completed in about 8 months’ time. So you don’t have to spend years in college.

Amazing opportunities:  This field is growing faster than almost any other career option and should grow over 11% by 2028. The reason is the increase in the elderly population needing medical assistance. 

Stability and growth: There are tons of opportunities to continually learn and grow once you are a medical coder or medical biller. In addition to the large number of learning opportunities, most professionals can expect to advance to senior positions in 10 years. 

What do medical billers and coders do?

Medical billing and medical coding are two different things however they can be done by one person and most people get certified for both, so that’s why it’s called medical billing and coding. 

Medical billers and coders are professionals in the healthcare industry that are in charge of processing patient data like records and insurance information. Both medical billing and medical coding professions are involved in the medical reimbursement cycle, ensuring that healthcare providers are accurately and efficiently paid for the services they perform.

Hospitals and health clinics of various types are likely to invest in a skilled and qualified medical biller and coder because of the recent changes in health insurance policies and reimbursement qualifications. An extensive grasp on medical insurance, the claims process, the appeals process, and how these things impact revenue down the line, gives the medical biller the needed knowledge to increase revenues. In fact, the profitability and overall financial well being of a practice, hospital, or clinic, depends on the performance of the medical biller.