Medical Billing & Coding - Work Behind the Scenes in Health Care
A Medical Billing & Coding Professional is one who likes the medical field, but prefers to work not with patients, but with patients' data.
This type of individual is responsible, organized and can retain large amounts of information–definitely someone you want on your Trivial Pursuit team. They multi-task well, enjoy reading, and like to use the computer.
What does a Medical Billing & Coding professional do?
Every time health care personnel treat a patient, they record what they observed and how the patient was treated. This record includes symptoms and medical history, the results of examinations, x-ray reports, lab tests, diagnoses and treatment plans. They evaluate these records for completeness and accuracy.
Medical Billing & Coding Specialists assemble patient info by first making sure their medical charts are complete. They ensure that all forms are completed, and that all necessary information is in the computer, and may communicate with physicians to get more information. They also use computers to tabulate and analyze data to help improve patient care, control costs, for use in legal actions, in response to surveys, or for use in research.
Those who specialize in coding assign a code, or a "diagnosis-related group" (DRG), to each diagnosis and procedure. The DRG determines the amount the hospital will be reimbursed if the patient is covered by Medicare or other insurance programs using the DRG system.
A Medical Billing & Coding Specialist’s duties vary with the size of the facility. In large to medium facilities, they may specialize in one aspect of health information, or supervise health information clerks and transcriptionists. In small facilities, they sometimes manage the department.
What Does Our Medical Billing & Coding Program Offer You?
- A general overview of health care and health insurance
- Training in insurance billing and medical coding
- Instruction for organizing and maintaining medical records
- Awareness of insurance claim reimbursement methodologies
- The study of human anatomy and physiology and common diseases
- An introduction to medical terminology and pharmacology
- Knowledge of medical office administrative responsibilities
- Externship in a medical office or a hospital
What career choices are available to graduates?
Upon graduation, you will be qualified to work as a Medical Insurance Biller, a Medical Records Coder or a Health Information Technician in places such as:
- Hospitals
- Nursing Homes
- Medical Group Practices
- Home Health Agencies
- Clinics
Classroom Procedures
Each course stands alone as a unit of study and is not dependent upon prerequisite training. A student may enter the program at the beginning of any course and continue through the sequence until completion of all courses.
Externship
Following the completion of the coursework, you will have the opportunity to participate in a four-week externship in a medical office or a hospital. During this time, you will practice the skills learned during the classroom portion of the course.
The unpaid externship consists of 160 clock hours, averaging eight hours a day, five days a week.
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