How to Learn At-Home Medical Billing

Medical billing technicians are the gatekeepers for hospitals and doctors offices; these staffers keep track of patient procedures, surgeries, medications and charges, inputting all of the information with specialized medical codes. Employment of medical billers is expected to continue a 20 percent rise through the year 2018, much higher than other professions, according to the United States Department of Labor. People interested in getting into the field of medical billing may pursue the career from home, learning the profession from their computers through an online school program.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine the type of program you’re interested in; online medical billing courses include short-term certificates through two-year associate degree programs. If you’re interested in receiving a credential from the American Health Information Management Association as a Registered Health Information Technician, you must complete a two-year associate degree program.

• 2

  Search for an accredited online school through an agency such as the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education’s website, which allows you to search for accredited medical billing programs—be sure to select the distance learning option.

• 3

  Evaluate the schools and check their websites to see which programs appeal. Check the admissions policy for your intended school; most schools require a high school diploma or GED. Some schools may require a telephone interview.

• 4

  Set up your home office or learning area with any requirements for the school’s online learning components. For example, students in the Lincoln College Online program in medical coding and billing must have a word processing program, minimum 256 MB Ram, CD ROM, minimum 5 GB hard disk space, speakers, headphones, email and an Internet connection (high speed recommended).

• 5

  Take medical billing coursework, such as the classes offered by American Intercontinental University, including introduction to coding and billing, medical records, fundamentals of billing and coding technology and security loss and prevention. Students at Herzing University, which also offers a one-year diploma in medical billing, take classes such as basic diagnostic coding, medical billing and insurance procedures, medical business operations and medical terminology.

• 6

  Complete classes through online forums, Internet Web conferencing, chat rooms and submitting assignments through email.

• 7

  Supplement your learning with self-paced study through introductory textbooks, such as “Medical Billing 101” by Michelle M. Rimmer, “Medical Billing & Coding Demystified” by Marilyn Burgos et al, “Guide to Medical Billing and Coding” by ICDC Publishing and “The Medical Billing Handbook” by Merry Schiff.