About Medical Billing & Coding Training

The medical billing and coding field is one of the most rapidly growing health care fields. Each year, insurance companies and government agencies require more specialized and accurate information about a patient's diagnoses and treatments. Because of these requirements, most employers now require medical billing and coding associates to have specialized training and certifications in this field.

Identification

• Medical billing and coding is a very important aspect of the medical world. Medical coding specialists are responsible for assigning codes to a patient's file from a system that is used across the board by physicians, hospitals and insurance companies. Medical billing specialists are responsible for inputting the information from the patient's records into a software system to create a bill that is sent to insurance companies and government agencies to ensure that the facility providing the services to the patient's receives pay for these services in a timely manner. Though medical billing and coding careers are often described as one career, each has its own required training and certification. Medical coding professionals are required to have a thorough knowledge of the coding system, as well as knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and treatments. Medical billing professionals are required to have training that allows them to input the information from a patient's medical records quickly and accurately. Each field requires integrity, and the specialist must meet patient confidentiality standards.

Benefits

• A career in the medical billing and coding field offers many benefits. These benefits are enhanced by the amount of training and the certification level obtained. Most medical billing and coding training programs take one to two years to complete. This make medical billing and coding one of the quickest medical careers to enter. Another benefit of a medical billing and coding career is the high demand in the workplace. Once you have completed your training program, there are several levels of certification to choose from. The higher the level of certification, the higher the pay. Certified specialists can earn from $36,000 to $40,000 per year.

Time Frame

• A degree and certification in this field can be obtained by attending classes on a campus or online. Many employers, especially those with a need for specialists, will hire a graduate and give them a certain amount of time to become certified. This allows a person to enter the workforce in a minimal amount of time.

Evolution

• As the medical field grows and more demands are made for specialized medicine, the options for medical billing and coding specialists increases. Unlike the past, when most physicians were general physicians and treated patients for everything, today's medical world is concentrated in specialized fields. This means that patients often have a team of doctors. Each of these doctors is usually located in a separate office or facility. As medical treatment has become more specialized, this has increased the demand for professionals trained in medical billing and coding \to ensure that a patient's records are as accurate as possible. This ensures the safety of the patient and that each participating facility receives the correct payment from the insurance company or government agency involved with the patient's care.

Geography

• Medical billing and coding programs can be found in many campuses in America. Many community colleges in small towns offer medical billing and coding programs. If there is not a campus near you that offers these courses, if you have an Internet connection, you can complete the training program from home by attending an online college. Medical billing and coding training and certification programs are available for anyone, whether you live in a large city or a rural area. There are also tuition reimbursement and scholarship programs available for people who are willing to work in a rural or inner city setting. These programs can include full tuition, full tuition plus living expenses and tuition reimbursement for those who have completed the training program and are willing to work for a certain length of time in a rural or inner city setting.