Medical Billing and Insurance Coding
If you’re good at details, handling health care paperwork could be the perfect field for you.
The health care industry literally runs on paperwork – documentation for patient records and payment from the insurance companies. Every time a patient receives a health care service, a record is kept of the observations, medical or surgical procedures and treatment outcomes. This record can include the patient’s symptoms and medical history as well as test results, diagnoses and treatment plans.
To get reimbursement from insurance programs or Medicare or Medicaid, medical billing and insurance coders assign a code to each diagnosis and procedure. They use specific software to assign several hundred “diagnosis-related groups” or DRGs to the patient’s bill that explain what procedures were performed and why.
The DRG code is critical to help determine the amount the insurance programs will reimburse the hospital, the doctor and the laboratory. Medical billing and insurance coders must:
- Understand medical terminology
- Enter patient information into computer databases
- Code the proper procedures and diagnoses
- Send the information to the appropriate patients, insurance companies, doctors and medical facilities
A growing field for skilled professionals
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of medical billing and insurance coding specialists will increase by 18% through 2016, much faster than average for all occupations.
Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in particularly high demand. Other professionals will be needed to manage the entire process, check for accuracy and secure the information as required by law.
More job openings are expected in doctors’ offices because of increasing demand for detailed records, especially in large group practices. New opportunities will also happen in home health care services, outpatient care centers, hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities.
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Medical Billing and Insurance Coding Programs.
Do you have the persistence, patience and discipline to succeed in this growing field?
Successful medical billing and insurance coding professionals are good at managing detailed information in a complex system. They can work well alone or in a group.
A career in medical billing and insurance coding could be right for you, if you:
- Are good at working with codes and numbers
- Value accuracy and organization
- Can keep current with changing guidelines
- Are thorough about getting correct information
- Want a challenging career
- Enjoy looking up and researching facts
- Wish to work in an administrative position in the health care field
Michelle LaMark
