Insurance Billing and Coding Specialist Careers

Insurance Billing and Coding Specialist Career Paths

Properly trained insurance billing andcoding professionals are in very high demand across the healthcare industry. Positions exists in all areas of healthcare including doctors’ offices, insurance companies, hospitals, clinics, assisted living facilities, or any other healthcare provider. Examples of career paths for Herzing University graduates include:

• Medical Coder
• Insurance Claims Analyst
• Coding Specialist
• Abstractor
• Medical Office Assistant
• Coding Technician
• Medical Billing Specialist
• Medical Clerk
• Health Information Specialist

Graduates of the Herzing University insurance billing and coding specialist programs will be positioned to work as either a medical biller or medical coder. They may also choose to incorporate both career paths as some employers seek one person who is capable of performing both functions.

Insurance Billing and Coding Specialist Salary

Salaries for insurance billing and coding professionals depend on level of education, experience, credentials earned, and geographic location.

• The American Academy of Professional Coders recently compiled a salary survey in which over 5,000 members responded. See the result at AAPC Salary Survey.
• The American Health Information Management posted the results of their member salary survey from 2008. Review their findings at AHIMA Salary Survey.

Work Environment

Insurance billing and coding specialist typically work in an office environment in either a healthcare facility or agency setting. A typical work week for full-time employees is 40 hours, Monday – Friday with the possibility of paid overtime, depending on the employer. Insurance Billing and Coding Specialists often receive a comprehensive benefit package that includes health insurance, paid vacation, and a retirement savings plan such as profit-sharing or 401(k). Some employers have part-time opportunities available as well.

While some insurance billing and coding specialists have special arrangements with an employer to work from home once they graduate, new professionals in this field should expect to work on-location for the first several years in order to gain enough experience before successfully finding an opportunity to work from home.