Are you trying desperately to find that perfect career path? Are you interested in working in an administrative or clerical type position, but you don’t think that simply being a secretary will be right for you? Are you an organized individual who can multi-task and still manage to pay attention to detail? Do you want a profession that will have the potential to allow you to work from home in the future? If yes was your answer to each of these questions, then you will definitely want to keep reading to learn all of the most important information about becoming a medical biller – it just may be the ideal choice for you! Find a medical insurance billing college today to get started.
First of all, it is important to understand that within the medical industry the professions of medical billers and medical coders are quite similar when referring to their duties and responsibilities. In fact, in some cases a person who is hired to perform the work of a medical biller may also be required to perform the duties of a medical coder. No matter if you have the duties and responsibilities of only a medical biller or of that of a medical insurance biller and a coder; you are preparing to enter an occupational path that is in high demand. In addition, online research shows that this career path is projected to continue its growth over the next few years. Another similarity for these two professions is that they both require that potential employees have completed a minimum of a certificate program.
Generally speaking, in your capacity as a medical biller you will be expected to accurately translate information from a physician or hospital regarding a patient into an alpha-numerical code. Since the information that you translate will be documented in a patient’s chart it will be critical that you can record accurate information and not leave out even the smallest of details. On any given day you may be translating information that is related to a patient’s health history, a treatment plan and how the patient is reacting thus far, the diagnosis, and any other information that is deemed pertinent to a patient and should be included in their chart. It is important to understand that the information that you are translating is used between a physician’s office and the related insurance companies in order to ensure that the proper payment is made; therefore, consistency and accuracy is crucial to your success in this profession.
In order to perform your job as necessary it will be imperative that you are well versed and extremely familiar with several different systems of coding. Keep in mind, while you will likely not use all of the coding systems it will be up to your place of employment to decide which they prefer to use. Therefore, the more well versed you are in coding systems, the more likely your chances of employment are. For instance, if you become employed by a hospital you will likely use a level 1 coding system, while doctor’s offices tend to use a level 2 coding system.