Medical Billing and Coding Training - The secret workforce in health care
Each and every clinic, institution and agency in health care has a responsibility to accurately submit claims and bill its patients and providers. Each one is also seeing a substantial increase in the number of patients and claims that pass through every day. Because of this, the number of medical Billing and Coding specialists is increasing drastically. And, since many of these jobs are relatively unknown, most employers are having difficulty in finding trained individuals to fill the roles of these positions.
Careers that are not just secretarial jobs
The process of medical Billing and Coding has grown increasingly more difficult over time. The requirements by insurance companies and labor forces to be very detailed in their billing procedures has put a huge emphasis on training individuals responsible for these tasks.
Every single procedure and each small little item in a medical institution is given a billing code. This was done to both create a detailed inventory, but also to eliminate confusion over items used on patients and procedures completed. The responsibility to correctly assign these codes falls on the Billing and Coding specialist and that requires some training.
Imagine a simple error in assigning the correct code to a claim. Here is one scenario that could occur without training:
A patient is seen in a Dr.'s office and during their visit is given a small dose of Magnesium Sulfate, a mineral. The physician makes the notation in his chart similar to "1 mg MS administered through an IV". The chart is then passed on to the office staff for billing. Without training, the person billing this patient will most likely mistakenly bill them for Morphine Sulfate, a very strong narcotic used to treat pain. Believe it or not, these types of scenarios used to be a very common billing error. It is for reasons such as this that certified training programs have been developed and are available all across the country.
Medical Billing and Coding training is available!
Training programs exist at a great many teaching institutions. Many of them are even available online, through distance education. The programs are relatively short, and since the need for trained Medical Billing and Coding specialists is at an all time high, successful completion virtually guarantees the graduate a job close to home.
Take a look below at some of the schools offering this program. Feel free to request information from the school of your choice, and make your own conscious decision about your education. Your future is yours to decide, and information is FREE!