Behind the Scenes of Medical Billing-Coding Schools

If you love helping people but would rather deal with details behind the scenes than in the waiting room, medical billing/coding schools could be just what the doctor ordered for your career.

Medical Billing and Coding Roles
Medical billing/coding schools lead to one of the health occupations in which there is little or no direct contact with patients. But it's not an easy job -- accuracy is essential, as these professionals assemble patients' health information, ensuring that medical charts are complete and that all pertinent information is in the computer.

Medical records technicians may also specialize in coding information for insurance billing purposes. They assign a code to each diagnosis and procedure, consulting classification manuals and relying on their knowledge of disease processes. Using computer software, medical billing technicians assign the patient to a diagnosis-related group (DRG), which determines the amount the hospital will be reimbursed if the patient is covered by insurance programs using the DRG system.

Staring Out at Medical Billing/Coding Schools

Once you've received medical billing and coding training from one of the 184 associate degree programs offered at medical billing/coding schools accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), you may take the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certification exam given by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

For insurance billing, you may take the Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist exam, a national credential awarded by the Certifying Board of the American Medical Billing Association. Certifications in coding are available either from AHIMA (Certified Coding Associate, Certified Coding Specialist, and Certified Coding Specialist-Physician-based) or from the American Academy of Professional Coders (Certified Professional Coder, Certified Professional Coder-Hospital, Certified Professional Coder-Payer).

On the Job in Medical Billing and Coding
Median annual earnings in the medical billing/coding field were $25,590 in 2004, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $41,760. That same year, about 159,000 jobs were held by medical records and health information technicians.

Job prospects continue to look good for those with medical billing and coding training. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical billing/coding professionals is expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through 2014. Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in particularly high demand due to the increased amount of paperwork involved in filing insurance claims.

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Robyn Tellefsen is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school or career that's right for you!

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