MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING CAREER
Medical Billing and Coding
Wanda F. Pervish
Instructor: Elbert Trone
Learning Framework
12 December 2012
MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING CAREER
Abstract
When people think about jobs in the health care field, it can be easy to assume that most jobs involve direct, hands-on patient care. What many people don’t realize is that administrative jobs are equally vital to ensuring quality health care services. Medical billing and coding is an important piece in the administrative puzzle that makes up the vast health industry. As with most administrative jobs, medical coding and billing professionals need to have excellent attention to detail, as one wrong code or inaccurate statement can have an extremely negative
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Medical billing and coding professionals who specialize in areas such as neuropsychiatry or rheumatology typically earn more than medical billers and medical coders who do not specialize. Medical billing and coding certification is another factor that can impact medical billing and coding salary, since certification allows medical billers and medical coders to earn higher
This standardized dialect is also pertinent for medical schooling and teaching in addition to clinical research and studies conducted by scholars, scientists, and physicians by providing a valuable foundation for domestic and coast-to-coast operation evaluations. CPT is used to describe doctor’s services, a vast amount of administrative services in addition to operating services executed in medical facilities, treatment care centers, and outpatient divisions. Providing support for clerical duties and functions such as processing medical claims and initiating strategies and procedures for the evaluation of clinical care is another cause of relevance for CPT. The system also meets the need for tracking trends and identifying improvements, plus progression goals and scaling the value of healthcare services received by patients. The CPT coding system provides physicians throughout the United States with a consistent method for classifying and coding clinical procedures which in return provides a more efficient tool for recording and reporting task that were completed. Physicians, scholars and payors, have been dependent upon CPT to interconnect with other fellow associates, patients,
Great post, there are so many important things that come along with learning medical billing and coding. I'm getting a little overwhelmed because there is so much material to cover. When I first started reading about the different coding edits and how to use them I was very confused because it mentioned that every code does not have a MUE or CCI edit. I did find a full list of edits on the CMS website so that could be helpful as well. Since CMS updates the national correct coding policy each January we have to be aware of the changes. The more practice that we get the better we'll understand them. As I was doing my research there were several websites that you could go to that will explain the code edits.This discussion was definitely a challenge
The new job title could be a medical coder 1. I choose this new title because the medical coder is a health care professional who analyzes the medical records, medical charts and assigns the appropriate codes. Most of the job’s responsibilities of a medical coder are required for the inpatient and the outpatient coder’s jobs. For example, medical coder’s responsibilities are: reading and analyzing patient records, determining the correct codes for patient records, interacting with physicians and assistants to ensure accuracy, using codes to bill insurance providers, and maintaining patient confidentiality and information security. In addition, the minimum required certification of this job is CPC or CCS and RHIT with at least 4 years of experience. Those certifications are given to a Coder who can read and assign correct diagnosis International Classification of Diseases or ICD-10-CM, Current Procedural Terminology or CPT, supply Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System or HCPCS code for a wide variety of clinical cases and services, and read and assign PCS codes. The skills of this job are same as the skills of the
Launched as a community for curious career seekers, medical coding students, new medical coders, and medical coding rockstars, this blog is for those destined for success. We assume a professional, upbeat, and witty mindset, because I believe the business of medical coding doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it’s quite exciting!
In my role with Hygienic Smiles Dental Hygiene Office as an office assistant, I managed and organized charts and files of patients daily, to ensure that all information was accurate and up to date. I can apply this same level of attention to detail to tasks such as preparing income tax returns or even making sure that the copier never runs out of paper. Furthermore, because I highly value the confidentiality of our patients, I maintained professionalism when handling sensitive or personal information belonging to them. Working at Hygienic Smiles also tested my ability to adapt and become capable of learning new software, such as ABELdent Dental Practice Management Software used at the office or Microsoft Excel and Taxprep.
When researching the jobs for Medical Billing and Coding (MB&C), I asked myself many questions; Which resulted in more research. I have always set out to carry out an extensive goal. I strive to help as many people as possible. What better way to do that, than the medical field. Mark McClellan has said, “ Patients receive better care when providers are given financial incentives to deliver the right care.” (EBSCO) when pondering on a career choice, I looked for something I could help others and give financial incentive. Once I had decided to follow this career path, I asked myself, What are the trends in this industry?
There are many components to a hospital or medical facility. All of them are necessary to have a properly functioning environment. The emergency department of a hospital is a fast paced world. You have to be constantly on your toes and prepared for whatever may come through the doors. There are many people that work in an emergency room to make it run smoothly. Techs, nurses, CNA’s, LVN’s, and doctors all work side by side to help those who are critically injured. Without all these people it would be complete chaos.
Medical billing and coding specialists usually work in office settings. A computer, a telephone and appropriate documents are all used on a daily basis. Unlike other medical professions, there is little contact with patients. Medical coders work closely with healthcare providers and insurance carriers to gather and provide accurate billing information, but most communication take place in the form of phone conversations and mailings.
It has only been within the last five years that health information management (HIM) has experienced exponential changes, due to the healthcare reform. The electronic health record (EHR) is connected to health information exchanges and other systems of interoperability. The timely completion of charts, coding and release of information (ROI) has become much more efficient with the electronic record. Traditional HIM functions will just be transformed and will always be an integral part of successful patient care. Professionals must be flexible and willing to adapt and even generate change. As Health Information Technology continues to evolve, so will the roles
Medical auditing shares many of the responsibilities of a coding manager but without the an emphasis on personnel management as is seen in coding management fields.
Some useful qualities to be successful in this career include: dependability, willingness to learn, self motivation, competence, enthusiasm, responsibility, discretion and team player. Your dependability is crucial for a company to run smoothly, dependability can be just coming to work on time, but more importantly completing your task on time and accurately. Since you will be inputting patients’ information into a computer system for record keeping purposes, it is of the utmost importance to make sure information is keyed in accurately. This information is used by doctors, other health care facilities and for insurance purposes, so it is important that all information is correct, so that business can run smoothly. It is also important that the information is correct, because someone’s life may one day depend on the accuracy of the information. In any job enthusiasm is rather important, if you do not enjoy your job, you do not work
The Medical Coding and Billing career offers an average starting salary of about 40,000 dollars a year, and the Us department of labor expects to add over 41,000 new job opportunities in next few years. This is a growth of about 22% in the next few years. With Medical Coding and Billing, you can gain all of the important skills that you need by completing online courses that works around your life schedule. You can achieves this in a year or less.
In my paper I will be discussing what medical terminology is, where it came from, and how it is applied to medical assistant careers as well as how it is applied to medical administration careers. I will give examples of the importance of medical terminology and specific examples of where medical careers use medical terminology on a day to day basis. I will also give a brief summary and definition of what medical terminology stands for. After reading my paper you should have a good concept of medical terminology’s importance, use, and why medical terminology is not just applied to medical assisting jobs but also why it is important for medical administration employees to also be familiar and have a good grasp on medical terminology.
The most important element in becoming a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist is the training and certification need to enter the field and for advancement. You will need a program that provides an understanding of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. This program should also navigate the three topics: ICD, CPT and HCPCS. These codes help you document the conditions of a patient and describe the procedure performed on the patient. When you have completed your training there are several certifications you can test for. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) offer certification for the Certified Coding Associate (CCA). You will need AHIMA membership and an exam fee ($199- $299), a high school diploma or
Who are Medical Billers and Coders? Medical Billing and Coding Specialist (MBCS) are the invisible engines of the healthcare system. They create invoices for all medical costs provided by healthcare providers and then submit the claims to patients’ insurance companies. They are also responsible for collecting co-payment s for a portion of the healthcare costs. A medical biller is responsible for processing insurance claims so the physicians and office staff get paid. Medical billing is done in a hospital, clinic or physician office. A medical coder work with ICD-9-CM, CPT, HCPCS, and/or ICD-10-CM medical codes making sure the procedures don for that patient are consistent with the diagnosis in the patient’s chart.