Behind the Scenes of Medical Billing-Coding Schools

If you love helping people but would rather deal(RHIT) certification exam given by the American
with details behind the scenes than in the waitingHealth Information Management Association
room, medical billing/coding schools could be just(AHIMA).
what the doctor ordered for your career.For insurance billing, you may take the Certified
Medical Billing and Coding RolesMedical Reimbursement Specialist exam, a national
Medical billing/coding schools lead to one of thecredential awarded by the Certifying Board of the
health occupations in which there is little or noAmerican Medical Billing Association. Certifications in
direct contact with patients. But it's not an easycoding are available either from AHIMA (Certified
job -- accuracy is essential, as these professionalsCoding Associate, Certified Coding Specialist, and
assemble patients' health information, ensuringCertified Coding Specialist-Physician-based) or
that medical charts are complete and that allfrom the American Academy of Professional
pertinent information is in the computer.Coders (Certified Professional Coder, Certified
Medical records technicians may also specialize inProfessional Coder-Hospital, Certified Professional
coding information for insurance billing purposes.Coder-Payer).
They assign a code to each diagnosis andOn the Job in Medical Billing and Coding
procedure, consulting classification manuals andMedian annual earnings in the medical billing/coding
relying on their knowledge of disease processes.field were $25,590 in 2004, with the highest 10
Using computer software, medical billing technicianspercent earning more than $41,760. That same
assign the patient to a diagnosis-related groupyear, about 159,000 jobs were held by medical
(DRG), which determines the amount the hospitalrecords and health information technicians.
will be reimbursed if the patient is covered byJob prospects continue to look good for those
insurance programs using the DRG system.with medical billing and coding training. In fact,
Staring Out at Medical Billing/Coding Schoolsaccording to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Once you've received medical billing and codingemployment of medical billing/coding professionals
training from one of the 184 associate degreeis expected to grow much faster than average
programs offered at medical billing/coding schoolsfor all occupations through 2014. Technicians with
accredited by the Commission on Accreditationa strong background in medical coding will be in
for Health Informatics and Informationparticularly high demand due to the increased
Management Education (CAHIIM), you may takeamount of paperwork involved in filing insurance
the Registered Health Information Technicianclaims.