Medical Billing and Coding Job Description, Training and Salary

If you've been thinking about taking some medical coding or medical billing classes online or getting medical coding or billing training you want to make sure you understand what this career and the job entails and have a good idea what kind of salary you'll make. Of course you may want to open a work from home business and it's certainly possible but may require a good education and training and an entrepreneurial ability to do so.

Going into a home business is not for everybody and getting on the job experience first is a good idea unless you have extensive education and feel like you completely understand the billing business.

Medical billing means you would be documenting patients' visits to a doctor, clinic or hospital or other type of health facility. Medical billers, assistants or Specialists enter clinic and patient information into expensive billing or practice management software so you can submit medical claims to health insurance companies. You would also be posting payments from insurance carriers and patients and run off management reports. You may also be required to make follow up calls.

Medical billing doesn't have to be done in a doctor's office. You can do billing from home, any office, clinic or hospital, billing service or facility that has the necessary software. Many doctors outsource their billing and may choose a home based business if the service is competitive in terms of cost. Or they may choose a smaller service and not necessarily one of the large billing services. So cost is a factor.

Medical coding is a totally separate function and not a part of the medical billing business. Medical coding cannot be done from home or outsourced to a service. Medical coders usually work right in the doctor's or clinic's office doing the coding before it is sent on to the billing service. Coder's salaries are comparable to medical biller's salaries.

So if you decide to get medical billing training you don't have to worry about coding and vice versa. People usually choose one or the other. Medical billing is more popular and offers more versatility since you can work from home in either your own business or for a doctor or clinic that allows you to do that.

Billing services often have graveyard shifts and may run around the clock. Salaries to start out run at least $10 an hour and up depending on your training, education and or experience, or related experience. You can move up fast as you gain the experience on the job and can command a much higher salary for the experience you're getting both from the clinic, practice or company you're working for when and if you leave for another medical billing job.

You don't need national certification, for example, as a billing specialist but it may help you get your foot in the door faster. There is money available for both your local on-campus and online medical billing training too. Make sure to check out online schools thoroughly to avoid any scams.

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Medical Billing Job Description and Salary Range

If you've been thinking about entering the field of medical billing I'm sure you're wondering what exactly a medical biller does and what salary you can expect. There is a lot of interest in this field and many ways to enter it. Although experience is best it takes getting a job in that field to get experience and it can be a vicious circle. But first the job description. Keep in mind that depending on the facility you may or may not be doing all of the following. And if you work for a billing service your job may be quite different since it is not a medical facility.

If you work as a medical biller or a certified Medical Billing Specialist you will compile and track outstanding balances that are owed to medical clinics, medical offices or other medical facilities. You would maintain the records of payment for all patients for that medical facility. You would make payment arrangements with the patient and collect on any past due accounts.

As a medical biller, medical billing assistant, billing clerk or billing specialist you would have access to a lot of confidential medical information. You would be working with collection agencies and even the courts to collect on delinquent accounts. You may also be working with lawyers and others on the estates of patients who have passed away on resolving their unpaid accounts. You would be working and coordinating the deductions from payroll for the employees of your clinic or facility. You'll be aware of the rules and regulations you must follow to be in compliance with any local, state or federal laws or regulations.

Now what skill should you have? You'll be working with a lot of numbers and technology. You want to be comfortable using a computer, software and office equipment. You'll be learning billing software if you haven't learned it in medical billing training. You don't need to learn coding as that is a separate function and coding is usually done before it reaches the biller, but some knowledge of it can only help. You will want to have good communication skills as you may be talking to people about their medical bills.

The salary you can expect will depend on previous experience and medical billing training you have had. You will make a higher salary as a certified Medical Billing Specialist which requires taking a national exam. But generally your range will be in the $31,000 to $45,000 range. The more experience the higher the pay generally. There are lots of ways to get experience and training including medical billing training online and at your local college. There is plenty of money and financial aid available for online courses and you want to check out every school thoroughly to avoid any scams.