Choose a Career as a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist

With their specialized knowledge, skills, and efficiency, certified medical billing and coding professionals play a valuable role on any healthcare team. Whether working in a hospital, medical practice, clinic, and other setting, medical coding and billing specialists act as a liaison to insurance companies and help ensure healthcare providers are accurately reimbursed for the services they perform.

While job descriptions often combine billing and coding into a single position, they are technically two different job functions, each with its own responsibilities. Many medical offices will hire the same person to do both jobs, but larger facilities may divide the work into two separate positions.

Medical coding involves taking a provider’s diagnostic and procedural notes and converting them into standardized codes used to identify the services being provided when filing insurance claims. Medical coders analyze all parts of a patient’s visit, including diagnostic tests, consultations, in-office procedures, and prescribed medication. They also gather documentation to validate their coding choices in the event claims are wrongfully denied. Once the coding is completed, medical billing specialists generate invoices and send the claims to patients’ insurance providers or other payers. Based on these codes, insurance companies will approve or deny the requests for payment.

To do their jobs effectively, medical billers and coders need to be detail-oriented and have good organizational and time management skills. It is also important that they have a good grasp of medical terminology and understand how the medical insurance system works. Although not required by every employer, most entry-level jobs require the successful completion of an industry certification program or a bachelor’s degree. Students enrolled in a certification program must learn federal coding standards in CPT-4 (Current Procedure Terminology standardized by the American Medical Association) as well as ICD-9 (Coding standards for diseases and disorders issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).

Dorson Vocational Training Institute offers an online Certified Medical Billing & Coding Specialist course that provides students with an understanding of medical insurance and completing medical insurance forms, the roles of a medical office team, and the principles of procedure and diagnosis coding. The course includes completion of an externship in a doctor’s office, clinic, hospital, or laboratory.

Dorson Vocational Training Institute is fully licensed by the State of New Jersey and our courses are certified by The National Health Association. We offer affordable tuition payment plans and access to financial aid. To find out more about our Certified Medical Billing & Coding Specialist online course or other healthcare classes and training programs, call us at 973-676-6300 or fill out our online form and we will contact you.