Is A Medical Billing Career For You?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists medical billing and coding specialists; together with that of health information technicians as one of the ten fastest-growing allied health occupations spurred by the need for their special skills and knowledge in the field.

These medical billing and coding specialists are employed in clinics, hospitals, insurance companies, consulting firms, medical coding and billing services firms, governmental agencies and computer software companies.

The basic job function of medical billing and coding specialists is to assign codes to diagnoses and procedures. This is to insure proper financial reimbursement from insurance companies and government agencies.

For dedicated medical billing and coding specialists who constantly train to upgrade their skill levels, the compensation can pay well. Salary.com reports that their annual pay range can be between $33,370 and $41, 5061!

To qualify for training as a medical billing and coding specialist, you will need your GED or high school diploma. With this qualification, you can enroll in to complete a six-month or one-year medical billing and coding certificate program.

What do these medical billing and coding training programs teach? These training programs teach you how to evaluate and interpret health records and reports. For as medical billing and coding specialist, you must be able to accurately code diagnoses and procedures according to recognized classification systems.

If you are an efficient and committed professional, there is an assured future for you as a medical billing and coding specialist.

View all Articles by: Melissa Clark, CCS-P