If you're interested in becoming a medical biller and coder, it's a good idea to understand why medical billing and coding is important and how it functions within the world of health and patient care.
Medical billing and coding is an important part of the healthcare system because it enables care providers to accurately bill insurance providers as well as gather useful data about the treatments, procedures and patient experience. Decision makers at a care facility can also use this data to help them choose where to allocate resources, ultimately working toward improving the quality of patient care.
If you’re curious about what it takes to get started in this field, or about what kinds of professional certifications you’ll need to earn and what tasks you might do on a day-to-day basis, read on through the following sections:
Enroll in a medical billing and coding certificate program:
A medical billing and coding certificate program can help you build your foundational knowledge of medical billing and coding concepts
Earn a CPC certification:
The CPC exam covers 17 different areas of knowledge, including anatomy, physiology and what codes to use to submit medical claims.
Apply for medical coding positions:
After passing the CPC exam, it's time to look for positions. Do your research to identify employers and positions that line up with your career goals and refresh your resume to reflect your latest credentials. You may also consider looking into medical billing and coding internships to help build connections and begin to gain work experience.
Whether or not a career is difficult depends on the individual. What one person may find challenging might be more intuitive for someone else. Medical billing and coding careers require you to have a general understanding of medical terminology, various coding systems, regulations and billing standards, all of which can be a lot to take in. However, with hard work and study over the course of your education and throughout your career, you may find you’re up to the challenge.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the education level requirement for medical records and health information specialists (another name for medical billers and coders) is often a postsecondary non-degree award, like DeVry’s Undergraduate Certificate in Medical Billing and Coding. Professional certifications may also be required, or may be useful when searching for positions within the wider medical billing and coding field.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the medical billing and coding field will grow on a national level by about 9% between 2020 and 20301, which is on pace with the average growth rate of all industries in the United States. It’s projected that 37,100 new positions will be added during this time frame, with various factors driving rising demand for this field.
1Growth projected on a national level. Local growth will vary by location. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-records-and-health-information-technicians.htm
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