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In the healthcare industry, plenty of non-clinical jobs allow you to impact patients positively. Medical Billing and Coding is one of the fastest-growing branches of healthcare right now. The good news is you don’t need to go to a 4-year school to learn medical billing and coding!

What is Medical Billing and Coding?

Trained specialists often handle important administrative coding and billing work, ensuring healthcare providers receive reimbursement for their services. These specialists free doctors and clinical workers to focus on face-to-face patient care.

Medical Billing and Coding employees handle behind-the-scenes operations vital to the success of medical practices. Although some doctors or office managers may perform these tasks in addition to their other responsibilities, the majority choose to hire one or more staff members to handle these duties so they can focus on patient care.

What does a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist do?

Medical Billing and Coding Specialists serve as intermediaries between medical offices and insurance companies. MBC specialists help the healthcare facility manage insurance claims, invoices, and payments.

• Medical coders convert a medical provider’s notes and diagnostic reports into industry-standard codes. Facilities use those codes to maintain records and bill insurance companies for the correct services.
• Medical billers then collect all the coded information, generate invoices, and send the claims to patients’ insurance providers (or other payers). They also determine co-pay requirements, track the payments, and follow up on outstanding payments from insurance companies and patients.

Because the billing and coding processes are intertwined, many medical offices hire trained specialists to perform both roles. While some larger facilities will hire separate teams to take care of the billing and coding, these individuals typically work very closely together to ensure the process is done correctly. The most important aspect is avoiding errors so payments can be collected promptly.

Career Outlook

Every medical facility needs someone to do the medical billing and coding for insurance and patient invoices. This is why Medical Billing and Coding is one of America’s fastest-growing occupations. MBC specialists are included under the broader U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) category of medical records and health information specialists; collectively, this field has a projected employment increase of 9%* between 2020 and 2030. BLS expects demand to increase as the aging population grows and the need to keep up with medical technology and reimbursement processes arises.

How do you get into the field?

The first step to starting a career in Medical Billing and Coding is to enroll in a school. Then, upon graduating, pass the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) certification examination.

At Swedish Institute, our Medical Billing and Coding program is available in a 48-quarter-credit course sequence. You can complete this program in just 12 or 15 months. We offer both day and evening classes to fit your busy schedule.  Our curriculum prepares you to handle the responsibilities associated with medical insurance, coding, processing, and medical administrative procedures, and to meet the regulatory requirements of the healthcare delivery system. With our medical billing and coding classes, you will gain an in-depth knowledge of ICD-9-CM/ICD-10-CM manuals, V codes, E codes, and CPT manual and coding guidelines. You will also be provided with course materials to assist in preparation for the National Health Career Association (NHA) Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) certification examination.

“Our goal at Swedish is to give our students the best preparation and placement for employment,” says Dr. Sharmalan Sathiyaseelan, Program Director for the Medical Billing and Coding program at Swedish Institute.  “We provide service learning opportunities to our students in the very last quarter of their program, and we have comprehensive review classes prior to the National Certification exam — our most recent graduating class had a 100% passing rate on the CBCS exam.  We have a large list of hospitals and medical facilities that hire our graduates, including Mount Sinai, NYU, SUNY Downstate and many more.”

Once you graduate from the program, you will receive a certificate authorized by the New York State Board of Regents. You will also be eligible to enroll in our Clinical and Medical Assistant degree program if you decide to further your education to include exposure to clinical care skills.

Take the first step!

A career in medical coding and billing is an excellent way to enter the medical field for many individuals. With proper education, you can acquire the skills you need to join one of the fastest-growing branches in today’s healthcare field. We designed our program at Swedish Institute so you can learn medical billing and coding and earn your certificate in as little as 12 months. Classes begin in a few weeks, so your new career can be only a year away! Start today by scheduling a tour!

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics