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What Exactly is Medical Billing and Coding?
The medical billing and coding (MBC) career field is growing faster than many other jobs in the healthcare industry1. The responsibilities are vast, and becoming a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist requires education, dedication, and strong morals. But what is Medical Billing and Coding? In this guide, we put together an example of the “ideal” medical billing and coding professional and explain the skills you need to succeed.
The Growing Demand for Medical Billing and Coding Specialists
Most medical billing and coding professionals work in hospital accounting or billing departments. Responsibilities include office scheduling, records management, coding diagnoses, and other digital tasks. Therefore, MBC workers must understand a patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan. They then make that information clear to insurance and patients alike.
Key Responsibilities of MBC Professionals
Much of the work of MBCs involves understanding computer coding and organizing a hospital’s records and books. Hospitals’ behind-the-scenes operations are crucial to patient health, and MBCs are at the core of the business.
Navigating the Day-to-Day Challenges
Working as an MBC can be a great job, but there are some hardships you might not expect. For example, collecting an unpaid balance can put billers in a challenging and sometimes uncomfortable position.
Additionally, MBCs often have many different projects to handle at one time, and they can get confusing. Keeping track of records is crucial because a mistake could cause the patient, the hospital, or the biller a lot of stress.
Essential Skills for Success
A great medical biller has to be a great person first and foremost.
Working from doctors’ notes to create a medical bill requires computer skills but also involves patience. Sloppy handwriting or confusing information is common, so being detail-oriented is key.
Having a professional attitude and treating the patient with respect can go a long way. Beyond that, a good MBC needs to handle patients’ private information with discretion and care.
Analytical and organizational skills are a plus. Handling so much information can get overwhelming. But keeping a cool head and knowing how to handle a project can save you from stress.
Why Character Matters
Mathematics and money-handling skills can be taught. Having a strong character cannot.
If you think you’re up to the task of helping individuals with the stress of medical bills on a daily basis, you might be the perfect medical biller and coder. Learn more about Swedish Institute’s 12-month certificate program today, and text us at 917.336.3570 to start your MBC journey.
- Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, visited on 11.25.24 ↩︎