Medical Coding & Billing Specialist Definition
Medical coding and billing specialists are professionals trained to codify patient information, and then generate bills as a consequence. They are also referred to as medical coders and billers, and their names are based on the dual responsibilities of their jobs. Unlike many other health care personnel, medical coding and billing specialists typically do not have direct contact with patients.
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Coding and Billing
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Whenever a patient visits a medical facility for a diagnosis or a procedure to be performed, the medical coding and billing specialist assigns a corresponding code in a computer system. The code could be either from the international disease/injury coding standard known as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) or from the standard that medical facilities in the United States use for diagnostic, medical and surgical services known as the Current Procedural Terminology code (CPT). After consulting with physicians to verify that the assigned codes are accurate, medical coding and billing specialists generate bills from the computer system. The bills usually stipulate the reimbursement due the facility in cases in which the patient has medical insurance coverage.
Classification
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Medical coding and billing specialists belong to a class of health care personnel known as health information, or medical records, specialists. They are thus named because they receive information from patients when they enter the medical facility. They are responsible for safeguarding the information obtained, ensuring that it is accessible to the proper parties and verifying its accuracy.
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Workplace
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Most medical coding and billing specialists work in hospitals, although they can also be found in nursing care centers, physicians' offices and outpatient care centers. In workplaces such as hospitals, medical coding and billing specialists usually work long, odd hours on evenings, weekends and holidays due to the around-the-clock operation of these facilities. Otherwise, the standard workweek of 40 hours applies.
Education and Certification
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The standard educational track for medical coding and billing specialists is an associate's degree in medical billing and coding, or at least in health care administration with a concentration in medical billing and coding. Professional organizations such as the American Academy of Professional Coders, the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and the Professional Association of Health Care Coding Specialists offer certification in indicating that the recipient meets the standards set by the field, and such certification can enhance a job applicant's standing in the eyes of employers.
Job Prospects
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As of July 2010, salary.com reports that medical coding and billing specialists earn a median salary of around $44,000. The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor includes these specialists among the 171,000 medical records and health information technicians in the United States in 2009, and it forecasts a 20 percent job growth in the profession between 2008 and 2018.
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