How to Become a Medical Billing & Coding Specialist
Medical billers and coders are responsible for preparing, calculating and sending bills to customers for medical practices and hospitals. These individuals currently hold 542,000 jobs in the United States, and this industry is expected to steadily grow according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national average income for this occupation is between $20,140 and $41,750.
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Instructions
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Enroll in an education program for medical billing and coding. Penn Foster Career School offers a program that can be completed online. Since the course is self paced, you can complete it as quickly as you like. They also provide career services to assist in finding employment upon successful competition of the course.
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Prepare an updated resume. Once you complete a course, update your resume to reflect your new skills. Tele-work Recruiting offers free sample medical billing and coding specialist resumes online. Follow the basic format of the samples to create your own unique resume.
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Consider marketing your skills in the online marketplace. You can become a medical billing and coding specialist working from your home office. Check out bidding sites like Guru and search under the administrative section for medical billing and coding work.
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Secure medical billing and coding work in your community. You can still have the flexibility of working from a home office by networking with local hospitals and medical practices. Set up a meeting with the Office Manager to discuss possible opportunities. If they don't have an immediate need for assistance, offer to handle overflow work.
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Apply for medical billing and coding office jobs. You can also work directly for a medical practice or hospital in an office environment. Many enjoy the stability of predictable paychecks and medical benefits. Companies like Monster and Hotjobs regularly post these jobs, just type "medical billing and coding specialist" into the job search function. You can also call local practices in your area and send unsolicited resumes. You may secure an unadvertised position with this tactic.
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Tips & Warnings
Seek an internship to gain experience. This will also allow you to network and secure a job upon graduation of your program.
Hold back taxes. If you decide to work from a home office, you will be serving as an independent contractor. Make sure to track expenses and hold on to pay stubs for tax time.
