Medical Coding Specialist Program

The main role of medical billing and coding specialists is to ensure health providers are paid for medical services rendered. They are responsible for the accurate flow of medical information and patient data between physicians, patients and third-party payers. Without them, healthcare businesses could not function efficiently.

Medical billing and coding consists of two essential functions:

• Medical Coding – Every medical service is assigned a numeric code to define diagnostics, treatments and procedures. It is the medical coder’s job to enter this information into the facility’s database using medical coding protocol to produce a statement or claim.
  
  
• Medical Billing – The medical biller then acts as a liaison between the facility and payment parties. If the claim is denied by the third-party payer, the medical billing specialist must investigate the claim, verify its information, and update the database.

These two roles are often filled by the same person, especially in smaller clinics. However, they can also be separate positions within the larger facility. Medical billing and coding specialists are also responsible for dealing with collections and insurance fraud.

You need to start with learning fundamentals of Electronic Medical Records, as this is the way of the future. As medical coders you will be looking and patients’ charts, evaluating the chart and the service provided. It is also very important that you learn the Medical Terms, and Anatomy and Physiology so you know the human body and the medical services that are provided, in order to better assign the appropriate coding classification.

Coders use 3 different code sets: CPT, HCPCS, and ICD-9/10. It’s important to be trained on the new ICD-10 code set because all healthcare facilities and physicians will be transitioning from the ICD-9 codes to these new codes, but you will also need to be familiar with the ICD-9 code sets to earn industry certifications and get a job before the transition.

You also need to learn about Insurance and reimbursement process, along with laws and ethics of the assigning accurate billing and coding for services provided. Coding is provided whenever service is provide in many settings, therefore it is important that you learn various health care delivery systems within the healthcare industry 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – The Department of Labor’s official data reporting agency states that Medical Records and Health Information Technicians (the category that includes medical coding and billing professionals as well as a number of other clerical positions) earn an average of $38,860 a year.
The American Academy of Professional Coders – This organization is one of the two largest medical coding and billing industry associations. Their 2014 Medical Coding Salary Survey reported that the average salary for credentialed medical coders in 2014 was $50,775.

The American Health Information Management Association – This is the largest industry organization in the medical coding and billing space, and the AHIMA 2010 Salary Study reports average salaries by certifications. The survey states that the average medical coding salary for coders holding the CCA certification (which Career Step graduates are prepared for upon graduation) is $40,196 a year.

Of these three sources, the AHIMA-reported average medical coder salary of $40,196 is likely closest to what entry-level Career Step graduates can expect to earn. The average medical coding and billing salary reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is lowered by the other types of positions included in the category, and the average medical coding salary reported by the AAPC survey includes more experienced coders. 

How Much Money Can I Make as a Medical Coder and or a Biller?

Pay scales of medical coders and billers  vary by employer, geographic location, and experience, and you can quickly increase your earning potential by earning industry credentials:

Competitive salaries – The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the middle 50% of medical coding and billing professionals earn between $28,250 and $46,640 a year.

The 2010 AAPC Salary Survey indicates that certified coders earn over $7,500 more per year than their non-certified colleagues.

Career Step includes certification prep – Preparation for both the CCA (offered by AHIMA) and the CPC (offered by AAPC) exams is built in to your AHIMA-approved Career Step training so you're prepared to earn industry credentials right after graduation.