When you’re looking for a healthcare job involving data entry that requires an eye for detail, consider medical coding and billing (MCB). This career gives you the flexibility to work in almost any kind of healthcare setting. Medical billing and coding specialists play an important role in medical facilities. While this role does not involve directly providing patient care, these specialists help ensure healthcare providers are paid for their services and remain in business. This can make it possible for patients to receive proper care when needed.
What Is Medical Coding?
If you’re thinking about working in medical billing and coding, knowing what exactly this career involves can help you make up your mind. Medical coding involves turning medical procedures, diagnoses, and other services into alphanumeric codes for billing purposes. These codes provide insurance companies or other payers with information on patients’ diagnoses and treatments, as well as the medical necessity of the care. Through these codes, insurance companies and other payers can also learn about medical conditions or unusual situations that have affected the services or treatment a patient receives.
Medical coding is an important part of the billing process, helping to ensure patients are reimbursed for healthcare and providers receive payment from insurance companies. This coding turns complex medical terminology into a simple and common language that appears on patient documentation, making it easier for patients to receive the high-quality care they need for different conditions or diseases.
Looking for Schools for Medical Coding and Billing?
If you’ve decided that medical coding and billing is the right career for you, finding a great school to go to is your next step. The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP) offers a Medical Coding and Billing Certificate Program that prepares you for a successful career as a medical billing coding specialist. You’ll also be prepared for the Nationally Registered Certified Coding Specialist (NRCCS) Certification Exam, which helps you begin your career.
CHCP offers on-campus blended instruction or online learning, providing you with different study options. You’ll have the benefit to choose between traditional classroom teaching or having the flexibility to study online at your own pace. Since this program only takes about 38 weeks on-campus and 48 weeks online, you can start working as a medical biller or coder sooner. With several campus locations available in Texas, including Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, McAllen and San Antonio you can choose the campus that’s most convenient for you.
Our certificate program requirements are simple to meet. As long as you have a high school diploma or GED, can read and write in English, and are able to pass an admissions test with a minimum score of 17, you’re eligible for our MCB program. And if you decide to advance your career even more, you’ll have a head start being a MCB student. You can apply the credits earned in the certificate program and transfer toward an advanced degree at CHCP, such as the Coding and Revenue Cycle Management Program. With year-round courses, financial aid options, and expert instructors, CHCP is an ideal choice for a program that helps you build a career in medical coding and billing.
Medical Billing Training and Coding Courses at CHCP
When you take the MCB certificate program at CHCP, you’ll have a curriculum that provides you with the skills, training, and education needed for medical coding and billing work. You’ll take courses to help you identify different bodily structures and functions. This type of course helps you develop a strong medical vocabulary, which is necessary for billing and coding work.
During the MCB program at CHCP, you’ll also take courses in medical law and ethics to help you understand concepts such as informed consent, professional liability, and bioethical issues. Courses on the principles of insurance help familiarize you with health insurance terminology and procedures, which you’ll need to refer to while working as a medical coder or biller. Courses that cover the basics of coding teach you coding guidelines and help you learn to turn descriptions of medical procedures into numerical codes.
Other courses you can expect to take include medical office procedure and management, since medical coding and billing involves working in an office setting. These courses teach you basic bookkeeping, phone techniques, computerized record management, and other important skills you might need. Similar courses that are part of this program include computer applications, electronic health records, customer service, professionalism, and career preparation.
As you progress through this program, you’ll be taking more advanced courses in coding, pathology, anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology, helping you slowly gain more in-depth knowledge in these areas. Toward the end of the program, you’ll take a MCB certification prep course that helps you get ready to take a certification exam. You’ll also have an MCB externship with opportunities to gain hands-on experience in a practical setting as a medical billing and coding specialist.
Benefits of Starting Your Career in Medical Billing
Beginning a career in medical billing and coding can set you on a path toward a more advanced healthcare career. Upon completion of your MCB program, you can start working as a medical coding and billing specialist while working on earning an advanced degree. This program helps you learn skills that are needed for other positions in this industry, such as medical auditing, business roles, and compliance. Going into an advanced degree program with this knowledge and some of the necessary skills gives you a competitive advantage from the start.
When you start your career in medical billing and coding, you’ll have a wide range of options to consider in terms of where you want to work. Coding and billing specialists can work in hospitals, physician offices, outpatient facilities, ambulance services, insurance companies, long-term care facilities, and more.
As a medical biller and coder, you’ll also have the advantage of working in a career that’s in demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook for medical records and health information specialists, which includes medical coders, is 9 percent through 2030. This is roughly the same as the job outlook for careers overall.
If you’re looking for additional information on our MCB certificate program, please apply today and one of our admissions representatives can provide you with more details on this program.
