How To Become A Medical Biller
A medical biller is responsible for performing billing and coding operations. They work within a medical practice, such as a physician office, hospital or other location. They input patient information, either into paper filing structures or into a computer database.
A medical biller has often taken a certification course from a vocational or technical school in order to gain insights into their profession. They may also take an associate’s degree program in order to become a medical biller.
Why Become A Medical Biller
Medical billing and coding involves the processes required to manage a patient’s health information, maintain a patient’s health history, as well as manage insurance information.
A medical biller will receive medical information about various patients from a physician. It is their responsibility to accurately document this medical information into the charts of the patient.
Information could include things like procedures the patient recently had done, diagnoses, prescriptions that were recommended, and more. It is important for the medical biller to accurately document this information because it impacts the wellbeing of the patient.
A medical biller also handles the financial information for each patient. They send in information to insurance companies so that that the physician office or hospital can be reimbursed. This involves entering correct diagnostic codes for billing purposes. If necessary, a medical biller will also follow up with patients who have not paid their bills.
This profession is good for people who enjoy administrative tasks, working on the computer, and are good with jobs that require attention to detail.
A medical biller should possess the following qualities and skills:
- Observant
- Attention to Detail
- Enjoys the Healthcare Field
- Confidentiality
- Computer Skills
- Medical Knowledge
Medical Biller Work Environment
Medical billers generally work inside of physician offices, hospitals, and other medical settings. They work in an office. Their work often involves spending a lot of time in front of a computer.
They may spend time coding and classifying patient information for insurance information, filing and billing, and following up with claims. This job involves a high attention to detail. Medical billers may or may not be interacting with other people or patients, depending on the setup of the medical office.
Medical Biller Salary
The annual salary for a medical biller was $38,000 in 2016, according to the United States Bureau for Labor Statistics.
There are many factors that affect a person’s salary. For medical billers, the place where a person works can have an effect on how much they get paid. For example, medical billers that worked in physician offices or nursing homes earned a median income of $33,000 in 2016.
Those that worked in scientific organizations, research and development, or hospitals were able to bring home a slightly higher paycheck of $41,000 each year. So be sure to think about what type of setting you would like to work in when thinking about your career.
Medical Biller Career Outlook
Medical biller positions are expected to increase by 13 percent from 2016 to 2026. This is a faster rate of growth compared to other jobs within the United States. This will lead to an increase of approximately 27,000 jobs in this field.
The health care sector continues to grow throughout the years. As technology advances, there continues to be a growing elderly population. People are living longer, healthier lives. New health insurance laws are allowing more people to come to see their primary care physicians and specialists.
Growing offices are requiring doctors and medical professionals to expand their staff, which will mean more responsibilities will be handed over to medical billers. This is a great time to want a job in health care.
Medical Biller Degree
Vocational schools and community colleges often have a medical billing program that is available for those wanting to enter this profession. This can be completed as a certificate or an associate’s degree.
A certificate in medical billing can be completed in as little as 9 months. An associate’s degree takes two years to complete. Both of these programs offer students the knowledge of what it takes to be a professional medical biller.
Getting a certification as part of a program is great because it helps you stand out from others in your field and shows you have gone above and beyond to achieve knowledge and success. In these programs students take classes related to medical coding – how to properly input patient information – as well as medical billing – how to bill insurance providers.
Medical Biller Coursework
Below are listed some of the classes that are taken in a typical program for medical billing.
Pathopharmacology: Students learn about many common human diseases, as well as the drug treatments that are used to combat everyday illnesses. Students learn about various kinds of diseases, dosages, drug families and more.
International Coding of Diseases: Students learn about the official coding of common diseases, which is important for importing this information into patient files.
Current Procedural Terminology: Students continue their knowledge of the medical field by learning about current procedural terminology (CPT) used to code procedures performed by healthcare specialists.
Medical Biller Career Path
Everybody wants to advance in their career field at some point. Being a medical biller opens you up to other related positions. Here are some higher-level careers you can enjoy in this same field. Please note that these are only a few of many career paths available to you.
| Career | Overview | Responsibilities | Education Required | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Information Manager | They manage the health care information and patient records within a hospital or physician office. | They work inside of a medical office. They handle patient records, whether in paper files or electronically. They make sure that all of the information is accurate and complete. They manage other people on their team. | Either an associate’s or bachelor’s degree is acceptable for this position. | This is a great position for somebody looking to move up from medical billing into more of a managerial role. |
| Clinical Manager | Clinical managers provide both administrative and medical duties, in a managerial role. | Clinical managers have a wide range of duties. They manage the recruitment and training of medical staff on their teams. They provide day to day management, procedures and policies. They attend meetings and handle budgets for their facility. | A bachelor’s degree is required, preferably in either a healthcare field or a business background. | This is a good career choice for somebody who is interested in a managerial role with lots of responsibilities and a wide variety of challenges to solve each day. |
Related Medical Biller Careers
If you enjoy the idea of becoming a medical biller, there are many other careers you may enjoy as well. Here is a list of other professions to consider.
Medical Assistant: As a medical assistant, you will provide a wide range of both administrative and clinical responsibilities to your profession. You will provide medical billing, check people into their appointments, and answer telephones. You will also take client information and vital signs of patients.
Medical Transcriptionist: Medical transcriptionists take audio from hospitals, physicians and other medical offices and transcribe it for medical professionals to use.
Pharmacy Technician: Pharmacy technicians assist a pharmacist. They fulfill orders to many different kinds of prescription medications, work directly with patients, and answer questions.
