Many health care professionals love working in medical billing and coding. The medical billing career field allows professionals the flexibility to work at home or in a medical facility. And training to become a medical billing professional can usually take less than a year.
The medical billing career field isn’t for everyone; it requires patience, flexibility, and analytical skills to use proper medical codes and bill insurance companies correctly. And it’s a career field for people who want to work in the medical field, but would prefer to work in the administrative side, rather than in the clinical side with patients.
If the medical billing career fields sounds interesting to you, then check out the top ten reasons to work in medical billing and coding.
1. HOT EMPLOYMENT GROWTH FOR MEDICAL BILLING INDUSTRY
As you probably know, the medical billing and coding field continues to increase due to a growing need for medical procedures needed by our aging population. Every medical service requires medical billing professionals to relay procedure and cost information to health care insurance companies.
The U.S. Department of Labor recently reported that 8 out of 20 occupations projected to grow fastest are in the health care industry. They also projected that careers in the medical records and health information technician industry should increase 27% or more for all occupations through 2014.
The rise in employment opportunities is great news for trained medical billing professionals. It means that trained medical billing professionals should have job security and lot of job growth going forward.
2. SHORT-TERM TRAINING TO WORK IN MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING
Another great reason you should consider starting a career in medical billing and coding is because of the short-term training.
Depending on the school you attend, you can graduate with a diploma in medical billing within a year, and you can get an Associate’s degree in medical insurance billing and coding within two years.
The short-term medical billing program often includes a study of:
- Medical Insurance & Billing Issues
- Medical Documentation and Evaluation
- Government Health Care Programs
- Electronic Data Interchange
- Medical Insurance Claim Form (CMS-1500)
- Ethical and Legal Responsibilities
The Associate’s degree medical billing programs often include a study of:
- Medical Terminology
- Medical Office Management
- ICD-9 Coding
- Advanced Medical Coding
- Medical Billing and Coding Computer Applications
Due to the short-term training, many medical billing schools offer day and evening classes. Please be aware that not all schools offering medical insurance billing and coding will be right for you. Before choosing a school, make sure and read the article on choosing a high quality medical billing and coding school.
3. MEDICAL BILLING CAREERS CAN ALLOW YOU TO WORK AT HOME
Many doctor’s offices and clinics don’t handle their own medical billing. They will often hire an outside medical billing agency or medical billing company. Some of these agencies and medical billing companies will hire professional medical billers who work at home to save on costs. And this is definitely an option if you decide on a career in medical billing.
It’s recommended that if you decide to work at home as a medical billing professional, or decide to work as a self-employed medical biller, that you work in an office as a medical biller for a short period of time so that you will gain the confidence and skills of a seasoned medical biller.
4. MEDICAL BILLERS HAVE MANY CAREER OPTIONS
Professional medical billers have a solid knowledge of the administrative side of a medical office. Depending on their education and experience, medical billers can move into:
- Medical Billing Management
- Medical Transcription
- Health Care Administration
- Data Collection
- Medical Office Management
- Health Information Technician
And this is just a small list of possible career paths for seasoned medical billing professionals. These jobs will depend on your education, experience, and job market in your local area.
5. MEDICAL BILLERS CAN START THEIR OWN COMPANY
Due to the high demand for medical billing professionals, some medical billers are deciding to leave their medical billing job to start their own medical billing company. This is only recommended for seasoned medical billing professionals who can find an assortment of medical offices that can become clients.
