Exploring Medical Coding and Billing
When I was younger I use to pretend to be a doctor or nurse. It was always fun to go around and check to see who had a heart beat, who was bleeding, and who was hurt. I knew that I wanted a career in the medical field, but was unsure if I really wanted to be a doctor or a nurse. I thought the only career was to be a doctor or nurse. Of course, the medical profession is larger than that. It includes office staff, EMT’s, nurses, physician assistants, and several other kinds of physicians. While the opportunities are endless in this career field, I have decided that being a doctor or nurse was not what I really wanted to do. It takes too long; the schooling alone is longer than four years. I was not
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There are other credentials a person can receive. A person that is more qualified or who has credentials who receive a higher salary, than a person that only has a high school diploma. As stated by the Health Careers Center;
“Individuals who would like to become a certified medical coder must pass examinations offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) (Medical Coding Specialist, 2002-2004).”
This is very important for me, since I have a huge family to support and time and money are tight now.
Medical Coding and Billing is a Growth Industry
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Medical Coding and Billing field is growing faster than any other field (Medical Billing & Coding Careers). The reason for this is that the more doctors’ offices open up, the more the need for medical billers and coders. As of today there are over 8000 codes being used to describe every procedure you can imagine (Sloviter, Sept-Oct 2009). Now think about being a doctor. It would be really hard for a doctor take care of his/her patients and keep track of all those codes. The field of medical coders and billers has a pay range of $8 to $10 per hour to start. However, that is also based on experience. The more experience, the more the pay. Considering that being the pay for full-time, plus any benefits such as vacation, health packages, and retirement packages – it may not seem like
The new job title could be a medical coder 1. I choose this new title because the medical coder is a health care professional who analyzes the medical records, medical charts and assigns the appropriate codes. Most of the job’s responsibilities of a medical coder are required for the inpatient and the outpatient coder’s jobs. For example, medical coder’s responsibilities are: reading and analyzing patient records, determining the correct codes for patient records, interacting with physicians and assistants to ensure accuracy, using codes to bill insurance providers, and maintaining patient confidentiality and information security. In addition, the minimum required certification of this job is CPC or CCS and RHIT with at least 4 years of experience. Those certifications are given to a Coder who can read and assign correct diagnosis International Classification of Diseases or ICD-10-CM, Current Procedural Terminology or CPT, supply Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System or HCPCS code for a wide variety of clinical cases and services, and read and assign PCS codes. The skills of this job are same as the skills of the
American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) was founded in 1988 to provided education and professional certification to physician-based medical coders and to elevate the standards of
Medical billers and medical coders usually work normal business hours, with occasional overtime and weekends. There are several programs available in a variety of different degree options. Most employers’ requirements involve at least an associate degree. Although an associate degree tends to be the general standard in the industry, some employers may consider applicants whose post-secondary education is a specialized medical coding and billing diploma or certificate from a career school. The national average medical billing and coding salary is around $17 per hour, or around $35,920 annually. The lowest salary earners make around $10 per hour, or around $21 annually.
In the daily changes of healthcare, health information technology is evolving rapidly. The generation of coding is making significant developments along the years as well. The 3M-encoder system provides number of essential options to coders in just one click. It provides sophisticated, easy-to-learn solution for accurate, complete, and compliant coding and grouping. Coders need to be acquainted with these references because they provide back up through the articles in each one of them. 3M Coding and Reimbursement System, 3M Coding Reference, and 3M Coding Reference plus have articles for coders to read and get answers to use the appropriate codes. (Prophet). Due
Growing up I never thought about going into the medical field as a career. I did chef and restaurant management, took classes on computer repair and even working in a call center, but never did I think of anything medical. I was living my life content with what I thought was the best that I could ever accomplish. I was sitting thinking one day that I wanted to be able to truly help people. I loved watching medical shows and figured why not, I could do great in the medical field. So for the next few months I did my research and looked for the best option for me. I came across
The most important element in becoming a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist is the training and certification need to enter the field and for advancement. You will need a program that provides an understanding of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. This program should also navigate the three topics: ICD, CPT and HCPCS. These codes help you document the conditions of a patient and describe the procedure performed on the patient. When you have completed your training there are several certifications you can test for. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) offer certification for the Certified Coding Associate (CCA). You will need AHIMA membership and an exam fee ($199- $299), a high school diploma or
occurred on Sunday. She states she was seen by the “eye doctor earlier today” and
-Inpatient coders have certifications allowing them to work exclusively for hospitals or facilities. An expertise in medical record review is a must, along with an up to date status with coding rule changes, regulations and issues for medical coding, reimbursements and compliance under MS-DRG and Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS). Coders should have experience as well as expert knowledge in abstracting information from medical records for ICD-9CM vol. 1-3, specialized payment in MS-DRG and IPPS.
PROCEDURE: The patient was placed in the supine position on the operating room table, where her right hand and forearm were prepped with Betadine and draped in a sterile fashion. We infiltrated the thenar crease area with 1% Xylocaine, and once adequate anesthesia had been achieved, we exsanguinated the hand and forearm with an Esmarch bandage. We then created a longitudinal incision just at the ulnar aspect of the thenar crease and carried the dissection down through the subcutaneous tissue. We identified the transverse carpal ligament and incised this
My career that I am researching for my junior project is Medical Coding and Billing. Medical Coding and Billing are two different jobs. Medical Coding is when a patient has any medical procedure or exam such as going to the doctor for the stomach virus or even going to the hospital for a broken bone. They work with the insurance companies by putting a specific number into the computer. There’s CPT Codes which stands for Current Procedural Terminology which is “ Codes to better understand the services their doctor provided, to double check their bills or negotiate lower pricing for their healthcare services. (About Health, 2014).”
As for the qualifications, the Medical Coding standards have become more and more complex. The regulations and requirements within the healthcare system are best met with medical coders, certified in specialty practice along with providing medical coding. You can achieve AAPC Certification particular education, experience in any
Let’s start off by saying I knew it. I have learned, I am meant to be in the health field. I scored very high in the health area of the career questionnaire. I made a choice in my high school years, to pursue a career in the medical field. In 2013 I became a Certified Nursing Assistant, then in 2015 I started to work at Pocola Health and Rehab, and I love every moment that I am there. Nonetheless, I want to become a Registered Nurse. During my questionnaire, I learned that it is a very well paying career. That’s important, but in my heart, it is very awarding to help people. I strive to do better, for me and my family and that is my goal.
In the field of medical billing and coding are growing much faster and it should be. According to American Academy of Professional Coders survey, the median salary for medical billing and coding is $31,236 a year. Compare to year of 2002, the salary was $23,890. Each year is increase about $2000. Salaries are depend to the type of office and other reason, like education, experience or a certificate of medical billing and coding.
Computer-assisted coding is defined as the “use of computer software that automatically generates a set of medical codes for review, validation, and use based upon clinical documentation provided by healthcare practitioners”
Since early childhood, I always believed I would choose a career in the medical field. When I was five years old, I was asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up”? I always responded by saying: “I want to become a dentist”. I began to pursue my lifelong goal of becoming a dentist or doctor after enrolling at the University of Georgia majoring in biology. I interviewed and shadowed many doctors, all of whom specialized in different areas. I learned about the education process of becoming a doctor, daily tasks, their lifestyle, and the hours they worked. However, the more time I spent shadowing and working with people in those fields; the less I believed that a career as a