A Medical Billing and Coding Specialist records and processes patients’ treatment records, insurance information, bills and received payments. Furthermore, they code a patient’s diagnosis and issue invoices to insurance companies or the patients themselves. Medical billing and coding specialists may work in private practices, mental or physical rehabilitation facility, or hospitals. However, many choose to do their work from home. This article will briefly discuss the skills necessary to become a medical billing and coding specialist and the career opportunity available for such professionals.

Although duties of a medical billing and coding specialist vary from one employer to the other, most specialists are responsible for:

Keeping detailed records of healthcare services provided to the patient by using a special coding system to ensure confidentiality.

Invoicing patients or the insurance company using the coded information previously recorded.

According to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the following skills are required for medical billing and coding specialists:

Knowledge of the updated coding and billing systems.

Ability to work independently.

High ethical standards to ensure that the patients’ information remains confidential.

Good communication skills in order to handle insurance transactions.

Although there is no certification requirement for becoming a medical billing and coding specialist, in this competitive field, it is beneficial to receive proper training. Most employers will only hire candidates with a minimum of an associate’s degree with coursework in mathematics, computer science and biology. Because this profession has become highly competitive, it is highly advised that individuals are certified as Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist (CMRS).

The certification process takes approximately 9 to 12 months to complete and covers topics such as medical terminology, computer database management, insurance procedures, and billing and coding procedures. One of the schools offering such a program is New York Medical Training Center in Flushing, New York. During their 60-hour program, students get an overview of medical insurance learn coding procedures, and insurance billing procedures. Students learn through computerized billing simulations how to create, save, retrieve, edit, and maintain patient files. In addition, students are educated on how to post payments to patient accounts, produce insurance claim forms, correct and resubmit rejected claims, produce insurance claim activity reports and enter electronic claims.

With proper education and experience, medical billing and coding specialists can have a prosperous career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average salary for medical records specialists is $32,350 per year. The lowest 10% earned less than $22,000 and the highest 10% earned over $53,000. If you are in the New York area and are looking to become a medical billing and coding specialist, visit www.nymedtraining.com