Medical Billing and Coding World - for anyone interested in medical billing and coding

Medical billing and coding - home business reality check

2009-08-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

I found this article on a billing forum. It's great because it provides a "reality check" for anyone new to the business who thinks they are going to get a little training and then begin getting clients...not. Read and heed.

New Biller need advice		[-]
	Tags : None I'm new at this and I want to run my business from home. How do I choose a specialty? And really who is going to give me a chance with no experience? How do you suggest getting experience? Any advice is certainly appreciated.
			[-]
	Good questions. Im going to ask some questions as if a provider was asking you. Try to answer them, as though a doctor was here to find someone. They can se your answers and go from there. 1. Where did you receive your training? 2. How did you do on your final test? 3) You say you dont have experience, so how will using your business be of help to my practice? 4) How many hours will you spend on my accounts? 5) What will you do when you receive a patient complaint? 6) What are your strengths and weaknesses? 7) What type of software are you using now? How will you get the data from my office to your home? 9) I am a family practice physician, tell me what you know about family practice? 10) Will you charge a start up fee and how much will it be? If so, why am I being charged to use you? 11) How will my information be protected against theft, fire or natural disaster? 12) If I terminate you, what will you do with my data? Ho wwil it be returned to me? 13) Do you have a business plan? 14) If you have to go on vacation or leave because of an emergency, what happens to my accounts? 15) What reports can you provide me at the end of the month? 16) How much will it cost me to use you? Do I pay a percentage of charges, payments or per claim? 17) How do you account for refunds in what you charge me? 18) What services do you provide? 19) Do you carry any insurance against errors or omissions? 20) Do you have a compliance plan and will you provide me with a copy for review? 21) What will you do with my claims denials or unpaid claims? 22) Do you prefer insurance checks to be sent to you directly? 23) How can my patients or I contact you after busines hours? 24) How do you handle attorney requests for statements? 25) A patient was sent to debt collection and now produces insurance information. How much will it cost me to send a claim? 26) What will you do when you find that your fees are too low and you want more money? 27) Tell me what you know about workers compensation. I think this will give you an idea of where you stand. These are questions asked of me by providers that hired me? This great information came from Steve Verno at the Medical Association of Billers

Medical billing and coding courses - a study tip

2009-08-28T16:22:00.001-07:00

If you are taking medical billing and coding courses then you are doing a lot of studying.
You are studying dry information that is hard to remember. You need a edge.

Here is the tip: if you are studying medical billing and coding then you need flashcards. If you need flashcards then you need flashcarddb.com. This is the best of the bunch, and I've tried a lot of them. It's free and easy. The cards will boost your medical billing and coding course grades, I promise.

From their home page:

Free Online Flashcards
With Spaced Repetition

Faster, free and more elegant

FlashcardDB makes it easy to create, study
and share flashcards online

Spaced Repetition

Study more in less time using your choice
of the Leitner System or Supermemo-style
Graded Spaced Repetition

Get started >>

Medical Billing and Coding Online Training Courses - a no-cost medical terminology course from the U.S. Army

2009-08-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

If you want a career in medical billing and coding, you need to know medical terminology. You can take a class at a junior college or a career college, learn on the job, or read a book. Thanks to Sweet Haven Publishing service, you now can learn medical terminology at no cost, online.

The course is based on information from the U.S. Army:

About this Course

This is a complete and self-contained course in modern medical terminology. It is suitable for all students of the health occupations who will have a need to communicate with physicians, dentists, and other medical professionals. Little prior knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology is required.

The actual content of the study units is presented in a "flash card" format. Some of the flash cards present factual material, while others test your recall of the facts.

You can begin the course at your own convenience, and study at your own pace. You are, however, solely accountable for your own standard of acheivement.

The basic material for this course is taken from the U.S. Army manual, Basic Medical Terminology, MD0010
Edition 100

The course is presented on the Internet by Sweet Haven Publishing Services. This is a great resource for newbies and or people who want to brush up. This course is good for anyone interested in medical billing and coding.

Medical Terminology Online Version 2.0 from Sweet Haven Publishing Services

Medical Billing and Coding Courses - AHIMA is the best place to take medical billing and coding courses

2009-08-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

Medical billing and coding courses can cost you from $2,000 to $18,000, in my experience.

Having looked at all the options, my opinion is that you should go with the $2,000 option, if you are new and looking for a way into the medical billing and coding career field. Let me explain my thinking.

The $2,000 option is with AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association). If you don't know about AHIMA yet, you soon will if you enter the medical billing and coding profession.

AHIMA is the biggest and best professional organization for medical billing and coding professionals. They are the people who offer the professional certifications you will need to advance in your medical billing and coding jobs.

The first AHIMA certification you will need is the CCA (certified coding associate). The CCA is the starter certificate. With a CCA you should be able to get an entry level medical billing and coding job.

Okay, back to medical billing and coding courses. AHIMA offers an online distance learning program called Coding Basics. Here is information about the program from AHIMA:

AHIMA offers on online program called Coding Basics. Coding Basics is a self-paced, 12-course program that provides comprehensive training in inpatient and outpatient coding, along with the necessary background courses in health record content, medical terminology, and disease processes. The courses are entirely Web-based. When you successfully complete the Coding Basics Program (four clusters of three courses per cluster) you may wish to take the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) national certification exam. The CCA should be viewed as the starting point for an individual entering a new career as a coder. For more information on the Coding Basics program, including program length and registration fees, you should visit:

http://campus.ahima.org/campus/course_info/cb/index.html
The prerequisite for our Coding Basics program is Anatomy & Physiology. This can be fulfilled by having an official college transcript submitted, or by taking the course online through AHIMA. Details about our Anatomy & Physiology course are at: http://campus.ahima.org/campus/course_info/Anatomy/anat_info.htm

So, here is the beauty of going this route instead of an expensive career college physical attendance type of program:

It costs way less ($2,000 vs $15,000 estimated).
It gives you time flexibility (you can work, and do internships in medical offices).
It's AHIMA (you get to put AHIMA on your resume - this is a huge plus when you are new.
The information is likely to be better, since AHIMA is the authority in the field.
They aren't "all salesy." They don't give you the hard sell.

Before you make a final decision about where and how to take a medical billing and coding course, be sure and check out the AHIMA distance learning program.

Medical Billing and Coding Careers - how medical billing and coding certifications work - the CCA

2009-08-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Medical billing and coding careers offer the ability to earn professional certifications. The entry level certification is the CCA (certified coding associate). This is the one you need to get started. The CCA will let you get a starter job in medical billing and coding.

The CCA is offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
AHIMA is the premier professional organization for medical billing and coding professionals.

Medical Billing and Coding Careers - a big change in medical billing and coding careers is on the horizon

2009-08-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

There is a big change coming to medical billing and coding careers in the not too distant future.

Today I had a discussion with a senior health information management coding manager. This manager works for one of the largest and best HMOs in the country. She told me that as a result of progress being made in the area of electronic medical records that coders will become code editors, over time.

This means that instead of assigning the codes from the medical record as is done today, they will edit codes that are assigned by doctors via the electronic charting system. She said that this will not reduce the need for medical billing and coding professionals because the demand will outstrip supply, even with this gain in productivity.

It seems that medical billing and coding jobs will change from assigning codes to editing or auditing codes. This makes perfect sense to me because I'm from the software industry and it seems obvious that at some point in the future some or all of what coders do could be automated. I don't see that happening any decade soon, especially considering how slowly the medical and healthcare industry moves.

It will be interesting to see how this change to medical billing and coding careers and jobs manifests itself.

Medical billing and coding careers - Here's a totally new opportunity in medical billing and coding careers

2009-08-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a totally new and different twist on medical billing and coding careers. It turns out that medical billing and coding professionals are ideal for a new field called healthcare advocacy.

Healthcare advocacy is when you help someone who has been charged too much or charged for the wrong thing and or been denied coverage by an insurance company.

It sounds interesting because you get to help people deal with something that is really hard and unpleasant for someone who is not used to dealing with medical billing and coding issues.

Read this New York Times article for more information.

Medical billing and coding careers - a downside of medical billing and coding careers

2009-08-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

One of the few downsides of Medical billing and coding careers is that it can be hard to get started. By this I mean it may be hard to get a job without experience and without experience, it may be hard to get a job. This situation is not unique to medical billing and coding careers and is certainly surmountable.

This website has some good information on this important topic.

Medical billing and coding careers - medical billing and coding career path

2009-08-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about medical billing and coding careers is that there is a career path. This video has some good information about the medical billing and coding career path options. There are several certifications you can pursue. It's a good video.

Medical billing and coding schools - Heald College medical billing and coding program

2009-08-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

After looking at several medical billing and coding schools, I chose the Heald College medical billing and coding program.

I chose the Heald medical billing and coding program because of a few factors. First, the program was short. The Heald medical billing and coding program is only nine months long. That was important because I needed to get a job as quickly as possible and did not want to spend years in school.

The second reason I picked the Heald College medical billing and coding program was the schedule. They offered the most convenient schedule for my family. I went with the 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Thursday schedule. This schedule let me pick my kids up from school at 3:00 pm and get them home to do homework.

The next reason I chose the Heald College medical billing and coding program was cost. The cost of the Heald College medical billing and coding program was $14,000 (don't worry, you can get loans and grants). The next closest college that offered a competitive medical billing and coding program cost $18,000. I was not able to determine what the additional $4,000 in cost bought me. Anyway, $4,000 is a lot of money to my family so I preferred not to spend it.

Another thing that drew me to the Heald College medical billing and coding program was that it comes with free tutoring. It also comes with lifetime career placement assistance. Both of these items are important.

The Heald College medical billing and coding course is definitely worth a close look if you want a way into medical billing and coding.

Medical Billing and Coding Work - what medical billing and coding work is all about

2009-08-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

This is a great short video that will show you what Medical billing and coding work is all about. It's one of the simplest yet accurate descriptions I've ever seen. If you want to get a feel for what Medical billing and coding work is really about, watch this video.

Medical billing and coding schools - taking the entrance exam for Medical billing and coding schools

2009-08-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

I was so worried about not passing my Medical billing and coding schools entrance exam and thus not being able to attend the program. I did a bunch of studying in an effort to get ready. It helped some in the math area but not in the reading or writing area.

Both of the Medical billing and coding schools I applied to required that I take a test to see if I could benefit from the knowledge I would gain during the program. The exam was computerized and took me about an hour and a half to complete, although it was not timed.

My biggest concern about Medical billing and coding schools was taking the exam. I had not been in school for decades and feared the worst. It turned out that I did just fine on the exam. I scored high enough to get in and to not need any remedial courses.

For anyone thinking about Medical billing and coding schools and worried about taking the entrance exam, here are a couple of thoughts. First, find out if and when you can take the test again if you need to. Make sure that you don't have to wait a long period of time. Second, don't worry about it. You won't be able to answer all of the questions, it's about answering as many as you can correctly. These tests don't require a high score to pass.

Medical Billing and Coding Salary - Medical Coding Salary and Wage Information

2009-08-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

Medical billing and coding salary information is a hot topic! And for good reason, everyone wants to know how much they can make working a medical billing and coding job.

Here is a great video that will give you all the medical billing and coding salary information you could want. It's a little old but still useful. Definitely worth a look.

Medical Billing and Coding - Welcome to the world of medical billing and coding!

2009-07-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Medical Billing and Coding World blog!

My name is Susan Haywood and here is my story. I spent twenty years in the software industry and liked it alot, except the layoffs. And this current recession just pushed me over the edge, so to speak. I have two children to raise and my parents are getting near the age where I'm going to have to help them out also. My kids are seven and eight years old so I've got several more years of care and cost for them. After doing some research I decided to go into medical billing and coding.

Medical billing and coding careers are appealing because they offer high demand and that means I don't have to worry much about being laid off. For someone with a family, like me, that's important. I also like that a medical billing and coding career offers me flexibility. I can do temp work, I can get a regular job or I can become an independent contractor. Medical coders can do any and or all of these. For me, the big attraction is that coding can be a route to a "lifer" job in the medical field. A lifer job is one that offers a defined benefit pension and union protections, my definition anyway.

Medical billing and coding courses are a great way to get into the industry. You can take courses at lots of different places. I recommend Western Career College and Heald College. These two have well established and credible programs. The great thing about these courses is that they are largely hands on and are not that academic. This was important for me because I had been out of school for literally decades. I was worried that I would not be able to do the course work. It turned out that these programs are designed for people who have been out of school for a long time, so it was easy.

Medical billing and coding jobs are plentiful. According to the Department of Labor, medical billing and coding jobs will increase at a rate of 16% over the next three years. This is well ahead of average and represents a good amount of projected demand. This means that there should be plenty of jobs for the forseable future.

Medical billing and coding online is an up and coming area. Every day there are more and more medical billing and coding online classes and programs being offered. I expect this trend to continue because Internet technology keeps getting better and better and because medical billing and coding lends itself to the Internet as a course delivery vehicle. It's a good bet that the cost of these online courses will go down in the future as more and more of them come on the market.

Medical billing and coding salary data is plentiful at places like salary.com. The data for my area looked a little low so I checked with a friend who works as a coder and determined that they do make good money and that what I was looking at earlier was strictly entry-level salary data and it was a few years old.

Medical billing and coding schools are plentiful and easy to find. Just do an Internet search using google.com or bing.com. You can find schools offering both online and offline programs. You can find medical billing and coding schools that are accredited and that are not accredited. Don't worry, there are lots of schools to choose from.

Medical billing and coding training is something you mostly do via hands on. The better medical billing and coding training programs and schools require that you put in 180 hours of hands on volunteer work. This is the only way for the training to sink in and become practical for the student.

Medical billing and coding work may seem boring to some. However, it's not nearly as boring as being unemployed. I find the work fulfilling and I think you will also, as long as you adopt a professional attitude and strive to be the best medical billing and coding professional you can be.

These are a few of the topics we are going to cover here at Medical Billing and Coding World. Please let me know your suggestions to make this blog more helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Susan