While many think primarily of doctors and nurses as being the faces of the healthcare profession, there are tens of thousands of ancillary personnel providing direct patient care or working behind the scenes to keep patients moving through the system smoothly. For individuals who want to impact patients without providing hands-on care, a medical billing and coding job may be the right fit. This administrative position is great for those who love working with data in an office setting.

The Uses of Medical Billing and Coding

Every time staff sees a patient in a hospital or outpatient setting, the facility requires payment either through private pay or from an insurance company. In order to perform this task accurately, the staff input codes for every diagnosis and procedure related to that diagnosis. The health insurance profession constantly uses these codes to ensure correct and timely payments. While codes are standardized, they do require extensive knowledge of the healthcare field and medical terminology because there can be significant differences in payment options depending on diagnoses.

Medical Billing and Coding Jobs

Jobs in this field are rapidly growing as demand for skilled healthcare professionals in all areas expands. In fact, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment in this field will advance by 8 percent by 2029. With over 341,000 individuals employed as medical records and health information specialists in 2019, another 30,000 jobs should be added over the next 10 years.

As mentioned, these professionals usually work in office settings and spend most of their days in front of computers as the majority of records are now located on online servers. However, some may be required to work with older paper records. While most individuals work during daytime hours, some billing and coding specialists work overnight to provide healthcare personnel with patient records at any hour they are needed.

The majority of medical billing and coding specialists work in hospitals. However, others work in physician offices or in administrative centers. Their typical daily jobs include reviewing patient records to find any errors, inputting codes in databases for insurance purposes, and retrieving paper or electronic records. While they rarely have contact with patients, they may need to speak with doctors or nurses for clarification about specific diagnostic codes at times. This job is incredibly important as the correct code is vital for proper patient billing as well as for ensuring complete reimbursement for services to the healthcare facility.

Getting a Medical Billing and Coding Degree

The vast majority of jobs in medical billing and coding require a post-secondary degree and certification in the field. Some certifications include Certified Coding Associate and Certified Professional Coder. \Individuals must take classes that teach them basic medical terminology and human anatomy and physiology along with information technology, coding, billing, medical records, and medical ethics. This will allow them to understand the patient diagnoses that go into each code so that they can ensure each patient is billed accurately.

The Benefits of an Online Medical Billing and Coding Degree

Because there is no hands-on patient care involved in this field, it is simple and efficient to get an online medical billing and coding degree. The benefits of an online degree in this field cannot be overestimated. Students find that they can take classes around their schedules, learn at their own pace and challenge themselves while continuing to take care of their families or work at their current jobs.

A look at a few of the advantages of online learning for this field will inspire even the most hesitant to get started. Online students can learn anywhere at any time. Although some classes are live, others are recorded, and students can submit work during the day or the night, depending on their schedules. In addition, because online learning does not require a physical classroom, it is typically much more affordable than an in-person degree is. Finally, online learning helps with time management, improves self-discipline, and easily teaches technical computer skills while still allowing the student to communicate with the teacher whenever necessary.

With the overall rapid growth of the healthcare profession, this is a wonderful time to seek a degree in online medical billing and coding. Individuals who complete their courses will find plenty of job opportunities these days and will quickly discover that their knowledge and skills give them superb job flexibility. Many can even work from home as they can usually access most medical records online. With an online medical billing and coding degree, individuals will find great job satisfaction and plenty of opportunities for personal and professional growth as they advance in their careers.