Getting Medical Billing and Coding Jobs, and What's Involved
Medical billing jobs offer stable, rewarding work, which help millions of doctors and patients across the country. It's one of the fastest growing sectors in health care.
Billers and coders submit and track insurance claims for time-stretched healthcare providers. Without these specialists many health facilities would lose their revenue and cease to operate.
Interested? Before you start exploring this path, you should do some self-reflection and work out if a career in medical billing and coding is right for you, taking into account what the job involves and your personality.
You should also take some time to think about whether billing or coding is right for you.
Although there aren't any specific educational requirements for getting a job in medical billing or coding, many employers look for formal university and certification.
See our complete guide to medical billing courses and certification here.
Medical billers work closely with medical personnel and other office staff, as well as medical practitioners and doctors. Communication skills are essential for keeping these relationships running smoothly.
Get ahead through education
Alternatively, look for billing and codings schools in your area.
The hours in medical billing are usually very flexible. You may be able to find positions that allow you to work part-time from home, odd hours in the day, or during the night shift. Some medical billers find that they can work from home almost full-time.
Salaries average around $40,000, average $48,000 for certified coders, and sometimes reach just under 6 figures for highly qualified and experienced billers and coders.
The most important quality of a medical biller is attention to detail.
Even simple mistakes like a misspelled name, transposed digits, or the wrong date of birth will lead to headaches, frustration, and delayed payments. Often claims are delayed or denied not for insurance or benefit reasons, but because the codes or other information was entered incorrectly. (See: common medical billing errors)
Some of the jobs
The list of medical billing and coding jobs includes:
- Billing specialist
- Medical coding specialist
- Billing coordinator
- Medical billing clerk
- Patient account representative
- Account receivable specialist
- Electronic claims processor
- Reimbursement specialist
- Claims analyst
- Medical billing consultant
Wondering what a work day looks like for a biller? See 'A Day in the Life of My Medical Billing Company'.
If you're ready to start out, great! Here are some places to find medical billing and coding jobs. There are many ways of finding your first job, but the most effective is networking with healthcare professionals in your area.
Read the article on entry-level medical billing jobs to get an understanding of what you may be required to do in your first job. It also has more ideas on where to look.
Applying for the job
When you find a job description, you'll want to read through it carefully to determine exactly what the position will require you to do. See this guide to deciphering a medical billing job description for help.
Once you've figured out what the job entails, it's time to apply! First, learn how to match what you say on your application to the job description to highlight your talents. This will make your application stand out.
Your resume is hugely important - there are many small details which can make or break your application. See the guide to crafting a great medical billing resume, and get an idea what a good one looks like by looking at the sample resume.
You'll need to write a letter of interest as well, to catch the hiring manager's eye and get them to read your resume. Our article on this guides you through writing your letter of interest, and has some tips on how to improve it.
Once you send off your application and receive a reply, it's time for the interview! See the list of medical billing interview tips to improve your interview skills.
After you've got the job
Once you manage to finally get a medical billing or coding job, you may find that you're unprepared for the healthcare office environment. See our guide to dealing with workplace pressure in your medical billing job for help.
The specialized set of skills held by those in medical billing means that they will always be in high demand. If you've chosen to pursue a medical billing or coding job, we wish you the best of luck!
If you want more information on the future of billing and coding jobs, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook for medical billing.
If you found this page useful, please click "Like"! Thanks.
