Medical Billing Specialist Schools
More than 82 percent of Americans visited a doctor or other health care professional in 2011, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). That's more than 1.2 billion visits to doctors' offices, emergency rooms and outpatient clinics. Between 80 and 85 percent of Americans under age 65 have health insurance and virtually all over age 65 are insured via Medicare. Those visits generate a lot of paperwork between physicians and other health care providers and the patient's insurance company or Medicare. Keeping all of this paperwork under control is the job of a medical billing specialist.
What you'll learn at a medical billing specialist school
At medical billing specialist school, you'll learn about parts of the body, physiology, disease pathology and current treatment procedures as well as medical terminology so you can understand what's being billed and what the necessary treatment options are for common conditions. You'll study different insurance plans and what is covered (and not covered) under common plans. You'll also learn how to use different medical billing software programs. There's a lot to learn, so most training courses last between one and two years. A good training course will prepare students to sit for the CMRS exam. Having this certification is not a strict requirement, but being certified is a big plus when looking for a medical billing job.
Careers open to those with medical billing training
After successfully completing a medical billing training course, students are qualified to work in medical offices preparing bills, submitting them to insurance companies and acting as the liaison between the doctors, the patients and the insurance companies. Medical billing specialists are also trained to audit insurance and doctors' billing statements for corporations or other third parities.
Medical bills and insurance procedures have become too complicated for most doctors and their general office staffs to handle efficiently. Medical billing specialists help fill this void and make sure that bills are being processed accurately and on time. |
