Medical Coding Education

In the health care system, there are a lot of codes that help diagnose, treat, and discharge patients daily. Codes help nurses

The new job title could be a medical coder 1. I choose this new title because the medical coder is a health care professional who analyzes the medical records, medical charts and assigns the appropriate codes. Most of the job’s responsibilities of a medical coder are required for the inpatient and the outpatient coder’s jobs. For example, medical coder’s responsibilities are: reading and analyzing patient records, determining the correct codes for patient records, interacting with physicians and assistants to ensure accuracy, using codes to bill insurance providers, and maintaining patient confidentiality and information security. In addition, the minimum required certification of this job is CPC or CCS and RHIT with at least 4 years of experience. Those certifications are given to a Coder who can read and assign correct diagnosis International Classification of Diseases or ICD-10-CM, Current Procedural Terminology or CPT, supply Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System or HCPCS code for a wide variety of clinical cases and services, and read and assign PCS codes. The skills of this job are same as the skills of the

As viewed by many HIM professionals Computer-assisted coding is a valuable tool for enhancing the effectiveness of coding and billing. CAC software scans medical documentation in the electronic health record (EHRs) using a natural language processing (NLP) engine, identifying key terminology and proposing codes for that specific treatment or service. Human coder then revised these codes. CAC can also investigate the background of key words to conclude whether they need coding.

Medical billers and medical coders usually work normal business hours, with occasional overtime and weekends. There are several programs available in a variety of different degree options. Most employers’ requirements involve at least an associate degree. Although an associate degree tends to be the general standard in the industry, some employers may consider applicants whose post-secondary education is a specialized medical coding and billing diploma or certificate from a career school. The national average medical billing and coding salary is around $17 per hour, or around $35,920 annually. The lowest salary earners make around $10 per hour, or around $21 annually.

The most important element in becoming a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist is the training and certification need to enter the field and for advancement. You will need a program that provides an understanding of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. This program should also navigate the three topics: ICD, CPT and HCPCS. These codes help you document the conditions of a patient and describe the procedure performed on the patient. When you have completed your training there are several certifications you can test for. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) offer certification for the Certified Coding Associate (CCA). You will need AHIMA membership and an exam fee ($199- $299), a high school diploma or

"Medical coding professionals provide a key step in the medical billing process. Every time a patient receives professional health care in a physician’s office, hospital outpatient facility or ambulatory surgical center (ASC), the provider must document the services provided. The medical coder will abstract the information from the documentation, assign the appropriate codes, and create a claim to be paid, whether by a commercial payer, the patient, or CMS." (Aapccom, 2015) It is very important that billing coders have a full understanding of how to properly use medical codes to prevent denial of claims submitted.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Medical Coding and Billing field is growing faster than any other field (Medical Billing & Coding Careers). The reason for this is that the more doctors’ offices open up, the more the need for medical billers and coders. As of today there are over 8000 codes being used to describe every procedure you can imagine (Sloviter, Sept-Oct 2009). Now think about being a doctor. It would be really hard for a doctor take care of his/her patients and keep track of all those codes. The field of medical coders and billers has a pay range of $8 to $10 per hour to start. However, that is also based on experience. The more experience, the more the pay. Considering that being the pay for full-time, plus any benefits such as vacation, health packages, and retirement packages – it may not seem like

Due to the growing inpatient/outpatient requirements, as well as the impending update to the ICD-10 codes; the spearfish regional hospital is in dire need of a new Computer assisted coding system (CACS) with ICD-10 code language. This technologies will assist the coding department with their day to day processes, as well as allow the hospital to continue with its growth to meet the higher demands of our growing community. Included in this report will be a detailed report of the technologies being requested, as well as information on these vendors 3M, Nuance, and Optum who can supply these

Skills I need to enhance: brushing up of Microsoft Excel skills, completion of a Master’s degree in health care administration with an AHIMA accredited university. Once these goals are attained, I can earn a Registered Health Information Administrator certification (RHIA) or a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certification, and current work experience in health care administration.

Want to learn what medical coding is all about, if it’s right for you, or if it gives you that fire in the belly?

At the end of your schooling, students then go on to an externship, so that they can receive hands on training in a medical facility. A person that is interested in becoming a Health Information Technician is encouraged to take math, biology and computer classes in high school to prepare them for this career. Many colleges offer the two year program online. DeVry University, Rasmussen College, Northwestern College, University of Illinois and Cincinnati are some of the schools that offer the accreditation for the two year course online.

In the field of medical billing and coding are growing much faster and it should be. According to American Academy of Professional Coders survey, the median salary for medical billing and coding is $31,236 a year. Compare to year of 2002, the salary was $23,890. Each year is increase about $2000. Salaries are depend to the type of office and other reason, like education, experience or a certificate of medical billing and coding.

As a billing and coding I ask my self a lot a question . Did I chose right ? Did I going to fine a job the a really like? Did I going to be available to paid my bill? I make a list about some pros and cons for this career. The first pros the I can work anywhere the I what in the United States or in another country. You can feel the satisfaction in knowing that you are in respectable industry and that you are helping other receive valuable healthcare. As a medical biller and coder, you are someone who is needed to make the healthcare system run smoothly. You can also work from home I like that what better for me because I have kids and I would like to have more time with them and helping with what they need. There also some cons like being a

While being a Health Informatics and Information technology student at Community College of Baltimore County, not only I was able to start my career as a billing coordinator at Johns Hopkins University’s Pathology Department but also continued to fulfil my dream of completing my education. I have a very strong understanding of computer system while expressed keen interest in learning about various diseases and diagnosis. With immense gratitude, I give credit of my success to this wonderful program offered at CCBC campus that allowed me to expand my horizons by learning in depth about healthcare and healthcare delivery system. Starting a career in such big organization, without any prior experience within healthcare industry makes me feel

Computer-assisted coding is defined as the “use of computer software that automatically generates a set of medical codes for review, validation, and use based upon clinical documentation provided by healthcare practitioners”