Medical Billing
Ten hottest careers rank: 4
Salary Range: $20,850 — $51,510
The medical records and health information technician career field is expected to grow by 20 percent through the year 2018. Organization and evaluation of healthcare records are typically the main responsibility of the medical records and health information technician. These records include information of a patient's symptoms and medical history, to results of examinations and tests, to diagnoses and treatments. Through rapid growth of medical tests and procedures, job prospects in the medical records and health information technician career field project to be of increasing demand.
Most people have heard of medical billing jobs, but many do not understand what the job entails. For those who are not aware, a medical biller is the person who handles all the paperwork relating to patient records, in clinics, hospitals, physicians’ offices, nursing homes, and other healthcare-related facilities. These individuals work hand-in-hand with the insurance companies to process medical bills incurred by patients, and ensure that the respective health care providers are compensated, for all services rendered.
A medical billing job will require one to create a relationship with patient accounts, without necessarily coming into physical contact with any patients. On the other hand, one must also develop a working relationship with insurance companies, since a major part of the job will require one to do the processing of insurance claims, among other related paperwork.
The process of medical billing usually begins with the entry of patient information, into a database, containing patient accounts. This information consists of a patient’s name, contact address, medical history, and any other relevant data, such as information relating to health insurance coverage. After this, the medical biller enters information relating to the patient’s visit to the health care facility, broken down into two; procedures performed by the health care provider, and any diagnosis that was arrived at during that visit.
After data entry is done, the next step is to verify the patient’s insurance information, and to subsequently forward any insurance claims, to respective insurance companies. Submission of claims may be done physically, or through electronic media. Once submission is done, the medical biller must wait for the insurance company’s response. If the claim is accepted, the insurance company proceeds to pay. However, if the insurance company rejects the claim, then the medical biller must review the claim and resubmit it. The medical billing process ends, after payment is made. This is the time that the medical biller collects, processes, and posts, all accounts receivables.
Apart from these roles, the medical biller may act as the link between patients and the insurance companies. When either party, has questions concerning a particular claim, the medical biller can step in resolve the issues. Overall, the responsibility of maintaining patient accounts lies squarely, on the shoulders of medical billers.
In summary, medical billing is a rapidly growing field; popularized by the fact that, it is a very flexible job. As a medical biller, you have the opportunity to work on a part-time or full-time basis. In addition, there is an option, whereby, one can choose to work from the comfort of their home. However, one has to undergo sufficient training, before engaging in medical billing. Therefore, anyone considering such a job must carry out a thorough career assessment, to determine whether they are fit to do the job. Moreover, one must pass an aptitude test, in order to qualify for training.
