medical coding training at home.
What is medical coding and Billing?
Medical coding is the process of reviewing the medical documents, and assigning appropriate codes to diseases, procedures, and treatments following the American Medical Association and Payer guidelines. Codes exist for all types of encounters, services, tests, treatments, and procedures provided in a medical office, clinic, or hospital. The work of the medical coder is submitted to insurance companies for payment purposes, data collection, research, billing and quality improvement purposes.
The role of medical coders is very crucial in the financial success of private medical practices and other health care facilities. The insurance reimbursement to the physician is directly proportional to the expertise of the Medical Coder in identifying relevant diagnoses for patient encounters. This field generates medical coders who specialize in coding after a thorough training program and a certification process. The American academy of professional coders and American Health Information Management Association offers certification.
There is a huge demand for professional coders in the health care industry. Trained individuals can either work in, Health care KPO's medical offices, clinics, hospitals, insurance companies, and can own a home-based business. It is a challenging and interesting career where you are compensated according to your level of skills and how effectively you use them. A certification from credentialing bodies like AHIMA and AAPC can help in getting a highly paid job and fetch great recognition.
Scope
Medical coding and billing is a growing field. The healthcare information industry is growing steadily, and the demand for qualified medical coders is high. Medical coding is a perfect field for those entering the job market for the first time, and for those seeking a career change.
A medical coder needs to be well-versed in medical terminology, and will have to be familiar with all of the codes. One need not memorize all the codes. Relying on memory can lead to errors. Coding must be 100% accurate. The coding manuals and guidelines should always be referred to.
The field of medical coding and billing has numerous opportunities for advancement. Medical coders can advance to positions like subject matter expert, coding supervisor, assistant director or director of a medical coding department. One needs to learn continuously and upgrade his skills regularly to succeed.
Undergoing an intensive training program in Medical coding and billing ensures that you get placed in a reputed organization. To summarise, proficiency in the following areas will help to bag a highly paid job.
- AAPC / AHIMA
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Pathology
- Procedures
- Lab Tests
- Medical Terminologies
- 1500 Case Report Practise
- Exam pattern questions practise
- Coding Guidelines
- ICD 9.0 International classification of diseases
- HCPCS Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System
- CPT Current Procedural Terminologies
- Typing skills
- Rules and Format
- American Accent Training