Is Anyone a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist

I am a Medical Transcriptionist, but I can give you some pointers on billing/coding. The most lucrative of the 3 is coding, followed by transcription and then billing. You do need a certificate and there are many avenues to accomplish this: on-line schools, trade-style schools, community colleges. I received mine from a local trade-style school called Techskills and you can get any of the 3 certifications from them. Do some research and figure out what you want from the school. Some give you a specific amount of time to complete the program and if you do not, they start charging you more. Techskills has one cost and you can take all the time you need to complete it.
Transcription is the best choice, if you want options to work from home and flexibility. Billing and coding pretty much has to be done in an office environment. I am sure there are part-time jobs for billing & coding, I haven't looked into that too much.
I plan to go back and get my coding certificate in a year or two, so I can make a bit more money when my kids are all in school full-time.
Hope this info helps.

AB

my mother in law just got a job doing this. It did require a 2-year degree, including courses in computers (basic use), anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, and then the actual coding work. Then there's a certification exam (not sure if you can 'self-study' and then try the exam w/o the degree).

it's decent money -- you may want to call around and see at some hospitals/doctor's offices near where you live. A plus is that it seems a lot of places are moving these employees "home" to work.

Another job you might be interested in is a transcriber -- where you would type out the dictations or notes of a doctor. Similar coursework training is involved, but I don't think the whole degree is necessary. And that you can do on a "freelance" basis, or as an employee.

Good luck!
T.

I am not a specialist but I went to a vocational school for medical billing and coding. A very short 16 week course. I agree with the other response coding is where the money is and not to mention most places are beginning to require their coders to be credentialed. As far as billers go I have seen nothing more than high school diploma required in any job ad. I was in this field for 6+ yrs and was on the billing end of it. My sister is a credentialed coder, she paid for and took the test to get her credentials, my sister took the same course as I did only at different times. The test is expensive and there are different administers of the test, I don't recall their names, someone else on mamasource may know them. They are not persons they are foundations or something. And with the credentials you have to keep up with continuing educational credits. And there are many different credentials you can get one is CPC-S. I believe you do not get a free retake if you fail the test, so if you don't pass the first time to take it again you'd have to pay.

I myself enjoyed the billing of it and having knowledge of coding did help, being able to utilize the CPT and ICD-9 books should I need to. It wasn't difficult at all, rather monotonous at times. In most jobs the software does most of it and it is fill in the blanks. If you get to do follow up which I am sure you will you will find dealing with insurance companies challenging, some times a breeze and in some cases aggravating enough to pull your hair out. I always made good money, better than average. As far as flexibility goes there are end of months quarters and year ends. One place I worked for would not scheduled time off the last week of the month nor the last 2 weeks of the year or 1st week of the new year. Every company is different if flexibility is important for you and your family be sure to ask when you interview. See if the company fits you as much as you may fit them. I am now a stay at home mom and loving every minute of it, I don't miss working, at the moment. If I ever do go back to working I would definitely go back to billing. Good luck on getting back into the workforce.

Hi, I work in a Medical Records Department ( I was the Manager) but stepped down after I had my second child. I still do auditing in the department part time. I want to assure you that it is a great field to get into. I have been in Medical Records for over 20 years and have held various positions. Coding is a great job because it is in demand and the hours can be flexible ( a lot of hospitals are offering a new perk: working from home)You can make about 40-50,000 a year out of school full time. You really need to go to a degreed program; do not get the certificate, hospitals will not hire you. I am happy to talk to you more about this if you are interested. Email me on my yahoo account and I will give you my phone number. I have met the nicest people in this field and have never regretted the career choice I have made. You have to like to work independently and be detail-oreinted. Good Luck!