Get Your Medical Coding Degree Online

What is Medical Billing and Coding?

Medical billers and medical coders are a crucial part of the medical billing process. Each time a patient seeks the care or treatment of a physician, the provider of the care must document which services were performed. Each service is assigned a specific code by the insurance company. Before an insurance claim can be processed, a medical coder looks at the report that documents those medical services and assigned each service the appropriate code for the medical insurance company. From those codes a claim is created and the doctor?s office, hospital or outpatient facility can collect payment.

A medical coder?s job is not just writing codes on a piece of paper or typing codes into a computer. First, the coder must verify that the services were in fact performed. This means looking through the patients records for notes, copies of ordered lab tests, copies of images along with other sources.

Once the coder has verified that the services have been performed, he or she then assigns the correct codes that will indicate to the medical biller which services have been performed. From that report, the medical biller will be able to create a claim for payment.

Training is Required

In order to become a medical biller or coder, training is required. Students must be familiar with medical terminology, the human body, and the codes used by the billing and insurance industry. This requires formal training.

Many people interested in medical billing and coding careers are drawn to the field because many medical billers and coders are able to work from home. Busy mothers may choose to make a career switch so that they can earn a decent income and still be at home with their children. This can make training for their new career difficult. Luckily, there are flexible options. An online medical coding degree program will offer the same training as an in-person program, but with a lot more flexibility.

Get a Medical Billing and Coding Certificate Online

An online medical coding degree program will allow people who have jobs and families, and busy lives in general to fit classes in around their daily schedule, instead of scheduling their lives around attending a class. Online programs have the same classes and same graduation requirements as brick and mortar programs, but with a great deal more freedom.

Upon graduation, when looking for a job, potential employers will not know that an applicant attained their medical billing and coding certificate online. Online graduates have the same credentials as people who sat in a classroom.

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