{loadposition hidden-adsense-block}Medical billing and coding schools train technicians in medical records and health information. One of the few health-related occupations in which there is no direct hands-on patient care, records technicians learn to assemble patients’ health information. This includes patients’ medical history, symptoms, exam results, treatments, and all other healthcare provider services. Technicians organize and manage health information, medical billing and coding, and ensure its and security.
To start working in medical billing and coding, you need to receive proper training from an accredited college. Most medical billing schools offer training programs for work as a medical billing clerk or specialist.
You can become credentialed as a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) by attending any of a number of medical billing and coding schools – just make sure the school is accredited. Look for the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) certification. Medical billing and coding schools offer a two-year associate’s degree, which require passage of an AHIMA-administered written examination. In 2008, there were more than 200 CAHIIM-accredited health information technology colleges and universities programs.
Medical coding schools can help you earn coding credentials through the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), as well as specialty coding credentials through the Board of Medical Specialty Coding (BMSC) and Professional Association of Health care Coding Specialists (PAHCS).
To earn an associate degree, medical billing and coding school students will study health information technology courses. These subjects include anatomy and physiology, health data requirements and standards, clinical classification and coding systems, and data management.
Before enrolling in a school, be sure to preview a class to ensure the instruction style is a good fit. Look for medical billing and coding schools that offer hands-on training working with billing statements. It’s not enough to simply read about medical coding procedures – make sure to talk with students to find out from them how much hands-on experience they get.
And look for an accredited medical insurance billing school. It should have an outstanding career placement department. This is essential to finding a quality program because this is the department that will help you find a job after graduating.
Graduates of medical billing and coding schools may find promising job prospects, as employment is expected to increase by 20 percent through 2018.
For more information
To learn more about medical billing and coding schools, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Read about training for medical billing and coding at Netdoc.com.
Find out more about medical billing and coding schools at the American Health Information Management Association’s website.
Premed Guide