Can I Teach Myself to Do Medical Billing Or Is Formal Training Essential?

Medical billing is versatile and rewarding, however, self-training may only confuse you. Formal medical billing and coding career training provides you the knowledge and skills you need to land a solid medical billing job. You must learn specific skills, or improve existing skills, to become an established professional in your chosen field. Standard medical billing training can be extensive (note, we said extensive, not expensive!). You learn about:

• Medical terminology
• Insurance terminology
• Basic anatomy
• Claim forms and claims process
• EOBs
• Aging reports
• AR recovery
• Coding basics
• Data entry and software
• Basic medical office management and admin

Not only will this training teach you fundamental basics but also introduce you to the latest technologies and processes that you otherwise would have missed.

When Am I Done Learning?

Education does not end upon graduation from a formal training program, even for the best medical billers and coders! The rules and regulations, billing procedures, coding system, Medicare rules, technology, research and laws in health care constantly change, and so, serious professionals in the medical billing and coding discipline will always have to continue learning, solidifying, refining, refreshing, revisiting and enhancing their skills. The best way to continue learning is through seminars, workshops, online webinars, continuing education programs, magazines and courses offered from various groups and medical office and billing software vendors. Some of the workshops and webinars are free, others are quite expensive, but in either case, they are important and well worth the money and time spent.

Certificate medical billing training programs typically require the following courses followed by a practicum:

1. Medical Terminology
2. Human Anatomy and Physiology
3. Pathology and Disease Processes
4. Keyboarding
5. Health Information Management
6. CPT Coding
7. ICD-9-CM Coding
8. Healthcare Laws and Ethics

Employers carefully screen their applicants and prefer those medical billers who have the specific experience, training and credentials that best meets their need.

Can I Make More Money If I Have More Training and Credentials?

As with any job, wages are commensurate with experience and can be higher or lower in different areas of the country. American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC) states the average starting salary for Certified Medical Coders is approximately $35,000 per year, but that's average. Experienced professionals may eventually set up their own medical billing and coding consulting business and earn additional income for seminars, coding review analyses for providers and freelance consulting to payers. An independent consultant will try to make as much money as possible by investing their time and skills accordingly.