Sunday, June 28, 2009

Medical Billing and Coding Tips: You'll fail if you don't follow the golden rule

The major aspect of medical billing that people fail to realize is that you will really have to commit yourself to being productive. This isn't a line of work that pays you exclusively on the time you spend in the office office. Your company will be measuring how productive you are: how many bills can you process per hour. If you can't process an adequate amount of bills per hour/day, you'll be fired.

If you work for yourself, the amount of bills you can process per day is the only thing that matters. So be careful not to take on too many accounts that will jeopardize your productivity. It's a delicate balance of having enough work to make a lot of money and not overloading yourself.

However, if you do decide to open your own shop and take on a lot accounts, you will probably have to do 1 of 2 things:

1. Hire your own staff.

2. Subcontract your work to trusted independent medical bill reviewers.

If you are not comfortable managing people, make sure to take on enough work that you'll be able to complete in a timely manner.

External Resources:
Medical Billing Work Guide
Independent Medical Billing Professionals

What to look for in a billing course?

You are going to need some training and instruction before you get started in the medical billing field. There are many courses out in the market offering to provide you with the education and training to perform medical billing from home. However, you only want to sign-up for an accredited course. The best place to start looking for an accredited course is to head to your local college or university. Many of these courses have the option of completing this course online or offline.

If you plan on taking a course from an organization that is not a university or college, make sure to check out their track record with the Better Business Bureau.

External Resources:
Medical Billing Outside the Office
Medical Billing Software: What to install on your home computer

Medical Billing Training Introduction

Before you dive into the medical billing and coding field, you will need to receive detailed training. Medical billing and coding training can be a costly endeavor, so make sure to do your research before signing up for a course. Make sure that the course is accredited. For a piece of mind, it is a good idea to check out your local college or university to see if they offer any medical billing courses. These courses are fully accredited so you won't have to worry about anyone questioning your education.

An effective medical bill review course will teach you everything you need to know to about medical billing, coding, accounting, and the industry overall. Many college and university courses can either be taken online, offline, or a combination of both options. The typical course can take anywhere between 6 to 12 months to complete. If you opt for a more formal program, such as an associates and bachelors programs may last the standard 2 to 4 years.

External Resources:
Medical Billing and Coding Training
Medical Bill Review Course Guide