Want to Work from Home? Consider a Career in Medical Billing and Coding
With advances in digital technology, more people are working from home. And those who work in medical billing and coding jobs are part of this trend. If you already work in healthcare or have an interest in developing a career within this fulfilling field of endeavor, consider learning more about medical billing and coding. At Northwestern College, serving Oak Lawn, IL and the Greater Chicago area, students enrolled in the Health Information Technology program can earn their medical coding specialist certificate – and potentially work from home after graduation.
Medical Billing and Coding Jobs Are in High Demand
The demand for medical billing professionals and medical coding specialists continues to grow, right along with the healthcare sector as a whole. The work of medical billing and coding specialists assures that medical professionals, hospital systems, and other healthcare facilities, departments, and personnel are properly paid. It’s as simple as that. Without the detailed, critical work of people who work in medical billing, medical records, health insurance, and government institutions, payments would be stopped—as well as valuable information stored in public health databases, used in medical research, and accessed by healthcare professionals around the globe.
How Do Medical Billing and Coding Jobs Impact Healthcare?
Medical billing jobs can be compared to other revenue cycle management, accounts payable, and accounting functions. Often working from home, these professionals track, verify, bill, and record payments. However, there are levels of additional complexity when bills are submitted in our modern healthcare system. Many, if not most, payments related to patient care are channeled through review protocols at insurance companies. When payments to healthcare providers are approved, these companies send funds to the institution or individual practitioner. If the payments are denied, often there are appeal processes to follow. This work is performed via computer, Internet, and telephone.
Professionals who are qualified as medical coding specialists are key. And employers often require degrees from programs that are carefully accredited and approved by organizations that perform oversight. At the very first patient visit, codes are recorded in the electronic medical record, identifying the reasons for the visit. As the patient progresses through the healthcare system undergoing diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes, specific medical codes are part of the health record and billing processes. In addition, these codes are disconnected from personal information and pooled in larger databases for use in tracking public health, supporting medical research, and eventually determining which treatments and procedures might be approved by health insurance companies.
Work From Home With Secure Digital Technology
Not only do more people want to work from home or while traveling, but modern companies are also embracing the opportunity to cut costs associated with maintaining office locations. Since medical billing and coding jobs utilize computer skills and digital technology, these workers often are able to work from home. Because personal health information is accessed in this work, these professionals must receive training in medical ethics and understand how to keep information confidential and secure. They also must have a firm grounding in digital technology and network security.
With the skills learned in medical coding and information technology programs, professional medical billing and coding specialists can correctly code patient procedures. That means they can bill insurance and other providers accurately, track payments made to practitioners and healthcare systems, and add crucial information to global health knowledge. Through their work in medical billing and coding jobs, they ensure that many of the financial and recordkeeping aspects of our healthcare system are operating properly.
Get Education and Training for Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Jobs
At Northwestern College, we enroll students in Oak Lawn, IL, and the Greater Chicago area in our Health Information Technology program. Those students can earn an Associate of Applied Science degree that includes medical coding specialist certification, specialized health information digital skills, and data literacy. Our programs require externships that place students in area medical settings, where they get practical, hands-on training at area hospitals and medical centers. Students who complete the coursework are qualified to take the Certified Coding Specialist Physician-based (CCS-P) exam.
Learn more about this exciting field, and the many work-at-home opportunities it offers. Request information from Northwestern College today.