What Do Medical Billing Specialists Do?

Before getting to the updates, it’s important to establish what medical billing is all about. Medical billing specialists do important administrative work ensuring healthcare facilities patient finance and insurance processes run smoothly. They can work in office settings, such as insurance companies, and in various medical settings, such as hospitals and clinics.

Duties can include:

• Developing payment plans for and with patients.

• ‌Submitting reimbursement requests to insurance agencies (private and government).

• ‌Entering payment information quickly, accurately, and securely.

• ‌Following up with claims and initiating the collections process for overdue payments.

Medical coding and billing is a growing field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this field is expected to have an 8% growth rate from the decade of 2019 to 2029 — much higher than the average growth rate of 4% for all US occupations.

The MedCerts Medical Billing & Coding Program Updates

Enhancements in MedCerts’s Medical Billing & Coding program can help students enter this growing field.

1. New Certification

First, the new MedCerts Medical Coder & Biller Certification (MCBC) is now available. This is a 12-week course that culminates in a National Certification Exam proctored by the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA).

2. New Course

As part of the preparation for the Medical Coder & Biller Certification, MedCerts now offers a new course dedicated to insurance billing and medical coding. HI-1015: Insurance & Billing, and Coding Essentials is a six-week course on the foundations of insurance billing. Important topics covered include medical regulation and law, working with private versus government insurance plans, diagnosis coding, procedure coding, claim formats, and the encounter form. ‌

Other MedCerts Programs That Lead to MCBC

Several other MedCerts programs will make students eligible for MCBC as well:

Medical Front Office Assistant and Administration Specialist

Those who complete this 19-week program are eligible to test for both MCBC and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant certification. Getting both of these certifications at once can give students more options when it comes to front-office positions.

Electronic Health Records and Reimbursement Specialist

In addition to MCBC, this 17-week program qualifies students to test for Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist certification. Detail-oriented students interested in the nitty-gritty of health records may enjoy this training.

Allied Healthcare Professional

The 31-week Allied Healthcare Professional program makes students eligible for several certification exams, including MCBC. This course is designed to give students options in a wide variety of medical fields.

Healthcare Administration Professional

This 23-week course takes the Electronic Health Records and Reimbursement Specialist course one step further with eligibility for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant certification exam.

Conclusion

MedCerts’s new MCBC certification program and corresponding billing/coding course open up a variety of ways for students to develop a rewarding career with many prospects on the horizon. And for students interested in other fields in addition to medical billing, MedCerts has several options available.