The Basics of Medical Billing and Coding

Medical billing and coding presents a unique set of job duties. It is crucial to understand the way billing and coding works for Fortune 500 health care companies or individuals running their own billing companies out of their home offices.

Considerations

• The separation of billing and coding functions is often contingent upon the size of the facility. Large hospitals, for example, have separate billing and coding departments.

Warning

• Billing is a skill that can be learned over time. Coding, however, requires candidates to earn certification in coding prior to being hired for entry-level positions.

Identification

• Billing is the process of completing a UB92 or the standard billing form with demographic information for the patient. Coding creates the appropriate ICD-9 diagnosis codes for patients based on narratives submitted by licensed medical providers.

Types

• Medical billing can be broken down into several areas. Physician billing, hospital billing and home health billing are totally different billing and coding processes.

Potential

• Developing a understanding of the basics of medical billing and coding can result in a skill set useful well into future. Future billers and coders can get education through various online and traditional programs.