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• Medical Billers by Suzan Hvizdash. A comprehensive review of this career field including nature of work, working conditions, job outlook and employment, training and other qualifications and advancement, earnings, and career search and job hunting resources.

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Content Additions (Careers)

MEDICAL BILLING/CLAIMS EXAMINING/PATIENT ACCOUNTING
by Suzan Hvizdash

• Introduction
• Occupation List
• Nature of Work
• Working Condition
• Job Outlook & Employment
• Training & Other Qualifications
• Earnings
• Health Care Scholarships & Tuition Assistance
• Medical Records & Health Information Technicians (Other Options)
• Resources

INTRODUCTION

Suzan Hvizdash presents a comprehensive review of the medical billing field including nature of work, working conditions, job outlook and employment, training, other qualifications, advancement, and earnings. Ms. Hvizdash started in the medical billing business working as a Claims Analyst at Nationwide Insurance, the Medicare carrier for West Virginia and Ohio. She moved to the Pittsburgh area where she became a billing coordinator for two doctors, and was asked to sit on the Physician Relations Board at Mercy Hospital. Hvizdash was the Medicare Supervisor in Patient Services at Stadtlanders Pharmacy (now Pharmacare Specialty Pharmacy) and then the Medicare Specialist at HMI Pharmacy (now part of Pharmacare Specialty Pharmacy). Ms. Hvizdash also taught Medial Billing/Health Claims Examining at North Hills School of Health Occupations (now Career Training Academy). She was also the Senior Reimbursement Supervisor for Gentiva Health Services (a National Home Infusion company that has since been divided into several new companies)

Currently, Suzan is the Physician Education Specialist for the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She educates and audits over 200 staff and faculty members on the intricacies of patient documentation. She also holds the position of Senior Audit for the Coding and Reimbursement Network. She has had the opportunities to speak on several telecon-ferences, at conventions and corporate meetings which included a regional sales meeting for Novartis Drug Company (formerly Sandoz), The Michigan Nurses Conference, local and national meetings of the American Academy of Professional Coders, and the University of Pittsburgh School Of Health Information Management. She also sits on the Advisory Board for General Surgery Coding Alert.

 

OCCUPATIONAL TITLES

NATURE OF WORK

A successful biller/examiner will know medical terminology, anatomy, proper form completion, and required coding. This person will also need to know basic computer information and have a typing speed of at least 35 words-per-minute. We work with patients, other offices’ staff, medical personnel and other office personnel. Customer Service is very important, as the people we contact are either colleagues of ours or the practice, or they are patients who could be at stressful points in their lives.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Medical billers usually work in an office setting. Sometimes billers don’t work near where the patients are being seen. There are billing offices and services in large corporate buildings, in small suburban offices, and in the doctor’s office itself. Work hours are usually daylight, Monday through Friday, 40-hour work weeks. Overtime is often avail-able, and sometimes mandatory. Positions at insurance companies are more likely to have a few overnight or late hour shifts available.

A lot of billers and coders have been able to work from home. They can either work for themselves getting independent physicians as clients or they can work for larger firms that provide them with their workload via electronic means.

JOB OUTLOOK AND EMPLOYMENT

Medical Billing and its related occupations continue to be the fastest growing opportunities in health care. Insurance companies and the government are spending more time and money researching and controlling claims’ fraud, abusive practices, and medical necessity issues. Because of this, insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other providers are hiring more.

Most companies and practices are looking for experience and or schooling, again because of the legal ramifications of incorrect billing practices. There are also some requiring false claims insurance to be taken on each of their coders/billers.

Medical billers are also able to work independently out of their homes. They can set up electronic billing through their home computers. Also available is the ability to be an insurance specialist or consultant. This would be a position of self-employment to help patients understand their insurance bills and what they should be paying. This could require additional licensure.

Positions are available in doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers, insurance companies, ac-counting offices, legal offices, and consulting firms.

TRAINING AND OTHER QUALIFICATIONS AND ADVANCEMENT

At present, there is no set standard for educational requirements in these fields. However, more employers are looking for some formal training at an accredited vocational or career training school. These schools range in training time from nine months to two years. Anything shorter is not advised.

Certification in these fields is not always required, but is highly recommended. There are several organizations sponsoring certification examinations in the resource section. There are several types of certifications available for different specializations. Some certifications are fairly new, so it is advised to research your field to find the best one suited to your needs.

It’s also important to know that the advancement opportunities are unlimited including office managers, supervisors, managers, and directors of billing or examining departments, directors of coding, reimbursement, revenue cycles, etc.

EARNINGS

These fields have a wage range between $8-$10 an hour to start and up to $30-$40 an hour for years of experience and responsibility.

RESOURCES

 

The organizations for Medical Billing Specialists, Claims Assistance Professionals, Coders, and the like are listed below. It is recommended that you join at least one, but research them beforehand, to find the appropriate one for your career goals. Keep in mind that these organizations may have a local chapter as well, so check your local Telephone Directory for local groups.

Alliance of Claims Assistance Professionals (ACAP) - 25500 Hawthorne Blvd #1158, Torrance CA 90505. (http://www.claims.org/, capinfo@claims.org).

American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) - 2480 South 3850 West, Suite B, Salt Lake City, Utah 84120; 800/626-CODE. (http://www.aapc.com/, info@aapc.com) Certification and extensive information for Coders, Office Managers, Claims Examiners, Hospital Outpatient Coders, Experienced Reimbursement Specialists and Coding Educators. The web site job ad section lets you post your résumé and receive job alerts by e-mail.

American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) - 100 Sycamore Avenue, Suite M, Modesto, CA 95354; 800/982-2182. Their Web site at http://www.aamt.org has career information, employment opportunities, networking, local associations and approved education programs. You can post your résumé online and receive e-mail job alerts.

American Medical Billing Association (AMBA) - 4297 Forrest Drive, Sulphur, OK 73086; 580/622-2624. Their web site presents information about online courses, networking opportunities, and information on preparing for the examination to become a Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist. Visit (http://www.ambanet.net/AMBA.htm).

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) - 230 East Ohio, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60611-3269; 312/664-4467. (http://www.himss.org, himss@himss.org). Includes a membership directory, résumé posting, job alerts, and you can research potential employers and Career Development Resources with résumé and interviewing advice and more. Members only.

Health Care Job Explosion! NEW 4th edition 320 page, $19.95 plus shipping Operators available 24/7   CALL 1-800-782-7424 All major Credit Cards Accepted or ORDER ONLINE Also available at local bookstores

Health Professions Institute (HPI) - PO Box 801, Modesto, CA 95355-0801; 209/551-2112. (http://www.hpisum.com/ , hpi@hpisum.com) Publishes many books, periodicals and conducts seminars for the medical transcription community. HPI has a free Student Network and information on medical transcription courses. Perspectives magazine (an e-zine) is free to medical transcription professionals.

Medical Coding and Billing - Information about coding and billing careers on http://www.medicalcodingandbilling.com includes certification, education, and also medical office management career information. Lists of professional associations.

Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) - 104 Inverness Terrace East, Englewood, CO 80012, 303/799-1111or 877/275-6462. (www.mgma.com) This organization is designed for the supervisors of medical group practices. The Web site has job ads, networking, internship information and a Core Learning Series for education. Jobs ads are in monthly publication MGMA Connections.

Medical Records Institute - 425 Boylston Street, 4th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02116; 617/964-3923. This organization’s web site (http://www.medrecinst.com, cust_service@medrecinst.com) promotes electronic health records, mobile health, and related applications.

MT Jobs - http://www.mtjobs.com/ Sponsored by MT Daily, this site provides free job searches, résumé posting. email job alerts and employer profiles.

MT Monthly (http://www.mtmonthly.com) - 106 Norway Lane, Oak Ridge, TN 37830; 800/951-5559, 865-387-5555 MT Monthly is a national newsletter for medical transcriptionists. for $15 you can purchase the book Working as a Medical Transcriptionist at Home. The web site has links to placement services, products and web sites.

National Healthcareer Association (NHA) - 134 Evergreen Place, 9^th Floor, East Orange, NJ 07018; 800/499-9092 or 973/678-9100. The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) offers education, training and certification for many health care jobs, including Certified Medical Trans-criptionist (CMT) and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS). (http://www.nha2000.com/)

Professional Association of Health Care Office Managers (PAHCOM) - 461 East Ten Mile Road, Pensacola, Florida 32534-9714; 800/451-9311. (http://www.pahcom.com/) Web site has information on education, local chapters, and on the Certified Medical Manager exam. The Benefits page of the web site posts job openings.

URL / Resource Updates

Corrections/changes

This section lists the revised or new URLs that have been identified for the 3rd edition of Health Care Job Explosion!. If you should find a URL or resource contact information that has changed please contact us with the updated information. We will post it on this page.

Other Updates

This section is reserved for miscellaneous information that you may find helpful in your job search.

New Interviews

If you are a health care professional, in an occupation that we currently do not have interviews for in Health Care Job Explosion, consider contacting Bookhaven Press. we are looking for health care professionals from across the country that would like to be interviewed for our updates and for posting on our web site. Refer to the all new 4th edition of Health Care Job Explosion!. We interview, at a minimum, one health care services worker for each occupational group and we are expanding that to eventually have interviews for all occupations.

Health Care Job Explosion! 4th edition (320 pages, $19.95, published May 2006) is available toll free with all major credit cards at 800-782-7424 (Orders Only). Complete ordering information for the resources mentioned on this service, including online ordering with all major credit cards, is available through Bookhaven Press.

Health Care Jobs, Medical Billing Jobs, Medical Jobs, Nursing Jobs