Medical Billing Specialist

Medical billing specialist: this is a person who works in the medical field but not with patients. He or she works to ensure that the billing for services and the coding that must accurately describe the medical condition and treatment given, is properly communicated to the insurance company. There are a number of steps involved in the process of entering this field.

You need to at least graduate high school, and have a background in subjects like science, mathematics, biology, and chemistry. This will help prepare you for advanced classes that will be required when you take billing and coding classes. It is possible to begin employment with a billing company with just a high school education, but realistically a medical billing specialist with a degree is much preferred by these employers for obvious reasons.

Always look for accredited schools, whether you plan to take medical billing classes online or in a traditional classroom. The need for accreditation is the same, because it says to a prospective employer that you received an education from a quality educational institution.

Online  classes can allow you the time flexibility to work in an internship and thus gain experience that will make you more attractive to an employer.

A medical billing specialist needs to become certified as a "Registered Health Information Technician" called the RHIT credential. This certification is given by the AHIMA "American Health Information Management Association." This presumes that you have completed at minimum a two year degree at a school that is properly accredited.

The "Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Association." (CAHIIM) has a listing online of accredited schools and programs for the field of medical billing specialist. You must attend an accredited school or program to take the certification exam, and receive the credential upon passing the examination.

You can also specialize in one of a number of branches of medicine, that have different billing and coding requirements and procedures. Fields like radiology, cardiology, oncology, etc., provide competitive pay and opportunities for advancement within the field of medical informatics.

As a medical billing specialist, you can also choose work from home medical billing and provide services to clients online, giving you flexibility in your time, and the ability to adjust your work schedule around the demands of your personal life. Work from home billing reflects the information intensive nature of the medical billing field and the trend toward outsourcing billing and coding to independent medical informatics practitioners.