Medical Billing & Coding Certificate
Do you have the characteristics of a medical Billing & Coding Certificate?
A medical coding and billing career can prove to be as challenging as it is rewarding. At EBI Career College, we want to prepare you for a new career with the skills and industry knowledge needed to be successful in your field. However, there are other qualities you’ll need to cultivate if you’re going to be fully prepared to take on this rapidly growing career.
If you are considering a medical coding and billing career, make sure you have these important qualities:
- Detail oriented: When dealing with health records, it’s important to have a keen focus on small details when recording and coding patient information. Medical records professionals are responsible for making sure health information data is managed in an accurate and efficient way. With so much information changing hands throughout each day, it’s important to stay focused on every detail.
- Discretion: As a medical biller and coder, you have access to sensitive medical information. Every patient has a right to privacy, and sharing a patient’s private information can lead to legal problems. Discretion is a must in a medical billing and coding career.
- Assertive: As a medical biller and coder, each case can have opportunities to interact with a variety of people in the medical field, including physicians, finance personnel as well as other medical billers and coders. If a hostile patient collection case arises, it’s important to remain assertive in resolving the issue. Diffusing a patient’s emotions while problem solving comes with the territory.
- Analytical: Another key trait is the ability to comprehend and explain a medical diagnosis and convert the information into the proper medical record codes. A basic grasp of medical terminology and human anatomy, is essential as well.
- Technical: Technology is here to stay and will continue to play a larger role in medical billing and coding. Hospitals and physicians’ offices are now transferring their hard copy records to electronic health records. The ability to quickly adopt new technical skills and learn new software programs easily can greatly improve your chances for a long and successful career.
Earn your Medical Billing & Coding certificate in as little as 12 months
Now is a great time to start a career in the healthcare field. You can complete your certificate program in as little as 12 months. To learn more about our Medical Coding and Billing certificate program in Vestal, NY, call 607-729-8915.
Traits Needed to Work in Medical Coding & Billing
At this point, you likely know that medical coding and billing positions are both lucrative and in demand. However, you may have wondered whether or not the industry is a good fit for your specific personality and skill set. Below, we will discuss five attributes of successful medical coding and billing specialists. Read on to see if you have the traits needed to work in medical coding and billing.
Logical Reasoning
Unlike many healthcare careers, medical coding and billing does not typically require contact with patients or creative problem-solving. Medical coding and billing is an analytical discipline. For this reason, medical coding and billing specialists must have a strong understanding of logic and reasoning.
Attention to Detail
In the medical coding and billing profession, there is little room for error. A mistake as simple as coding one procedure incorrectly could negatively affect the patient, the insurance company, the provider, and the provider’s facility. Thus, it crucial for medical coding and billing specialists to possess meticulous attention to detail.
Independence
Independence is an important trait for medical coding and billing specialists to possess for two reasons. One, much of the work medical coding and billing specialists do is performed alone. Thus, if you crave frequent socialization, this may not be the ideal industry for you. Two, many healthcare facilities do not have the need for an entire coding and billing department. Therefore, if you enter this field, you could be the only individual responsible for upholding the accuracy and efficiency of coding and billing at your facility. Such a responsibility requires a high degree of self-sufficiency and motivation.
Social Skills
Though medical coding and billing specialists spend most of their days working independently, there are times when they must communicate with others. Part of this communication involves calling nurses and physicians to clarify the diagnoses and services patients received. In this field, there are bound to be discrepancies from time to time, and such issues are easiest to resolve when you communicate in a friendly and professional manner.
Commitment to Learning
Medical coding and billing specialists work within the guidelines of healthcare providers, insurance companies, and the coding industry at large. And when there are that many entities enforcing policy, change is inevitable. However, the most successful medical coding and billing specialists are adaptable and able to learn new regulations with ease. This commitment to learning is also useful whenever new diagnoses and procedures are reported, as this means there are then new medical codes to memorize.
Develop the Traits Needed to Work in Medical Coding & Billing at EBI
Though some of the qualities above may appear to be innate personal attributes, many of them can be learned with practice. The only surefire way to see if you have the traits needed to work medical coding and billing is to enroll in an introductory course. For course offerings in the Vestal area, contact EBI at (607) 729-8915.
