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.
Medical Coding Resume
Five Mistakes to Avoid on your Medical Coding Resume
Your job resume is often a potential employers first chance to form an opinion of your value as an employee. Easily avoidable mistakes can cost you dearly, even if you are the most qualified candidate for a Medical Coding job.
Our Career Services staff is on hand to help you from the moment you enroll, through and beyond graduation. One of the services we offer is resume assistance. Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way to write a resume. Here are five easily fixable mistakes to avoid on your Medical Coding resume:
- Bad Grammar: The best way to make a bad first impression is for your Medical Coding and Billing resume to be filled with grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling errors. Proofread your resume. Get a fresh set of eyes to proofread it as well. Always better safe than sorry.
- Rambling: If you say too much about yourself, that’s all the employer is going to remember. Keep your resume short and sweet. Use bullet points to hit key points about your experience and the skills you want to stand out.
- Not healthcare-centric: If you’re applying for a job as a Medical Biller, Coder, and/or Reimbursement Specialist, your resume needs to be tailored to that specific job title. This shows you are dedicated to finding a position in this field, even if you’re looking around for fallback options.
- Failure to highlight skills: Your resume needs to highlight what makes you a superior candidate over someone else. It should be a summary of how your skills, education and experience can best help a medical facility.
- No Cover Letter: Not every employer is going to read your cover letter, but they are important to have “just in case”. A good cover letter fills in the blanks where your resume just highlights your strengths as a candidate. Make sure you write a new and different cover letter for each employer. Yes, they can tell the difference in a freshly written letter and one you’ve been copy and pasting.
Earn your degree in as little as 16 months
The Medical Coding and Reimbursement degree program is designed to prepare you for a career as a medical billing and coding specialist. Upon successful completion of this program, you’ll be eligible for an Associates Degree in Occupational Studies and the Certified Professional Coding(CPC).
Launce your new healthcare career at EBI Career College!
Get your new career started with career-focused training at EBI. To learn more about our Medical Assisting certification in Vestal, NY, call 607-729-8915.
