CAREER OVERVIEW

 

Medical billers and coders collect, analyze, and manage the information that steers the healthcare industry. They have an advanced knowledge of insurance and medical claims processing in accordance with professional, legal, and insurance industry standards. At the heart of the profession’s information responsibilities are records, both computer and paper based. Medical billers and coders orchestrate collection of many kinds of documentation from a variety of sources, monitor the integrity of the information, and ensure appropriate access to the individual record. Medical coders spend their days sorting through patient charts to assign these codes and ensure that the health care providers they work for are properly reimbursed for their services. Coding accurately is not easy – the coder must carefully read the doctor’s and nurse’s notes to determine exactly what services the patient received.

 

Like taxpayers who fail to declare all the deductions they’re entitled to, coders often fail to bill for services performed. By some estimates, inaccurate or incomplete coding costs the average doctor thousands of dollars a year in lost payments