4 Simple Steps to Begin Your Career in Medical Billing and Coding

Like many of the programs offered at Compass Career College, Medical Billing & Coding is an increasingly flourishing field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that demand for Medical Billing & Coding Specialists will rise by 11-percent from 2018 to 2028, which is categorized as a faster than average growth rate. This means, there will be ample need for qualified Medical Billing & Coding Specialists in the very near future.

Not quite sure what this field entails? In a nutshell, Medical Billing & Coding Specialists aim to simplify communication between healthcare providers, patient insurers, and other agencies by using universal identifiers for every diagnosis, procedure, and treatment. Coders rely on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to assign codes to illnesses and injuries, as well as the Current Procedure Terminology (CPT) and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) to identify the services and treatments provided to the patient.

Medical Billing & Coding Specialists can expect a jam-packed workday full of stimulating tasks, such as coding diagnoses and treatments, maintaining client records, working with insurers over reimbursements, and communicating all insurance matters with patients. It is the Specialist’s responsibility to correspond with insurance providers and patients until they have paid the allowable amount for all medical services rendered.

Will you be the next great medical liaison? All you need to do is take the first steps towards a fruitful career, which Compass Career Center will break down for you below:

Find & Enroll in the Right School for Your Needs

The first step in the process is the most important, and it’s where Compass Career College can really give you a leg-up! Not only does our accredited program teach all of the vital coding languages you need to know to successfully navigate the field, such as ICD-10, CPT, and HCPCS, as well as every step of the insurance billing cycle, but we also provide financial aid to help prospective students pursue a new career path. You’ll also receive on-the-job training through 150-hours of a MBC Externship, where you’ll be assigned to a doctor’s office, hospital, or medical facility to get a true feel for the field. If our lectures, labs, and training aren’t enough to prepare you for this new, exciting career, we aren’t sure what is! Remember, all you need is a High School Diploma or GED to get started.

Complete Relevant Program Coursework

When you enroll in CCC’s 11-month Medical Billing & Coding program, you can expect 750 clock hours, 600 of which are related to your coursework, either through lectures (380-hours) or labs (220-hours). These courses teach the fundamentals of pathophysiology and medical terminology, which are vital building blocks of any Medical Billing & Coding Specialists’ education before learning the different coding languages themselves. They’ll also cover Simulation Electronic Medical Records, preparing students immensely for their daily on-the-job tasks. So, while Medical Billing & Coding code standards make up a majority of our program’s coursework, it isn’t the only material you’ll be learning throughout your educational journey with CCC. This will make your knowledge-base applicable to a range of post-certificate programs oh, the possibilities!

Leverage Externship Resources + Tap Into Networking Opportunities

Hey, prospective CCC students! This is where your 150-hours of required externship really comes in handy. Since our college works with many medical professionals within Tangipahoa Parish to fill gaps in the field, it is our sincerest hope that your externship has the potential to turn into a full-time career opportunity. While working on-site at a medical facility, whether it’d be a doctor’s office or otherwise, there’s also the possibility for outside opportunities to flourish. You’ll be able to network with medical professionals of all statures during the comings and goings on your externship job-site, and who knows? The right person might walk through the door and lead to your dream job!

Begin Your Medical Billing and Coding Career

The day has come! You have completed all of your required lectures, labs, and coursework. Your externship is wrapping up shortly, and soon, you’ll knock out the CPC Exam. We’ve helped you get this far, and now you’re wondering ”What are the next steps for me?” Through the way we design our program at CCC, we intend your enrollment to work like a revolving door, where you walk out of our educational facility and into your first career opportunity. If it sounds too easy, that’s because it is! Through our rigorous coursework and immersive on-the-job training, there’s little doubt in our mind that many opportunities will await once you complete Compass Career College’s Medical Billing & Coding program —you just have to find the right one for you!

Ready to get started? Visit Allied Health to learn more!