Medical Billing and Coding

Medical billing and Coding is the practice of submitting claims to health insurance companies or the United States government, specifically Medicare, to receive payment for medical and preventive care services provided by a doctor or other licensed health care professional. Medical billers are encouraged, but not required by law to become certified by taking an exam such as the CMRS Exam, RHIA Exam and others. Certification schools are intended to provide a theoretical grounding for students entering the medical billing field.

Medical billing and Coding are two closely related job areas in the general field of medical administration. They each rely on each other. Thus there is often the opportunity to combine these two fields – and somebody who has mastered the skills of both can often either get higher paying positions or increase their general job prospects since there will be more job opportunities for them to choose from.

Medical billing is the end of medical/hospital administration that deals with billing insurance companies, lawyers, and patients themselves for medical services that have been rendered. In addition a medical biller works from the other end – at insurance companies.

Medical coding is a more specific focus that deals with same basic branch of medical administrative/office work.