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In addition to a high school degree or equivalent, medical career individuals such as billers and coders often start with an associate's degree from an accredited school of higher education. Many follow this with a bachelor's degree, or even a master's, or engage in other kinds of continuing education that can prove extremely useful at any stage in a medical billing and coding career.  Programs that specialize in billing and coding focus on developing skill sets beneficial to the positions. Areas of study include: medical terminology and anatomy, medical billing software, medical documentation evaluation, government programs, basic math, keyboard and computer skills, and other administrative duties.  Programs also seek to develop traits in students necessary for success in the field, such as efficiency and precision while processing and entering large amounts of data. You can find a list of accredited programs from the Commission of Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education In addition to taking classes from accredited educational institutions, certifications are available in the medical billing and coding field as well. Institutions such as the American Academy of Professional Coders offer both credential training and certification. Many in the medical billing and coding field may have started in scheduling or elsewhere in a medical office and gained on-the-job experience. Some doctors’ offices may allow appropriate former experience instead while others will not. Stay current with the most recent methods and standards available in the field via workshops, conferences, and continuous practice. Universal coding practices like the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 or ICD-10) contain thousands upon thousands of codes that professionals needs to be able to work with quickly and efficiently. Current Procedural Terminology—CPT—is another set of codes in which all professionals in the field must be fluent Understand the uses of forms such as HCFA billing documents, explanation of benefits documents, and other sorts of documents involved in medical billing and coding. This knowledge will also help you advance your career in this field.
Take classes in medical billing and coding. Take a certification class. Gain the appropriate level of experience. Keep up with developments in the field. Master the medical coding conventions. Learn how to use medical billing forms.