by De Ette Stewart

Created on: November 13, 2008   Last Updated: November 20, 2008

When considering a career in Coding for Medical Billing, it's important to decide whether to study for an Associate's in Health Information Technology. Having this degree will put you ahead of job candidates who do not have it and allow you to sit for the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association), and the AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders) Certification exams with an increased likelihood of passing. As the Certification Exams are expensive, and require you to have a passing grade in every section, not being well versed on the test content in just one area could cause you to fail. This would force you to retake the entire exam. You will need to investigate local or online schools and compare costs to see which route will allow you to achieve your goals with the least expense and time invested.

In order to perform as a Coder, you will need to have an excellent understanding of Medical Terminology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Pathophysiology (the study of disease processes). As a coder, you will be reading Medical Records and assigning codes that attempt to quantify the type of illness the patient has, the severity and extent of that illness, the procedures used to diagnose and/or treat it, and the amount of work the various practitioners incurred. Medical supplies and pharmaceuticals are also coded. Usually a machine called a Chargemaster takes care of this in a hospital setting, but it helps to understand these codes in the event a review or updating of the Chargemaster is needed. The more you understand about Coding, the greater your opportunities in the workplace.

Websites that offer to train you for Medical Billing with only a High School Degree should be avoided. The modern Coding workplace is moving towards a high level of education. If you decide not to study for the Associate's Degree, you will need to take the college level courses mentioned above in addition to courses on Coding. There are three coding systems used in the U.S. today. CPT quantifies physician time and effort and outpatient procedures. HCPCS Level 3 coding is used to bill pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, and covers the use of suffixes for the CPT codes. ICD-9 is used primarily to identify diseases. ICD-9 procedure codes are a separate set of codes used in Hospital Inpatient Billing only. Hospital Outpatient and Physician billing use both CPT's and HCPCS Level 3 codes.

The advantages of having an Associates Degree are likely to resonate throughout your career, allowing opportunities for advancement in multiple job settings, an advantage not available to someone with only a Certification. Make sure while you plan your future that you allow for advancement and long term goals.

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