Medical Billing Professional - Career Opportunities

The career of a health insurance specialist or health information specialist is challenging indeed but comes with new opportunities arising daily.  The ability to master the teaching will provide an exciting future. The Department of Labor projects that health care facilities, insurance companies, and private providers will hire claims examiners (insurance specialists) to process routine medical claims at an increased rate of 10 to 20% through the year 2010.  Furthermore the DOL also notes that "Medical Records and Health Information Technicians" (the category under which Medical Billing falls) is one of the fastest growing professions in the US, adding 47% new jobs over the 2002-2012 period. Those with an understanding of the billing process will be in high demand.

The objectives in this course are to:

1. Provide a basic knowledge of the integral pieces of claims processing and patient information.
2. Provide information about basic insurance plans, private and government
3. Provide information about legislation and the laws impacting providers
4. Provide information on how to manage inappropriately paid claims
5. Teach preparation of the variables for the  CMS-1500 claim form

The jobs are typically found in the environments listed here:

1. Claims benefit advisors in health, malpractice and liability insurance companies
2. Coding or insurance specialists in government settings, legal offices, billing companies, medical societies and associations
3. Educators/trainers for agencies, providers
4. Consultants providing assistance to practices (coding, billing, insurance processing, claims appeals procedures, practice management)
5. Consumer (patient) advocates who assist private individuals in ascertaining the claims payment process, intervention with payers and providers
6. Management/supervisory status in provider offices