How Do Medical Billing and Coding Go Together?

How Do Medical Billing and Coding Go Together?
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Medical billing and medical coding have gone hand in hand since the two professions hit the job market.  Medical coders translate the services rendered into medical jargon- and the medical billers take that information and create bills before sending them out to patients.  It’s a lot more complicated than just that, though.

What’s a Medical Coder?

As said above, a medical coder has the responsibility of taking surgeries, blood tests, and discussions between patients and doctors and translating them into simple code. This code, laid out by HIPAA, is national, and covers almost every procedure that could get performed.  They do this to simplify paperwork so that billing can get done with less work and faster.  It’s also to protect patients since most people won’t know what they’re reading off just a glance.

What’s a Medical Biller?

These health claim specialists are in charge of working out the bills and going between the medical firms, insurance, and patients.  It’s a busy job of checking eligibility, going through referrals for operations, and reviewing patient’s bills for completeness and accuracy.  Some medical firms are known to hire two billers because of the extensive work they have to do.  Many also bear the practice of having to contact customers, again and again, to notify them that a bill is due, before eventually passing it on to a collections firm.

How Do They Work Together?

Although some small firms are known to hire a medical biller to do both jobs, which could be overwhelming- most hire one of each to work together.  What they have to do is understand the code that the medical coder is translating the operations and procedures.  There’s no room for error between either of them, since a small mistake might cause a lawsuit, and a big mistake may cause the pharmaceutical firm to get shut down entirely.

These two are usually given office space of their own, either sharing or solo, and can get treated like a separate part of the business.  Although it’s still part of their job to help patients make sure they get the care they need, the main work of a medical biller and coder is to ensure the business stays open.

What Are They Worth?

This question can seem loaded since almost any salary can be stressful to discuss.  There’s a difference in how much these two professions get paid, and it has to do with training.  Medical coders make around forty to sixty thousand a year- while billers make fifty to seventy thousand a year.  That’s a lot of money that can add up fast, which is why many medical firms look into alternatives like outsourcing their billing.  Outsourcing is the top of coding and billing solutions because it allows you to get the same amount of work done for cheaper.

Although billers, and coders, are fantastic employees who are worth their weight in gold- many small to medium-sized firms are struggling and look to this as a viable way to save money.


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I am a pop culture and social media expert. Aside from writing about the latest news health, I also enjoy pop culture and Yoga. I have BA in American Cultural Studies and currently enrolled in a Mass-Media MA program. I like to spend my spring breaks volunteering overseas.

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