Medical Billing and Coding

No company wants to hire you as a medical biller and coder unless you have experience I recieved my certificates in medical billing and coding last year and can't get a externship or a job. How can you get experience if no one wants to hire you. I've been in the medical career over 30 yrs. Any helpful hints. THANKS !!!

Fully agree with you. I got my Medical Coding & Insurance Billing certificate Dec. 2006. So far, I couldn't find a job. It's just waste of your time and money.

Mal in Beaverton, Oregon said: Fully agree with you. I got my Medical Coding & Insurance Billing certificate Dec. 2006. So far, I couldn't find a job. It's just waste of your time and money.

Hi Mal, this is an FYI. This morning I did cold calling from the Business to Business book which is a SBC( phone book) business book of different companies listed (look for medical billing claims) and out of 40 calls 2 companies did an externship and told me to send my resume. So try doing that. Try the yellow pages also.
Good Luck!!!

Debra, you say you've been working for 30 years? Watch out for age discrimination which is rampant in this country and the DOL does nothing about.

Olive Oil in Stamford, Connecticut said: Debra, you say you've been working for 30 years? Watch out for age discrimination which is rampant in this country and the DOL does nothing about.

There was at a meeting of older workers yesterday and a recruiter speaker said anyone over forty will have a hard time finding a job because older workers tend to increase medical costs for the company. He said, "It's the company's bottom line discrimination".

I noticed in the countries like Germany with national health, it's the older workers with experience that have the jobs. France is adding three months a year to life expectencies, and they are already up there. The USA is low on the WHO healthcare list too.

Only way to change things for the better is to change the electorial process and make it illegal for corporate groups to make campain donations. It's illegal in other countries where politicans are elected by the popular vote.

One person can make a difference if you are politically active. Join a group and make it so. You never know what a new network of like minds can achieve. Maybe even lead to a new job.

I graduated with honors from a school in Thornton, CO in Nov 2006 for medical insurance billing and coding and have been looking for over a year now for a job. The externship that I was assigned was not in the market for hiring permanently (it was a chiropractic practice that had just started); they just wanted the 'free assistance' the school would provide.
I spent all this time, effort and money on an education, and can't find anything. I have over 5 yrs experience in the medical field and wanted to expand my skills, but like it was posted previously, I would have to say at least 85% of the jobs listed for medical billing want verifiable work experience of 2-3 years or more.
I have even gone to such lengths as going in person to medical practices in town to hand deliver my resume' and all I get is a 'Thank you' and 'Have a nice day'. No calls for interviews. The interviews I do recieve,later send out that wonderful form letter thanking me for my time and being impressed with my qualifications, but they find someone else to fill the position.
I am about to give up, ya know? This is just rediculous...
Just FYI(and as it has been posted in other threads)-Don't ever go to RHI, AcctTemps or OfficeTeam...They are the worse!

If there are people who are getting these jobs with experience then they had to start some where. I think any time you start a new career it is going to be more difficult to find a job, than it would if you had experience. It might be a little more challenging but I wouldn't give up yet.

Are you all saying that I'm wasting my time and effort? I completed a 400 course as a medical office assistant. That was 2 months and 200 resumes ago. Not 1 of the 11 people in that class has found a job in the medical field. I am now taking classes, ins. billing and coding I , at the local college hoping to improve my employability. So far I have been offered 1 job for $8 hr. part-time!

It's all about how you sell yourself. If a company has 150 resumes why should they hire you? How do you present yourself? It's hard to get a job in a new field, but most employers are looking for the right personallity and attitude. If you have the education, then you have to sell your skills and related experience (such as customer service or office skills). Show excitment in the opportunity and be professional. When you fill out applications wear a business suit, have a resume and cover letter on resume paper, and don't give up. If you have you volunteer at hospitals and doctors offices to get experience to put on your resume. Its hard but it is possible.

I'm doing all the right things-great suit, cover-letter, prof. resume thank-you notes... I've been told that I make a good 1st impression and interview well. I am giving up on ads and websites. I'm getting much better responce from a mass fax I did to every group practice and clinic in a 40 mile range.(in anticipation of your next office opportunity) I've been invited in to interview before a job was advertised twice as a result. My last interview went very well and I am hopeful. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Best of luck to you.

How can I find a position as an entry level medical billing specialist.

I finally got a job part time as a Medical Records Coordinator for a small privately owned hospice. The hours are great (even if it is part time), the pay is nothing to laugh at and the people I work with and for are awesome. I am not using everything that I have newly learned with Billing and Coding, but I am having to do some coding, and my Medicare experience is paying off, too.

The only thing I can suggest is just keep plugging away at it...
I found this job on craigslist.com.
Like I had said before, I had been looking for over a year for a job in the medical field, but perserverance pays off. Not until after I got married (4 days after I got married) did I find this job and they hired me on the spot!

I would start with my personal doctor and dentist to see if they have a biller position available or if you could volunteer just to gain experience. Think outside the box. Medical supply, medical equipment, and home health agencies need billers too.

Look guys, those of you who are in the Medical Billing and Coding field keep your head up and be strong. You will get the job at the right time at the right place. It may not be the job you want but think about it it may lead you to that MEDICAL BILLING CODING JOB that you want.For instances you may have to take a pay cut to get that job or even the experience. As some one from Longmont Colorado said "PERSERVERANCE PAYS OFF" GOOD LUCK to all!!!

what is medical billing coding job?
is it that ur coding and billing at the same time?
do u get pay more than the coding it itself?

Its when you go to the MD office and what the doctor did (procedure wise) and diagnosed you to have is translated into a numeric code for billing your insurance company. Then it is sumbitted to the insurance company (private, Medicare, Medicaid, etc) and whatever the insurance company doesn't pay the patient is responsible for (copays and deductibles). A person in the billing dept is responsible for billing the insurance companies as well as collecting any payments from the patient.
Billing jobs usually intail auditing the coding portion of the billing form for accuracy and to insure the most money from the insurance companies.
A coder is just that, they primarily take the written narrative from the doctor's visit and translate that into a diagnosis code(s) then procedure code(s).

i took both and passed both so u mean i could work medical billing coding job?

You can do the billing and be the office manager. You can also open your own business.

Only if you take the national certification can you do your own billing business.

Who do you contact to take the test?

You can contact the National Center for Certification Testing (NCCT) to print out the application to register for the test. If you have recently graduated, or are still in school for MIBC they give you a discounted fee for taking the test, if it has been more than 6 months, you have to pay the regular registration fee. Contact one of the schools in your area to see where/when the test is being given.

How can we effictively address these issues for mature workers? We need to start something going immediatelty.

I am a mature worker who moved to georgia 2-1/2 years ago. Believe it or not but I have submitted over 600 resume for positions that I am well qualified for as I continue to lower my standards everyday - with only one agency contacting me. I spoke to several friends expressing that I believe it is my age, and for the female mature worker it is a little worse than the males. Everyday I am trying to figure out how can one prove that an employer is practicing illegal things? If one day I can ever prove it, I will sorry for that employer as they will feel the wrath of my frustration. Mature people are still contributing to our society and we have responsibility to our families and our communities. We are not looking for handouts or to burden on our families of the system in general.

I understand your frustration. Most of the persons conducting my interviews have been young enough to be my children or grandchildren. My age seems to make them uncomfortable.

I have been looking all over for a cpt billing code resource website. i found a free one at cptbillingcodes.com that is really good but I am wondering if there are any others that people know of that are free and good? I am currently working for a cytometry service company.

Anonymous in Longmont, Colorado said: Its when you go to the MD office and what the doctor did (procedure wise) and diagnosed you to have is translated into a numeric code for billing your insurance company. Then it is sumbitted to the insurance company (private, Medicare, Medicaid, etc) and whatever the insurance company doesn't pay the patient is responsible for (copays and deductibles). A person in the billing dept is responsible for billing the insurance companies as well as collecting any payments from the patient.
Billing jobs usually intail auditing the coding portion of the billing form for accuracy and to insure the most money from the insurance companies.
A coder is just that, they primarily take the written narrative from the doctor's visit and translate that into a diagnosis code(s) then procedure code(s).

So, did you get a job yet? What exact program did you do? Can't they help you get a job? What salary expectation did they give you?

Annonymous in Boulder, Colorado said: You can contact the National Center for Certification Testing (NCCT) to print out the application to register for the test. If you have recently graduated, or are still in school for MIBC they give you a discounted fee for taking the test, if it has been more than 6 months, you have to pay the regular registration fee. Contact one of the schools in your area to see where/when the test is being given.

Are there programs around Boulder, Colorado I could contact to find a billing and coding student or where I could enroll one? Is this something you can do at night?

HIllary Browne in Boulder, Colorado said: So, did you get a job yet? What exact program did you do? Can't they help you get a job? What salary expectation did they give you?

I finally got a job as a Medical Records Coordinator for Family Hospice, LLC in Boulder, CO. They are a small private hospice that is still in their 'infancy' (they have only been operating as a hospice for 2 1/2 yrs now). I am using the skills I acquired at Everest College plus my background in home health. My job duties include-typing up face sheets and 485's (plan of treatments) including coding of primary and secondary dx's, filing in patient charts, MD order tracking, D/C chart audits, medical supply ordering, office supply ordering, Interdisciplinary Team Meeting prep and secretary, scheduler,office manager and all around Jane of all Trades...it's only part-time for now, but I love my job and the people that I work with and for....It truly is like family being at the office.

doctor in Boulder, Colorado said: Are there programs around Boulder, Colorado I could contact to find a billing and coding student or where I could enroll one? Is this something you can do at night?

You can contact Everest College in Thornton, CO or there is IBMC in Fort Collins, CO that offer these types of programs and have an externship portion of the program required for graduation. Contact their respective Career Services Dept and they will be able to answer specific questions and get you on the track to giving a MIBC student a chance to put to practice wha he/she has learned in school.
Good luck!

How does the billing company insure that the physician is
reporting his correct revenue to the billing company?

Interesting. I like reading this forums about medical billing since I'm a medical biller myself, which I am also blogging about here aboutmedicalbilling.com

Medical Biller in Tyresö, Sweden said: Interesting. I like reading this forums about medical billing since I'm a medical biller myself, which I am also blogging about here aboutmedicalbilling.com

Although I am not working as a medical biller yet here in the states, I am confident I will find work as a biller here in the near future. Sweden is a country I want to spend a few months during the summer. Do you do medical billing in the Swedish health care system? Or do you work with doctors and insurance companies in the US? If your answer is the later, how do you managage having to contend with the time difference when docotrs are working in the US, it's late evening? Ultimately my goal is to work as a biller from my home from Sep-Apr, then work in Sweden the rest of the year. Any advice on that? my e-mail address is antonaci9@gmail.com thank you

I can understand all the frustration in the medical/billing field. I have received my Associates in Health Information Technology along with my coding specialist certificate and still am being told that I need experience.Experience starts with an employer who will give you a chance.Unfortunately because their is so much money that can be made in this field very few companies are willing to spend the time and risk of training new people.I am sure that many of the great medical billers/coders that are being turned away because of lack of experience could prove to be an asset to many companies.

I am currently enrolled in school for medical billing and coding and this forum as well as others have, for lack of a better phrase, scared the hell out of me! What am I going to do at the end of my "training" and cant find a job. Not to mention everyday I get older too. Am I supposed to not go away mad but just go away?