Medical Billing Job

I too have been looking to get my foot in the door as a Medical Biller. I comleted the Medical Claims & Billing Course 10/08. But all the jobs want atleast one year of experience. How do you get started?

Jackie in Milford, Massachusetts said: I too have been looking to get my foot in the door as a Medical Biller. I comleted the Medical Claims & Billing Course 10/08. But all the jobs want atleast one year of experience. How do you get started?

Jackie: I have been a Medical Biller for 20 years. I never had any formal training for my position. I started as a Receptionist in an OB/GYN office and just started asking a lot of questions until I had gained enough knowledge to actually start inputting charges and working claim rejections. The best answer I can give you is start at the bottom of the ladder as a Receptionist or a File Clerk in a practice, and as I did, ask a lot of questions. Good Luck to you!

I have been in medical billing for over 20 years. I was fortunate to get hired at a drs office 2 years out of high school. The only way to get started is to apply for medical receptionist (for instance) & acquire all the knowledge possible. While working @ the front desk, it is necessary to be mult-tasked & most of all, get all of the info from the patients for the billing dept. Get used to the atmosphere, soak up all you can, then you will be comfortable applying for other positions.

I graduated in March of 2009 and received a Medical Billing Certification from The Carnegie Institute. I am a hard worker, a team player, but I also am able to work independently. I graduated at the top of my class, earning a spot on the Dean's List. I am a fast learner and I get along with everyone. I take direction very well and I have no problem with authority. I am very interested in the different aspects of Medical Insurance Billing and it is something I really enjoy.

AHIMA Certification is very important. That should be your next step. We are located in Los Angeles California. We offer job placement Asistance for the graduates of or Certification Review Course.

The pay structure varies from State to State. Many people are getting certified through AAPC but employers here are looking for the AHIMA Certification. There are placement agencies like Cyber Coders that can asist you further. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Michael in San Pedro, California said: AHIMA Certification is very important. That should be your next step. We are located in Los Angeles California. We offer job placement Asistance for the graduates of or Certification Review Course.

The pay structure varies from State to State. Many people are getting certified through AAPC but employers here are looking for the AHIMA Certification. There are placement agencies like Cyber Coders that can asist you further. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

What is AHIMA? And I am not from CA, I live in MA.

What is AHIMA? And I am not from CA, I live in MA.

www.ahima.org American Health Information Management Association.
Their Certification is National and will aid you in your future
endeavors. I hope this helps!

If anyone needs help finding a school in the Los Angeles area let me know.

Michael Career Training in Los Angeles, California said: If anyone needs help finding a school in the Los Angeles area let me know.

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If anyone needs help finding a school in the Los Angeles area, feel free to contact me.

Jackie in Milford, Massachusetts said: What is AHIMA? And I am not from CA, I live in MA.

Just curious Jackie, How much did you pay for your training
course?

I paid a little over $1000. Also received the ICD9 and CPT books.

Michael in San Pedro, California said: AHIMA Certification is very important. That should be your next step. We are located in Los Angeles California. We offer job placement Asistance for the graduates of or Certification Review Course.

The pay structure varies from State to State. Many people are getting certified through AAPC but employers here are looking for the AHIMA Certification. There are placement agencies like Cyber Coders that can asist you further. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

I am currently going to Kirtland
Community College for medical biling and coding..I am not happy and looked at their stats for Graduating from this course...3....three ..yes they offered us tutoring at M-tec which is 20 more miles away / odd no tutor at our college for pathology ? What to do. I am upset and wanting to quit. Yes i wrote to the dean and have had my counselor tell me I need to move and go to a different college, I raise a grandaughter,,have a mortage..etc, pamelaanndean@yahoo.com

Michael in San Pedro, California said: AHIMA Certification is very important. That should be your next step. We are located in Los Angeles California. We offer job placement Asistance for the graduates of or Certification Review Course.

The pay structure varies from State to State. Many people are getting certified through AAPC but employers here are looking for the AHIMA Certification. There are placement agencies like Cyber Coders that can asist you further. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

How do I get this certification and how much does it cost?

I completed the medical billing and coding course with Remington College I graduated in 2008, I also have been unable to find a job. All of the hospitals or insurance companies want 1-3 years of billing & coding experience. The school does not have a strong job assistance program in place. They locate a company to complete your externship, however, their job placement opportunities pretty much do not exist. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA acheiving the presidents list each month. These schools are popping up all over the world, getting individuals to sign student loans knowing that over 80% of the students will not obtain employment. It is a known fact that when hired with a company they must train you to suit their work environment. If you have the knowledge and have made an effort to obtain education in a specific field why are they not giving students an opportunity? If you have taken this course, you should know that if you do not find work soon, or continue to flash your terminology all learned information will be lost. Remington also stated that if you maintained a certain level of attendance they would pay for your certification testing. I did and it did not happen.

Hi There !!

If there is a will, everything can be happen. If you really want to get such jobs, you can try from the lower level of these companies, so you will get experience about this company, as you have done the certification course you will definitely promoted.

Hope it helps :)

Regards,
George Buffet

In order to provide financial Aid and maintain their Accreditation,
they are required to place no less than 70% of their students into jobs. If this is not happening, you should talk to other graduates and find out what their status is. THIS is important and should not be an after-thought. After this is done, write the accrediting institution. There are a variety of accrediting institutions some are quite liberal and dont adhere to enforcing their own set standards. Get back to me once this is done. In the meantime get your CERTIFICATION. This will expand your horizons. If you need tips on marketing yourself, let me know.

Lets put things into perspective and come back to reality.

Although placement can be an indication of a good institution and training, we are in a bad economy and all institutions are having placement problems. I am not familiar with this school, but even if they are the best training facility and you are the best student/employee, jobs are just not out there right now.

For every job posting (even minimum wage jobs) we are seeing over 100 applications. This means your competition is greater than ever.

Get your foot in the door of any medical facility, get your certification and wait about a year. Then you can expect to step up. Who knows how long the economy will be this way, but with more and more people going to tech schools your competition will keep growing if you dont do something to get any experience in medical.

Obama put a great deal of money toward training our population, so more and more people are signing up. Every layoff sends people to training programs. Lets all hope the jobs and promised growth in healthcare comes back.

Being an Executive Director for a Training Institution,

I am quite familiar with the compliance and regulatory aspects of Vocational Training. Being in a recession has no bearing on the set standards/regulations the government and the accrediting institutions have put in place. I have seen many schools close their doors because of poor placement performance.

JOB PLACEMENT is a major selling point for most Vocational Schools
and is often exagerated by Admissions Representatives in the attempt to meet their quotas.

LETS GET BACK TO REALITY: (Rebuttal)
Should we not hold ourselves to the same standards because we are in a recession? If someone steals my tires should the Police only issue a written warning because we are in a recession? We are no less obligated to our students now than we were before the recession. NO EXCUSES! We are maintaining a 90% - 100% job placement rate in California during a recession. I know her school could do better.

JOB PLACEMENT is a major selling point and admission representatives do exaggerate to get a student to sign up. I do believe that.

Michael you said "Being in a recession has no bearing on the set standards/regulations the government and the accrediting institutions have put in place". You are right, so far the standards and regulations havent changed. But we are just getting numbers in for 2008 year. You can see the evidence here on this site.

Michael, you also said "We are maintaining a 90% - 100% job placement rate in California during a recession". I find this hard to believe. Do your numbers include any 2009 graduates?

Anyone going into any program can not lay their lives in the hands of the school. "they promised placement, they told me I would make $15/hr". I hear too many students blaming the school for not hand delivering a $15/hr job to their laps.

Although the school can help, and wants to, there are certain obstacles that can not be overcome by school personell alone. Like the economy.

I would advise to stay in school, if possible,obtain certifications, degrees and advanced degrees, until the recession is over. Then you will have the education to get the better interviews.

Thank you for the comment, however, prior to obtaining my certificate in medical billing, I attended the University of Phoenix here in Cleveland, Ohio. I entered with the understanding that I would obtain my Bachelors degree in Business Administration/Information Technology. The turn over rate of their admissions representative was so high, that I had a new representative every 2 months.

After my second year when I had completed my pre-requisites and was to begin my core classes, I was advised that they had cancelled the IT classes due to lack of interest or registration for this course. I was to far into my education to start a new minor. I have completed and obtained my Bachelors in Business Administration 2006 graduate. At this point I am refraining from creating additinal debt by continuing my education. In my last year, the school introduced their new IT class, they never had the course when I originally signed up for school, however, that did not stop the admissions representatives from leading me to believe that the course did in fact exist. Yes, the economy is in shambles, however, the schools, are becoming like politicians.... dishonest.

I agree about the schools.

did you check to see if the credits are transferable?

Dear Jackie, I worked in Medical Billing for three years with no previous experience or training. I originally got a job through Accountemps. Check other temp agencies they are all on the internet. Good Luck
Ray Burns

Could someone tell me if there is a big difference going to an adult school for medical billing certificate which takes one year vs. western college which their tuition is over 18k plus interest??

nicki in Walnut Creek, California said: Could someone tell me if there is a big difference going to an adult school for medical billing certificate which takes one year vs. western college which their tuition is over 18k plus interest??

I would suggest the billing certificate if you are sure this if the field you desire. Unless, the western college also includes your certification with AHIMA, you would only be creating a very large educational debt that does not ensure employment. I would also suggest inquiring with different hospitals human resources to determine what their qualifications for medical billing and coding specialist are prior to enrolling for classes. I wish I had taken this step prior to signing any financial agreements.

I have to start from somewhere. There are different exams that I believe we can take for better job opportunity which the hospitals usually require. the 7and half month program with WCC give me the certificate with the externship and 1 year career placement. Do you have any suggestions where to start from?
Thanks; Nicki

Dear Nicki, The most affordable education would be through a community college. I am 55 years old I have owned three businesses and had many jobs. My biggest regret in life is not finishing my college degree. If you are interested in medical billing I have to assume you would be interested in accounting. Every company needs people to do accounting. You could go far with an associates degree. If you get a certificate in medical billing and then find you do not like it you have wasted your time and money. If you get an associates degree you could work at any company in accounting and other areas.

i am a certified medical biller and coder i graduated in march 24,2010 and i have found nothing everyone want 3+ years..Does anyone know how or if they are hiring near my area for entry level?? thank you

haydee in Riverside, California said: i am a certified medical biller and coder i graduated in march 24,2010 and i have found nothing everyone want 3+ years..Does anyone know how or if they are hiring near my area for entry level?? thank you

Unfortunately this field is over saturated with new grads with no experience. Your best bet is to try to find a job elsewhere in HIM, such as medical records, billing, data entry or front desk, gain medical experience and become more familiar with ICD 9, CPT and reimbursement. After gaining your experience, leverage for a coding job.

I know it is disheartening to finish school and then have to take a low entry job, but that is how most of us started out.

Good Luck

THIS BREAKS MY HEART READING ALL OF THESE POSTS ABOUT MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING JOBS JUST FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT I'M CURRENTLY IN SCHOOL FOR THE EXACT SAME THING....I'VE ONLY COMPLETED A MONTH SO FAR AND I'M ALREADY WANTING TO DROP OUT....IT JUST DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME BEING AS THOUGH THE ADMISSIONS OFFICER NEVER MENTIONED SUCH A THING...MY TUITION IS A LITTLE OVER 9,000 DOLLARS AND I DONT THINK I'M GOING TO GO ANY FURTHER FOR TRAINING THATS NOT GOING TO PAY OFF... I TOOK ON THIS CAREER TO TRY TO GENERATE SOME TYPE OF INCOME WITHIN 9 MONTHS BUT I JUST DONT SEE IT HAPPENING..IN REALITY,IM JUST CREATING MORE DEBT FOR MY SELF....THIS JUST PISSES ME OFF READING THIS...I WILL BE TALKING TO MY SCHOOL FIRST THING TOMMORROW MORNING TO GET SOME HONEST ANSWERS.

Micki87,

I am in Hyattsville, MD and looking at a school in Lanham, MD. I am due to start in November and have become disheartened reading all of these post. What school do you attend? The school I am looking at is Fortis College and they have a 66% placement rate, that is very concerning for me. The tuition is 13k and they only offer the AAPC certification. I am seriously trying to figure out if this is where I need to be or if I can take a less expensive route to gain the knowledge needed to get my foot in the door.

Kellyel in Hyattsville, Maryland said: Micki87,

I am in Hyattsville, MD and looking at a school in Lanham, MD. I am due to start in November and have become disheartened reading all of these post. What school do you attend? The school I am looking at is Fortis College and they have a 66% placement rate, that is very concerning for me. The tuition is 13k and they only offer the AAPC certification. I am seriously trying to figure out if this is where I need to be or if I can take a less expensive route to gain the knowledge needed to get my foot in the door.

I would not suggest paying $13,000, especially if you are getting a certificate/diploma. I just go to your local community, technical or vocational school.

There is nothing wrong with an AAPC credential, I am a CPC and have done very well with it.

valentine in Salt Lake City, Utah said: I would not suggest paying $13,000, especially if you are getting a certificate/diploma. I just go to your local community, technical or vocational school.

There is nothing wrong with an AAPC credential, I am a CPC and have done very well with it.

I guess my real question what is the difference in the two and which is more marketable.

Kellyel in Hyattsville, Maryland said: I guess my real question what is the difference in the two and which is more marketable.

Both are equally marketable, it just depends on which area of coding you want to be in. The CCS is an inpatient credential, so if you want to do hospital coding, then you might want to sit for it.

The CPC is an outpatient credential, so if you are wanting to do outpatient/emergency dept/outpatient surgery then it is a great one for that. The CCS-P is AHIMA's outpatient credential.

There was a belief in the past the AHIMA was superior to AAPC, but that is of course nonsense and both are recognized nationally.

Ann Brier like johnny sins

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