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Medical Billing – Fastest Growing Opportunity in Health Care
On February 16, 2006 the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was finalized, and enacted. This law is designed to establish national standards for all health care transactions, and to ensure the security and privacy of all health related information. The motivation behind this law is to improve the performance, and efficiency of our health care system. This type of reform has created a need for qualified individuals who can utilize the tools of this legislation, and assure full compliance, and maximum reimbursement. It would therefore be a prudent move for health care facilities to employ such individuals in order to avoid mistakes that could have dire consequences.
The proliferation of medical knowledge following World War II brought about an explosion of diagnostic, and treatment procedures. As a result, there became a need to organize, and standardize all these developing technologies. Here is where the foundations of medical coding were born. Medical coding met these challenges, and allowed for a more uniform way of communicating health information under a common language. By January 1979, standardized definitions, and codes were adopted, and used by health care providers, and insurance companies. Since improvements and refinements of medical procedures are constantly being developed, codes must be added and updated to reflect these changes. Today, the number of medical and surgical procedures have become enormous, so too have the codes to describe them. These overwhelming numbers of codes and protocols have made outsourcing medical billing the standard.
Medical Billing and related occupations continue to be the fastest growing opportunities in health care. Insurance institutions and government agencies are investing huge resources to control claims’ fraud, abuse, and establish some degree of reimbursement parity. As a result, more insurance companies, and health care facilities are looking to medical billing experts for help. These companies and practices are looking for experienced and educated individuals; the legal consequences of incorrect billing could be devastating. There is a movement in the industry to make medical billers responsible for inaccuracies, much they way accountants are for tax returns.
At present, there are no standards for educational requirements for medical billers and coders. However, more employers are looking for some formal training at an accredited career training institution. These schools range in training time from six months to two years. There is a move for certification, and several organizations are sponsoring certification examinations in medical billing and coding. Medical billers and coders earn as much as $8 to $10 per hour in the beginning, and could potentially realize $30 to $40 per hours with experience and additional responsibilities.
Today, evolutions in the health care industry are happening at a very high pace. It is only with the assistance of sophisticated computer programs, and standardized coding procedures that medical coders are now able to describe and characterize the tremendous number and various kinds of medical and surgical procedures. These realities coupled with government regulations, and health insurance guidelines have contributed to the strong demand for experienced medical coders and billers.
Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/
About the Author: Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for Medical Billing Resource. Visit http://all-medical-billing-software.com/ for more information. Medical Billing Careers
Since time immemorial, a career in medicine has been looked upon with prestige, and people consider it humanitarian and noble. A career in medicine calls for a lot of responsibility and the ability to update one’s knowledge on the evolving medical technology. With the passage of time and innovation in the field of science, the medical profession is becoming very challenging. There are a number of fields within the medical career, such as Healthcare Administration, Healthcare Management, Medical Insurance Billing, Medical Office Billing and several others.
Basic Requirements for Medical Billing
The job of medical billing involves a lot of hard work and a knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, coding and understanding all the related forms. In addition, you need to have basic computer knowledge and a typing speed of at least 35 words per minute. A good temperament is another important characteristic since s/he is required to deal with a patients, attendants, doctors, medical representatives and other office personnel.
Job Outlook and Employment Opportunities
Medical billing is one of the fastest growing careers in healthcare. The importance of medical billing personnel is on the rise, since several insurance companies and the government are continuously spending substantial time and money to nix fraud and abusive practices. Due to this demand, various companies and practices are constantly on the lookout for trained and experienced medical billers. Positions are readily available with doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, insurance companies, legal offices, rehabilitation centers, legal offices and consulting firms or people often set up home offices and work independently.
Independent medical billers also work as insurance specialists and consultants. The jobs are interesting and can be lucrative, helping both patients and medical professionals calculate and resolve insurance billings.
Related job opportunities
– Billing Specialist
– Coding Specialist
– Medical Collector
– Patient Account Representative
– Claims Analyst
– Claims Processor
– Reimbursement Specialist
– Claims Reviewer
– Electronic Claims Processor
– Billing Coordinator
– Claims Assistant Professional
– Discharge Planner
Work Culture
The work culture is usually within the framework of an office setup. More often than not, the personnel do not work in close proximity to where patients are diagnosed. They generally have billing offices and services in large corporate buildings, in small suburban offices and in the offices of doctors. They usually work during the day, from Monday to Friday. However, there are times when insurance companies require night work. If so, they are paid well for working overtime and their services are much appreciated by the medical establishment and patients alike.
Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/
About the Author: Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts. Working at Home and Making it Work
By: Meditec Contributor, Dawn Moreno
In today’s world many people are now making their home space their workspace. With the rising cost of commuting to work, and desire to avoid the corporate rat race many are going home to work. Whereas many individuals find working at home very satisfying, some are finding it quite stressful due to the unique demands placed on homeworkers today. This article is about working at home and making it work. By adhering to a few simple tips, working at home can be an enjoyable experience.
Tip #1. Boundaries. There is nothing more important to successfully working at home as setting healthy boundaries with family, kids, and neighbors. Some people feel that since you are working at home that you are not really “working.” Therefore, they do not hesitate to call or stop by during your working hours. You must tell family and friends the hours that you work and not accept interruptions during your work hours. If a family or friend calls or stops by, you must be able to tell them that you are working right now and will be available after work. If family members make demands on you during your workday, you must be strong enough to set boundaries and explain that you’d like to assist them but it must be after your work is done.
Tip #2. Children. You must organize your time around your children that are at home. Some people choose to work two hours before their children get up, and an hour while they nap, and then two hours after they go to bed. Other people choose to hire a teenager to come in and entertain their kids while they work. If you have older children, they should be taught to be somewhat independent during your work hours.
Tip #3. Discipline. Being your own boss is great, but it’s really easy to be too nice to yourself and put off work for a nap, or having fun. Yes, you have more flexibility for these things when working at home and that is a benefit to being a home worker, but you must be disciplined and follow a schedule to make sure you that you get enough work done.
Tip #4. Telephone. If you cannot make family and friends understand that you are actually “working” at home, then it is suggested to take your telephone off the hook when working. Have a business telephone number and a family home number. When working, take your family home number off the hook and turn off your cell phone. If you have children that you fear may need to call, you can use the caller ID feature to avoid unwanted calls. Also, if you are working and someone drops by, don’t answer the door. You really have to be firm in your resolve to set and keep these boundaries or you will not be able to get a sufficient amount of work done and will be plagued with feelings of being overwhelmed.
By following the tips noted above, you can have a successful home work environment, make money at home, and still enjoy the flexible schedule that homeworkers enjoy so much. Working at home is not always easy, and it does take planning, creativity, discipline, and the ability to set firm boundaries with family and friends. However, it can be both a lucrative and satisfying way to balance both work and family needs. Medical Record Blunders
Source: http://www.geocities.com/medicaljokes/
1. Exam of genitalia was completely negative except for the right foot. (Anatomy review time!)
2. While in the emergency room, she was examined, X-rated and sent home.
3. The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stockbroker instead. (An empowered patient.)
4. The patient suffers from occasional, constant, infrequent headaches.
5. Coming from Detroit, this man has no children.
6. Examination reveals a well-developed male lying in bed with his family in no distress.
7. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
8. When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room.
9. We will follow her eyes and nose with a foley catheter.
10. By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had stopped, and he was feeling better.
11. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
12. On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it had completely disappeared.
13. The patient has been depressed ever since she began seeing me in 1983.
This Month’s Recipe:
By: Meditec Contributor Dawn Moreno
• 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) tomato puree
• 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 white or yellow tortillas (6 inches) cut into 1/4 inch strips
• grated cheddar cheese
In a slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Place the tortilla strips on an un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes; turn. Bake 5 minutes longer. Serve the crock pot chicken soup with tortilla strips and grated cheese. Meditec – “Learn at home to work at home!” – May Flowers are a Sweet Deal!!!
During the month of May, we’re holding over a few of our April discounts (up to $900 off the retail price of selected combination courses) and we’re adding a new $700 discount on our Legal Transcription and Paralegal/Legal Assistant Combination Course. And to sweeten the deal even more…purchase any course that is on this month’s special, and receive a FREE HomeBiz Book when you pay in full at enrollment –OR– If you need to finance your purchase, we’ll still knock $10 off the price of a HomeBiz Book when you add it to your order. Choose either the HomeBiz General Business or HomeBiz Medical version on CD-ROM — A $39.95 value..
If you’ve been thinking about medical career training, NOW is the time to act. Contact us toll free: 877-335-4072 or send an inquiry to: info@meditec.com. Click on the above Splash into Spring Specials link or the Monthly Specials link on our main home page for complete details. We are here to help you!
