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Health Claim Examiners/Medical Billers: Vital Members of the Healthcare Industry
In 720 hours and eight modules, students learn the responsibilities of a medical biller.Have an interest in the healthcare field but would rather work in front of a computer than directly with patients? Consider a career as a Health Claims Examiner or Medical Biller.
As a Health Claims Examiner or Medical Biller, you may process health insurance claims, interpret medical, dental and hospital claims forms, use provider abbreviations, apply hospital revenue codes, analyze costs and perform billing for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial accounts.
American Career College's Health Claims Examiner/Medical Biller Program is set up as an entry level training program. In 720 hours and eight modules, students learn the responsibilities of a medical biller, basic anatomy with an emphasis on the terminology used in medical billing, and the use of such reference books as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD.9.CM), Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology Coding (CPT) and the coding system HCPCS. American Career College also offers courses in hospital billing, UB-4 and CMS 1500. A Dental Claims Examining module provides an introduction to the basic anatomy of the mouth, tooth structure and the supporting anatomical structures.
The program also introduces students to the role of the insurance company, its effect on the U.S. economy and the function of each department within the insurance company.
The greatest strength of the American Career College program is the hands-on experience students gain, says Monireh Karimkhani, Ontario Campus Program Director. Each day is split evenly between lecture and laboratory time, where students put theory to practice on the same software programs used by insurance companies and other potential employers. The laboratory also allows instructors to work one-on-one with students, since not everyone learns at the same pace.
"The most important thing is, by the end, they all get it," says Ms. Karimkhani.
Students complete their education with 80-hour externships at sites like hospitals, dental offices or insurance companies. The experience allows them to apply their laboratory skills in the real world, and gives them the confidence they need to secure a job,* says Ms. Karimkhani.
Graduates are prepared to work as Medical or Dental Billers, Health or Dental Claim Examiners, Insurance Office Assistants, Medical Clerks, Administration Representatives, or Insurance Fraud and Abuse Examiners.
Ideal candidates for the Health Claims Examiner/Medical Biller field are detail-oriented and have lots of patience, notes Ms. Karimkhani.
"With ICD and CPT, I always tell students, 'You have to think of yourself as an investigator,'" she says. "They have to investigate the symptoms, the part of the body, before they can even open the book and find the code."
In addition, they must enjoy computer work. People employed in this field spend the majority of their day working in front of a computer, she notes.
The U.S. Department of Labor expects employment of medical records and health information technicians to increase by 18 percent through 2016, faster than average for all occupations. It credits the increase to the rapid growth in the number of medical tests, treatments and procedures that will be increasingly scrutinized by health insurance companies. **
*ACC cannot guarantee employment. ** Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Medical Records and Health Information Technicians, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos103.htm.
