Medical Billing- Medical Coders And Their Competencies

Medical coders need to be proficient at what they do. If they're putting incorrect codes in the medical billing systems, claims will get denied. Claim payments will get delayed wreaking all sorts of havoc with your revenue stream.

 Whether hiring a medical billing company to do your coding or hiring your own coders, you may want to keep in mind some facts about the medical coding profession.

 Medical Coder Shortage

 Currently, there is not only a shortage of professional medical coders (a study conducted by the American Health Information Management Association reported that over half of coding employers had open positions in 2009) but the profession is expected to grow substantially over the next six years. In fact, The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that:

 - There will be 30,000 new coding jobs prior to 2016
 - This an 18 percent increase in the field
 - It's a higher rate of growth than other occupations

 This field will be attracting many employees in the next few years. The question is- how can you make sure the coders are competent to deal with the complexities, changes and regulations surrounding medical coding.

 Medical Coder Certification

 Check and see if the coder has schooling in the field. For example the American Academy of Professional Coders offers several coding certifications. An aspiring medical coder can receive coding education toward a designation of:

 - Certified Professional Coder (CPC) - A CPC certification focuses on coding practices in a physician's office. Students take an exam that teaches and verifies what to code and provides rationale for the codes all in the physician office setting.

 Another aspect of this certification is that it covers a wide range of coding services including anesthesia, surgical services, pathology, radiology and medicine.

 - Certified Professional Coder-Hospital (CPC-H)- This certification focuses on coding services in a hospital or clinical outpatient setting

 - Certified Professional Code- Payer (CPC-P) - This demonstrates a coder's proficiency and knowledge of coding services from the payer's perspective. It covers coding from claims reviewers, benefits administrators, insurance carriers, etc. point of view.

 Certified Interventional Radiology Cardiovascular (CIRCC) Attaining this coding specialty addresses this complex area where many coding and charging errors occur.

 In addition to these main areas of coding education and certification, 19 specialty areas are also offered:

 - Ambulatory Surgical Center CASCC
 - Anesthesia and Pain Management CAPM
 - Cardiology CCC
 - Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery CCVTC
 - Dermatology CPCD
 - Emergency Department CEDC
 - Evaluation and Management CEMC
 - Family Practice CFPC
 - Gastroenterology CGIC
 - General Surgery CGSC
 - Hematology and Oncology CHOC
 - Internal Medicine CIMC
 - Obstetrics Gynecology COBGC
 - Orthopedic Surgery COSC
 - Otolaryngology CENTC
 - Pediatrics CPEDC
 - Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery CPRC
 - Rheumatology CRHC
 - Urology CUC

 No matter what designation your coder has, all of the certifications demonstrate a solid working knowledge of claim coding which results in faster reimbursement and fewer denials.

 Whether they're completed via this organization or another, coding designations can also provide an attractive training and career path for management to put into place for their medical coding employees.
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