One aspect of medical coding you might not be aware of is patient interaction. Sure, it might be ideal for some if your day only consisted of dealing with doctors, nurses and medical codes. But the truth is, patients have lots of questions and it’s inevitable that some of these will head your way one…
Those interested in a career in medical coding and billing have a difficult decision to make. Do they immediately try and enter the workforce? Do they get a certification first? Or do they go all-in on a college degree? The first scenario can be difficult, as employers usually like to see experience or knowledge before…
The shift toward providing more specific and complete documentation of all medical problems on an annual basis is a challenge for many practices. This is particularly problematic in the outpatient setting, which typically has less administrative infrastructure to support adequate coding. However, aligning current payment-focused billing and documentation practices with evolving risk-adjustment-focused coding practices will…
If there’s one thing that’s crucial for a successful education, it’s an inquisitive mind. As Dr. Seuss once wrote: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” For medical coding students, this is no different. But what else is needed when it comes to a…
We live in a day where people demand instant gratification and convenience. We get annoyed if our fast-food order takes longer than five minutes, we are outraged when the Internet goes down for an hour and we don’t know what to do with ourselves when we’re without our phones for an extended period of time.…
It’s a common question we receive at Medical Coding Academy. Will having a medical billing certification or medical coding certification actually help you get a job with a potential employer? While many colleges or universities would like you to believe that taking an 18-week course is the only way to guarantee employment, there’s really only…
In medical coding and billing, there are so many acronyms that it can be hard to keep up sometimes. Some particular acronyms you should definitely familiar with, however, are the CPB, CPC and CPPM. While the three-day CPC course focuses strongly on medical coding, the CPB places major emphasis on the billing side of the…
Today’s blog post is about a very controversial topic. That being said, I’m a coder who has decades of experience, so I don’t comment on this lightly. This doesn’t come from someone who has no experience and is commenting on something they know nothing about. (Feel free to stop reading now… all, right I warned…
If you’ve read part one and part two of this blog series, you’ll have a good idea of what medical coding is and why it’s so important. Now let’s cover the difference between a medical coder and biller in this third (and final) part of the series. Medical Coding vs. Billing There is a monumental…
As we mentioned in part one of this blog series, your number one job as a medical coder is to make sure you get your doctor paid for the services he or she provided. During this post, we’ll cover your number two job. The Priorities of Medical Coding The average coder believes that their biggest…