subject: Medical Coding Certification: What Do I Need to Learn? [print this page] Medical Coding Certification: What Do I Need to Learn?
To earn your certification in the medical coding field, you will need to learn several things. You will need to know:
The codes themselves, what they mean, how and where to apply them
Basic understanding of common medical procedures and testing types
Basic anatomy
You will also need some additional job skills after you earn your medical coding certification, which can vary depending on the type of job that you have and where you will be working.
Do I Have to earn medical coding certification?
You don't have to be certified in every situation. Whether you are required to have medical coding certification may depend on where you are applying. Because the job field is growing so quickly, the best jobs are being snapped up by the best applicants, which in some cases may be the people who are certified in medical coding. In large offices, you may have the option of being trained on the job, learning as you go.
Training Options and Time Frames for medical coding certification
In addition to being trained on the job without medical coding certification, you can learn the information and skills that you need to be a medical coding specialist in a number of different training programs. Most of these programs can be completed in less than one year, which means that in as little as a year you can be on the way to a whole new career field.
There are several ways to get medical coding certification training:
In vocational schools with a specialized training medical coding and billing course
In community colleges as part of a more diversified medical coding training
Online as a distance learner.
Distance learning education programs are gaining popularity for a number of reasons. They are convenient, especially for the adult learner who is dealing with a family and working a full time job.
How the Codes Are Used after earn medical coding certification?
The codes, which are a combination of numbers and letters, are used to bill the insurance companies for all services that are performed in the doctor's office. From the moment the doctor walks in the room to the moment that the patient goes home, all services are billable and each is assigned a special code that will be reviewed by the insurance company. These must be accurate or the claim will be denied, which will delay payment from the insurance company to the doctor or clinic.
What Other Skills Do You Need for Medical Coding Certification?
In addition to accuracy and being able to focus in a busy, bustling office, you will also need the ability to pay great attention to small details. You may also need to use specialized computer software to handle filing a number of different claims. In some offices, you will only handle billing tasks, but in others, you might need to handle other types of tasks, including those for the front office.
