Medical Billing Clerk Career & Jobs: Training, Salary & Certification Requirements

The patient medical history and treatment charts are one of the most important resources available for doctors and nurses in a medical facility. Because shifts change and different people might be responsible for the care of a patient over the course of a couple days or weeks, it is important that all of the parties involved can have an accurate record of what treatments the patient has received and what the other medical professionals might think the diagnoses are. These records are also important for determining how much needs to be billed for the services rendered. Medical billing clerks are responsible for examining records generated by doctors and nurses and translating the information into certain codes so that the billing departments know how much to charge individuals and insurance companies.

Salary Outlook

Average Annual Salary
$25,300
Salary Range
$18,200 - $30,100

Work Environment

Medical billing clerks are commonly employed by the medical service providers themselves, meaning that they often work in hospitals, medical centers, nursing homes, public health clinics and at private practices. However, it is also possible that they could work for independent billing and coding companies or for themselves as contract billing clerks. The hours required for this job will depend on the type of employer and the work load.

High School Preparation

People who think that they might enjoy the responsibilities of a medical billing clerk should spend their high school career fine tuning their knowledge of the health professions and computer skills. Other courses that are useful include algebra, biology, English, typing, and data processing. Volunteering at hospitals or public health clinics can also be valuable experience.

Requirements

Once a person has obtained their high school diploma, it is vital that they enroll in an accredited program to receive training in the medical coding and billing process. Although it is not required to be hired, many employers seek out people who have received a certification or associates degree in health administration or medical claims billing. Taking college level computing courses can also be helpful in this industry.

Career Outlook

Those who are looking to become medical billing clerks will be happy to hear that the demand for qualified individuals to perform these tasks is growing, however, the transfer of medical records to digital files will eventually mean that there will be less work overall for human coders and billers. The most desirable candidates for these positions at hospitals and large medical centers will be those that have developed knowledge of the digital technology required to make the switch to electronic records.

Professional Organizations

The Medical Association of Billers
2701 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 190
Las Vegas, NV  89128
Phone: (702) 240-8519
www.physicianswebsites.com