Simple Ways to Learn Medical Coding

As a medical coder, you will have to learn standard codes in the industry for identifying treatments, illnesses and diseases. These codes are entered into patient's medical records. Medical coding is also used for the billing claims that are sent out to insurance companies. This is documented as a recognizable record for hospitals and doctors to view of any given patient.

Medical Coding

In this business, medical coding is a vital part of the medical billing process. Every time a patient comes to the doctor or health care facility and is provided with care, the procedure or diagnosis given has to be paid for. The medical coder places the codes within the claim sheet for the patient and then either sends it to the patient to pay for or their insurance company. The codes are universal, so the insurer and medical facility are able to decipher them. It is important that the procedures and tests being coded are accurate before submitting for payment. You will need to know medical terminology and anatomy in order to work in this field. Besides dealing with patient records, a medical coder may also have to help with insurance claim appeals and perform chart audits. They may also have to act as an advocate for a patient who needs benefit coverage for a specific treatment.



Training

There isn't a specific requirement for becoming educated in the field of medical coding, but there are programs out there that teach about the codes and techniques involved with the position. There are two year associate degree programs that will teach you about legal aspects of health information, medical terminology, general education, anatomy and physiology, coding and abstraction of data, health data standards, quality improvement methods, computer science and database management.