Advances in medical technology have brought an explosion of demand in the medical industry which not only patients but doctors face. This demand is for individuals with medical billing training and knowledge. These individuals handle everything pertaining to medical office operations, including billing and coding, processing insurance forms, and using medical software.
There over 1.2 million medical specialists in the United States, according to the American Medical Association. In fact, this profession is listed as one of the fastest growing professions in allied health. Because of this, place ads for such a position are sprouting regularly on the Internet and the classified ads section of your local newspaper. But something's lacking. Whoever's running those ads make the job sound too easy to be true.
Contrary to what you might have heard or read, medical billing is not an easy job. Yes, the money is good but only if you have the right medical billing training to help you handle all your responsibilities. The scope of medical billing training is broad, including knowledge in medical terminology, billing and accounts receivable management, claims, claims processing, and so on. Such skills can only be acquired if you have medical billing training.
What are the typical tasks of an administrative medical specialist?
The administrative medical specialist has specific tasks which they will be engaging in. First is receiving, making, and documenting telephone calls. Not only does an administrative medical specialist need medical billing training, but he or she also needs training in typical office work. As stated before, medical billing embraces a wider scope than what you were led to believe from the ads you have read.
Administrative medical specialists may also handle the scheduling of appointments and registration of patient information. This is a vital part of the job and a vital step of the insurance claims process. The administrative medical specialist will have to have medical billing training in order to know how to convert the medical record of a patient into a billing record, using a complex set of codes of procedure.
Administrative medical specialists perform insurance verification, pre-authorization and referral tasks. Knowledge of how insurance works is especially important and one you can learn more about through medical billing training.
Preparing patient charts and maintenance of medical records is yet another responsibility of an administrative medical specialist. So is preparing and posting transactions on day sheets, charge tickets and patient accounts; coding and billing of insurance claims; collection patient payments and performing collection activities; and performing accounts payable, payroll and banking tasks.