Skip to main content

What is Medical Billing?



Medical billing. This is probably not the first time you've heard of this word and you pretty much have a basic idea what the phrase connotes. However, one thing you should know is that most people have the wrong idea of what is medical billing in reality.

Often, what is medical billing is equated with what is medical transcription or what is medical coding when in fact, the three are as separate and as distinct from each other as night and day. While it's true that all three of them are somehow related and sometimes even their responsibilities overlap, it still doesn't change the fact that medical coding deals strictly with codes and medical transcription is strictly on transcribing doctor's notes.

So, what is medical billing then?

Some people say it is the doctor's key to getting paid for services rendered. Others say that it is a process of submitting claims to insurance companies. But these descriptions are vague. What is medical billing really?

Perhaps, the question "what is medical billing?" is better answered with this definition of the term:

Medical billing is practice management. It involves front office skills, with emphasis on billing and accounting, insurance claims processing, and making decisions concerning the financial aspects of a practice.

What is medical billing compared to medical coding and medical transcription?


Compared to medical coding and medical transcription, medical billing is wider in scope and broader in its range of responsibilities. Front office also means acting as an executive secretary to the practice, dealing in clerical work such as patient scheduling, clearing appointments, documenting patient visits, recording diagnostic and treatment procedures, and organizing medical records using a medical billing software program.

What is medical billing and what are its responsibilities?

The job of the medical billing professional starts with the office visit where you will handle everything from scheduling of the appointment to making sure that the patient makes it to his appointment. After the doctor sees the patient, depending on the services provided and the examination, he will then create and update the patient's medical record.

Here you will know what is medical billing:

The medical billing professional then organizes these records according to a system earlier adopted by the practice. This record contains a summary of treatment and demographic information related to the patient. The medical billing specialist will have to organize these records according to their contents to provide for easier access in case of another visit or some such circumstance and to create the billing record which is the document submitted to either a clearinghouse or an insurance company.

Popular posts from this blog

Medical Billing Careers

Medical billing careers are among the top contenders of the recent job explosion in the healthcare industry. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that it is one of the top twenty occupations in healthcare. Medical billing careers are pivotal to the success of the medical practice. It is often referred to as the doctor's key to getting paid for the services he rendered. Medical billing careers encompass a wide scope and a broad range of responsibilities as it includes front office tasks, among others, in its list of things to do. Nature of Work Success in medical billing careers is not as easy as it is often made out to be by those ads you see in the classified section of the local newspaper or the Internet. Not everyone who enters into one end up rich. Competition is fierce and in the end, the competent ones are the only ones who survive. To achieve some measure of success in medical billing careers, you will need to know all the basic concepts related to the jo...

Medical Billing Career

People in the world today are not getting any younger. As they age, the need for working professionals in the medical and healthcare services professions will continue to increase. That is why there is no more right time to get into a medical billing career than now. The sheer number of new patients and insurance claims alone ensure that medical billing career will be in-demand for many years to come. If you pursue a medical billing career, there is no doubt that you are pursuing a career that is greatly needed. Medical billing has been frequently described as the doctor's key to getting paid. In more accurate description, medical billing refers to practice management. More often than not, processing medical and insurance claims is a very time-consuming task but unfortunately, it is something that all medical offices and clinics must take up. Coding errors and erroneous patient information are usually much higher if the person handling your medical billing and accounts pa...

Online Medical Billing Course

The need for professional medical billing and coding specialists is growing everyday. Hospitals, medical offices, clinics, practices, doctors, and even insurance companies are all looking for people who are not only willing to deal with the complexities of insurance handling but also the capability to do so. As a result, medical billing has become one of the fastest growing occupations in the healthcare industry. The problem lies in the difficulty of handling billing and overall practice management when there are other matters to take care of. Even the small family-owned medical practices have steadily increasing liability costs each year - costs that could translate to loss in profits. As a preventive medicine, medical billing can help reduce these costs and at the same time increase profits for the practice. But medical billing is an industry not that easy to get into. To achieve even a little bit of success requires hard work and dedication and skills honed to perfection. This ...