What does a doctor expect from his medical billers & coders

A significant challenge that care providers face in the US today is unrealized account receivables stemming from rejected insurance claims by Medicaid and Medicare officials. Physicians often find this challenge daunting because it requires them to handle what they are not meant to: administrative responsibilities

The medical billing and coding cycle requires thorough knowledge and deft handling of the entire process and related procedures including familiarity with electronic platforms and the ability to handle sensitive medical data.

The above scenario, if broken in terms of skills doctors expect their billers and coders to have, will demarcate the following areas:

• Knowledge of billing life cycle
• Theoretical and working knowledge of data collection, data entry, paper claims, creating and editing reports, patient demographic forms, etc
• Usage and understanding of codes
• Knowledge of electronic platforms in use

This makes medical billing and coding among the most knowledge-driven and challenging disciplines which needs keeping up with the changing trends of the industry to effectively handle billing and coding responsibilities for care providers, so that they can concentrate on quality of care even as they enjoy a steady flow of revenue.

Accuracy vs. Productivity – Medical Coder 

Recently, AAPC conducted a survey to find out from billing and coding professionals which among the two (accuracy and productivity) is preferred over the other by billing and coding managers and the survey revealed a mixed response establishing the supremacy of neither of the two over the other, leading to the conclusion that a billing and coding manager expects his/her team of billers and coders “to efficiently produce accurate work”.

Medical Coding with MBC

MBC believes, that when it comes to billing and coding, certifications help bridge this gap. Most of MBC’s billers and coders are certified in CPC, CCS which CPAT, all of which require passing a coding certification examination which involves questions to examine the ability of billers and coders to accurately apply CPT and HCPCS procedures and supply ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. This helps MBC’s coding professionals to refresh and renew their skills and be assured of them.