Insurance coding

It may sound a little odd to say this but insurance coding is at the center of the US medical system. When a patient is treated of course the doctors and nurses list the treatments they receive.

These records are then taken by the medical billing experts (often called insurance coders) who apply the correct code to each treatment. This is then input into the computer system to generate the bill which the insurance company then pays.

The next interesting question is how can you train to do insurance coding? Is is it something that requires a degree? Some training in school or can you simply learn on the job?

Insurance coding training

Most people who do insurance coding already have a degree because they are medical records technicians. Often insurance coding is taught as part of that degree program. Some other people simply learn the coding system by doing the job (although that is becoming rarer).

As medicine becomes ever more complex you'll find that perhaps the best way to get into insurance coding is through some training at a school.

There are many different types here, ranging from simple online programs to intensive classes lasting a couple of weeks. Some hospitals even run their own schools for insurance coding training. The one thing that is important to remember is that insurance coding can be complicated: so a formal training program is a big help.

One great advantage of insurance coding as a career: you don't have to meet the patients, even though you work in a hospital!

Source Bureau of Labor Statistics