If you’ve been wondering about setting out on a path in the health care industry but don’t feel that you have the talents required for hands-on medical work, you might be interested in entering the field through an administrative capacity. As a medical billing and coding specialist, you’ll be joining a field that is growing at an exponential rate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry is expected to have a 22% increase between now and 2022. This will open up very profitable career opportunities for those who can master the talent and skill for this type of work.
What You Need
To enter into the field of medical billing and coding there are some very specific skills you’ll need to have. Some can be taught at medical billing and coding courses in New Jersey while others are basic lifetime skills that you develop over years.
Detail Oriented: Working with health records requires one to be very specific and detail oriented. You will be responsible for handling medical records that can have an impact on a person’s life, so it must be managed with efficiency and accuracy.
Discretion: You’ll also need to have the ability to keep matters confidential so that you protect a patient’s right to privacy. You will be handling sensitive data about a patient’s personal life and health, so you’ll need to be discrete.
Assertive: You’ll have to interact with a number of different people; physicians, administrators, insurance companies, etc. There will be times when you’ll need to assert yourself and diffuse certain situations in order to resolve certain problems.
Analytical: It may be necessary to analyze medical information in order to code it properly in the system. For that, a basic knowledge of medical terminology, as well as human anatomy will be needed.
Technical: It will also be important to master the technical side of the industry. Dealing with electronic records, mastering new software programs, and keeping abreast of the many changes that will continue to happen in the industry will be the key to your success.
Being a medical billing and coding specialist is not just a matter of doing paperwork. There is a lot more involved in the career choice. However, if you feel that you have already mastered these 5 basic skills and are ready to enter this highly rewarding career, take the next step and visit one of the New Jersey Tech Schools to enroll.
