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Ohio Medical Billing and Coding Schools - OH
Published: January 16th, 2010
Ohio medical billing and coding specialist education
Individuals that succeed in this field generally are detail-oriented, analytical, are self-directed, and are able to resolve problems on their own and meet deadlines. A credential, such as a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) from an accredited technical school, an associate degree from an accredited two-year college and a registered health information technician (RHIT) credential or an undergraduate degree, such as a Bachelor of Information Management, are typically required. Some technicians go on to specialize in coding information for medical trials and research studies. Others specialize in insurance coding and billing.
Continuing education courses and membership in professional organizations are some of the ways that specialists can keep current with changes and updates to coding and state and federal reimbursement procedures and laws.
Becoming a medical billing and coding specialist in Ohio
Individuals must be a high school graduate or have acquired a GED.
Individuals must complete a course of study from medical billing schools in Ohio, a technical school, a long-distance learning program, a two-year college or obtain a bachelor degree from a four-year college or university. Programs offered through Ohio medical coding schools must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), an independent accrediting organization.
Typical courses of study in Ohio medical coding schools include human anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, disease processes, IT and computer science, database management, math, and communication. Students gain familiarity with and learn how to use as reference the CPT, ICD-9 and HCPCS manuals. Students also may become familiar with classification systems software that enables patient data to be assigned to a particular diagnosis-related group (DRG), which determines reimbursement by Medicaid, Medicare and other insurance programs.
After successfully graduating, students are eligible to take the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Certified Coding Associate (CCA), the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)-Certified Professional Coder (CPC or CPC-H Apprentice) and other national certification examinations. (A minimum of six months work experience is recommended before taking the certification examinations.)
Although those seeking employment as medical billing and coding specialists in Ohio are not required to be licensed by the state licensing board of Ohio, it is becoming a common practice for those practicing in this field to attain professional certifications such as Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Health Information Management (HIM), and Registered health information technician (RHIT). Those who are interested in research with diseases such as cancer should consider attaining certification as a cancer or disease registrar.