Working & Importance of Medical Billing

Any health care facility, whether it is a small scale or large scale, certainly faces the problem in efficient billing and coding. The medical coding and billing is not only the process of submitting claims to insurance companies, but also following up those claims to ensure payments.

Before, knowing the importance of this integral department in hospitals and other health care institutions, let’s have a look at some of the basics about the procedure.

Process:

The successful handling of medical billing revolves around the efficient and skilful staff members that have proper understanding about the overall process (from submitting claims to receiving payments). A professional knows very well that most important thing, behind successful completion of billing is the collections of right information.

The foremost step of this procedure is correct information gathering. It requires not only collecting accurate material, but also proper data entry and follow up, as well.

When new or existing patient arrives at health care facility, the biller then collects all necessary insurance information like name, phone, and identity proof.

Coding is done after billing by putting proper medical codes on the document. After having done with coding, specialists send this document for audit and review before sending them to the billing department.

Now, medical billing department use these codes for identifying the treatments underwent by the patient. After verifying the codes they file the claims, which are sent to the transmission department. This department then prepare a list of claims and transmits them electronically. After that, they are reviewed and verified by the insurance company, claims are then processed for payment.
Finally, after receiving payments, the charges are deducted from the patient’s bill accordingly.

Importance:

After having an idea about the overall process of billing and coding, you may have understood how important it is in medical facilities.

The team of billers is responsible to see whether the health care services offered by the service provider are properly billed or not. While the job of coders is to interpret medical reports, assign the document appropriate codes, and develop claims for submission.

Medical coding and billing is important in variety of ways such as:

• Careful handling of bills, payments, and taking follow ups
• Reduce expenses and employee theft
• To handle variety of billing issues
• Helps appeal denials
• Provide accurate reimbursement

Without the help of medical billing specialists, neither doctors would get paid nor insurance companies would pay.

If you are looking for the best training institute to get medical biller training, please log on to http://www.nymedtraining.com/

Did you know these facts about medical assistant training?

Becoming a medical assistant is one of the most lucrative career options that you can choose in the current time. Before you actually make up your mind to step into the field of medical assistant, there are certain things that you need to be aware of. Below mentioned are some aspects of medical assistant training, that can prove to be really beneficial for you.

Medical assistant as a career option

One of the many reasons to choose medical assistant as a career option and further go for training in the same is the fact that this is one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States of America today. If we look at the facts and figures, then a 34% growth rate in the employment outlook is going to be maintained till the year 2018 (according to Department of Labour, Bureau of Labour Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11).

Requirements for certification

This is the most important thing that you need to know before thinking of stepping into the field. In order to get certified, you need to complete a training program from any of the medical schools that have been accredited with these two organizations, American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and American Medical Technologists (AMT). Graduating from a non-certified school is not going to add up to your credentials, so make sure the institute where you are getting enrolled is a certified one.

Choice of Course

When it comes to training course, you have a number of options from which you can choose. Depending upon your requirements, you can opt for a certificate program or an associate degree. The course duration may vary from 6months to 2 years. Certificate programs are the first choice for those who are looking to start their career quickly. However, these courses are not sufficient enough to give you expert knowledge about the field. For thorough training, an associate degree is the best option. Even the employers value this degree more. Associate training program’s duration may also vary from 1 to 2 years, depending upon the school in which you get enrolled.

After completing the course, you are not limited to one field. Rather you can either enter the field, or you can go for further specific courses like nursing assistant training or medical data analyst training, to further extend your employment opportunities. Once you get all this sorted out, you can simply enrol yourself in a training course and start off your journey towards a lucrative career.

New York Medical Career Training Center is a New York State Department of Education National Certified Center that offers training programs in medical billing and other branches of medical science. Log on to www.nymedtraining.com to see the list of training options that you can go for.

Are you interested in helping patients- choose a medical assistant job profile!

A medical assistant is a professional in the medical field who has to interact with patient and doctor as well. A doctor can't manage all the things in a clinic or hospital. A medical assistant works as a helping hand for the doctor who handles some clinical and administrative duties. We all know that medical field has great career opportunities, but students restrict their mind to opt it as career because they have assumption that it requires lots of time and money.

Well, there are some other career options besides physician and nurses in medical field like medical assistants who have to perform other tasks(such as preparing patients for examination)besides the core treatment. There are several institutes which are able to provide medical assistant training. Medical assistant is a person who has to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. If you want to perform this job then you must consider the key responsibility areas of this job. Let us discuss few of KRA's to make you aware and prepared for the same.

Maintaining health records of the patient: One of the major responsibility of medical assistant is to make a record of patients examination with registration of their personal information. Besides this, computerized medical billing is part of the job in which you need to interact with insurance companies to clear claims.

Preparing patients for examination: This is one of the responsibility of medical assistant in which he has to prepare the patient for the examination. They have to guide the patients in various activities such as collection of blood sample, urine etc and submitting them to a lab.

Assisting doctors while examination: A doctor or examiner may need some specific equipment while doing an examination. In this case, a helper is required who can assist the doctor to fulfill the needs. It also includes sterilizing of medical equipment.

Helping patients: Medical assistant is the only person with whom a patient can communicate without hesitating in a hospital. Patients often feel awkward while communicating with doctors especially when they want to confirm something official like, what is the procedure to get the required examination? In this situation a medical assistant can help them. Besides this, if a patient is nervous before any medical procedure, the assistant has to motivate the patient to get the treatment.

In order to fulfill all the key responsibility areas you need to get a medical assistant training which can make you efficient in performing all the above tasks.

http://www.nymedtraining.com/ is a website of New York medical career training center which provides training programs for medical field like medical billing.

How to Become a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist

A Medical Billing and Coding Specialist records and processes patients’ treatment records, insurance information, bills and received payments. Furthermore, they code a patient’s diagnosis and issue invoices to insurance companies or the patients themselves. Medical billing and coding specialists may work in private practices, mental or physical rehabilitation facility, or hospitals. However, many choose to do their work from home. This article will briefly discuss the skills necessary to become a medical billing and coding specialist and the career opportunity available for such professionals.

Although duties of a medical billing and coding specialist vary from one employer to the other, most specialists are responsible for:

Keeping detailed records of healthcare services provided to the patient by using a special coding system to ensure confidentiality.

Invoicing patients or the insurance company using the coded information previously recorded.

According to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the following skills are required for medical billing and coding specialists:

Knowledge of the updated coding and billing systems.

Ability to work independently.

High ethical standards to ensure that the patients’ information remains confidential.

Good communication skills in order to handle insurance transactions.

Although there is no certification requirement for becoming a medical billing and coding specialist, in this competitive field, it is beneficial to receive proper training. Most employers will only hire candidates with a minimum of an associate’s degree with coursework in mathematics, computer science and biology. Because this profession has become highly competitive, it is highly advised that individuals are certified as Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist (CMRS).

The certification process takes approximately 9 to 12 months to complete and covers topics such as medical terminology, computer database management, insurance procedures, and billing and coding procedures. One of the schools offering such a program is New York Medical Training Center in Flushing, New York. During their 60-hour program, students get an overview of medical insurance learn coding procedures, and insurance billing procedures. Students learn through computerized billing simulations how to create, save, retrieve, edit, and maintain patient files. In addition, students are educated on how to post payments to patient accounts, produce insurance claim forms, correct and resubmit rejected claims, produce insurance claim activity reports and enter electronic claims.

With proper education and experience, medical billing and coding specialists can have a prosperous career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average salary for medical records specialists is $32,350 per year. The lowest 10% earned less than $22,000 and the highest 10% earned over $53,000. If you are in the New York area and are looking to become a medical billing and coding specialist, visit www.nymedtraining.com

How to Become an EKG Technician

If you are considering becoming an electrocardiograph (EKG) technician, it is important that you research the schools in your area, necessary certifications to practice in your state and the career opportunity in your area.

What does an EKG Technician do?

Electrocardiograph (EKG) technicians, or electrocardiogram technicians as they are also known, perform diagnostic tests to help doctors identify and treat cardiovascular problems in patients. These tests help detect irregularities that may result in a heart attack or heart disease. Common duties include explaining procedures to patients, monitoring patients' blood pressure and handling equipment to collect information efficiently and with precision.


How do I become an EKG Technician?

Earn a High School Diploma or its Equivalent

Most employers require applicants to hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. Individuals wishing to further their education generally will need to possess a high school diploma or its equivalent to meet admissions requirements. Courses in mathematics and science such as biology, physiology and anatomy are important to succeed in if you are looking to become an EKG Technician after graduation.

Intern in the Healthcare Field

Because EKG Technician is becoming an increasingly competitive field, most employers look for previously experienced workers. Getting experience in the healthcare field can be done by volunteering at a local clinic, hospital or physician’s office. Nurses are knowledgeable about EKG procedures and can be a great resource if you find one to help you learn.

Find and Complete an EKG Technician Program

EKG technician certification programs are available at several colleges throughout the country. It is important to pick a program that is thorough, and offers resources for job placement. An example of such program is available at New York Medical Training Center in Flushing, New York. They offer a 36-hour EKG Technician program by the completion of which student will label the major internal and external structures of the heart; describe the major functions of the cardiovascular system. Identify the five types of blood vessels, label the electrical conduction of the heart and obtain a standard EKG rhythm strip. Describe and identify ECG characteristics of Sinus Rhythms, Atrial Rhythms, Junctional Rhythms, Ventricular Rhythms, Atrioventricular, AV Blocks, different components of Pacemaker Rhythm.

Certification

Although certification is not required in most states, employers prefer applicants who have earned professional certification such as the Electrocardiograph (EKG) Technician exam offered by the American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians (ASPT) for EKG Technicians with 6 months or more of experience.

If you are seeking to become an EKG Technician, visit www.nymedtraining.com

How To Become a Phlebotomy Technician

A phlebotomy technician is responsible for collecting blood and other bodily fluids from patients for testing and diagnosis. In addition to collecting such samples, phlebotomy technicians, or phlebotomist technicians as they are also known, are often in charge of checking patients’ blood pressure, sterilizing equipment and communicating with the lab to which bodily fluid samples are sent. Depending on the phlebotomist’s place of employment, they may also be responsible for some clerical duties such as updating patient records, scheduling appointments and following up with patients. These professionals can find employment in clinics, private practices, hospitals, blood banks and even labs.

In order to become a phlebotomist in today’s competitive job market, an individual needs both educational and hands-on training. A student interested in a career as a phlebotomist can attend either a private vocational schools or take a course in college. The amount of time necessary to complete the course varies greatly from school to school. New York Medical Training Center in Flushing, New York offers a 36-hour Phlebotomy program during which students learn various methods of Phlebotomy such as; vacuum method for venous blood withdrawal, an autolet blood withdrawal for glucose level, the proper use of a microhematocrit centrifuge, proper use of a hemogloginometer and obtain a hemoglobin level. In addition students will learn the proper use of a glucometer to obtain a glucose level. Identify and label the parts of the most common diagnostic laboratory equipment, use basic skills in context of therapeutic and lab procedures. While some states to do not require formal education for an individual to work as a phlebotomist, most employers will require either a certification or previous on-the-job training.

In states where education is required, an externship or hands-on training is usually part of the course in most colleges. This is usually completed at a nearby clinic or hospital under the supervision of professionals. Students get to practice drawing blood; approximately 1,500 sticks are required to be considered sufficiently experienced.

Graduates of the program are then eligible to sit for the certification test. Although certifications are not required, they are preferred by employees and can be obtained through American Society of Clinical Pathologists, American Medical Technologists, or the American Association of Medical Personnel. Certifications show employers that the phlebotomist is sufficiently knowledgeable in specimen collection, blood sampling, micro-collection, and OSHA regulations.

If you are in the New York area and looking to become a phlebotomist, visit www.nymedtraining.com

Various career opportunities in medical assistant training

Right qualification and medical assistant training grants a student numerous career opportunities. So if you are on the middle of the way thinking whether to opt for medical assistant profile or not, read this article.

Basically, a student with medical assistant profile is not just responsible for performing clinical or administrative duties. Other than this; utilizing the training of medical assistant gives an option to opt for other medical positions which has been further discussed below.

Career options for medical assistant:

LPN or RN: a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who have attained nursing assistant training gets to works under the guidance of doctor to look after the patients problems, diagnostic tests and wound dressing. Further they are also answerable to the calls of patients.

Medical record technician: records in a clinic or hospital are needed to be maintained properly so as to avoid last moment confusion if an emergency occurs. This task is done by a medical record technician who is capable enough to manage the records of the patients.

Medical billing and coding specialist: billing specialist prepares the bills of the patient treatments. They also communicate with the patient regarding their bills and insurance policies.

Medical Transcriptionists: convert the voice recordings into written reports given by the physicians or health professionals. They interpret medical terminology and abbreviations in the records.

Pharmacy aid: a medical assistant can be a pharmacy technician whose duty is to deliver the medications and maintain the stocks.

Physical therapist assistant: a person can become a therapist in a therapeutic team of a hospital or clinic. They are familiar with the cold and heat therapy application and techniques.

Cardiovascular technologists: they help the doctors to treat the cardiac patients and further go with the diagnostic tests (electrocardiograms and echocardiograms).

Further with diversification in the career field, one just doesn't have to be restrict themselves at working in hospitals or clinics rather they can work in specialty offices (podiatry, ophthalmology), urgent care centers, nursing homes, insurance companies, rehab clinics and pharmaceutical companies etc.

But to attain this in your grooming year of education, one should make sure to get enrolled in a reputed and certified medical training center. And if you are confused on how to choose amongst various training centers then take recommendation of your family or friends or you might even surf on net.

Want to attain training in the field of medical assistant then log on to http://www.nymedtraining.com