Should Medical Administration students know the basics to billing and coding also to get a job??

Question

Hello! I am currently studying to get my A.S. Degree in Medical Administration. I am curious though if it is highly recommended that I ALSO study the basics of Billing and Coding by taking CPT-4 and ICD-9. If I do not take those classes wherever I get employed if they want me to know Billing and Coding will they most likely provide classes or information for me to become familiar with it?

Any recommendations and/or information are greatly appreciated! Also anyone that would like to give me feedback about what their jobs are like would be good insight!

Answer 1

No, these are not requirements of being an admin.

That is why they have coders and billing departments.

However if you do know it you are better for it = )

Answer 2

If you are going to be working in any aspect of medical administration, it is *always* an advantage to understand basic billing and coding.



Even if you won't be doing the actual billing and coding hands on, odds are that your job will be affected in some way by billing and coding issues. Having a basic familiarity with coding will absolutely make you more marketable.



(I have never worked specifically as a biller or a coder, but I've studied the basics of both. It has *always* been a strong selling point in job interviews. I have a bachelor's degree and an MBA, and the coding/billing knowledge still makes an impression with potential employers!)



Good luck.

Answer 3

Doubtful an employer will pay for you to take those later; so take them now. Billing & coding permeates ALL of medicine these days and you MUST have a handle on it. They even send us Docs to seminars on it.