Medical Billing and Coding Salary Factors
When working in the medical billing and coding field you can find employment in clinics, private practices and hospitals, with your main responsibility being to obtain reimbursement for health care professionals for services provided to patients. Here we will find out how the medical billing and coding salary is affected and how specialists can increase their annual salary. We will also find out about the job description for the billing specialist, the advanced certifications that are available and what the job outlook is for this profession.
Required Education and Job Description for Medical Billers
A billing specialist reviews claim documents and assigns them codes that are based on procedures, illnesses and injuries caused by accidents. Should a claim be denied because it was incorrectly assigned a code, the medical coder will be responsible for conducting a medical record search and will correspond with an insurance company and the physician that provided the care, in order to have the issue resolved. 
To work as a medical biller there are a couple of options available, the two year associate’s degree program and the one to two year certificate program. Each program will feature classes in ICD9 basic and advanced coding, medical terminology, physiology, anatomy, medical law and ethics and computer data entry. There are also advanced courses available for CPT coding and HCPCS coding. As a professional the coder will learn how to assign specific codes based on different types of insurance such as Medicaid and medicare.
How to Advance in this Field with Additional Certificate Programs
In order to increase the medical billing and coding salary, the coder can obtain their certification for this profession through the AAPC. As a certified professional coder, or CPC, you will need to maintain your membership through the AAPC by submitting thirty six hours of continuing education which you will need to provide proof of every two years when the license will need renewal.
Because insurance companies can change their policies on a weekly or even daily basis, it’s crucial that the billing specialist maintain their continuing education in order to prevent errors occurring during coding procedures.
The AAPC will also offer certification for the certified professional coder that works in a hospital, certified professional coder-payer, and for the CPMA, also known as the certified professional medical auditor. Additional certifications in this field can increase the CPC’s salary by more than five thousand annually.
As a CPMA you will work by completing RAC audits, learn knowledge of patient procedure documentation, different coding concepts, medical record auditing, how to communicate results, statistical and scope methods and coding violations. After this one year certificate course has been completed you will need to take the 150 multiple choice exam through the AAPC.
Salary Information for the Billing Specialist
As a medical coder you will work in accounts payable, general business departments and accounts receivable. A coder is responsible for calculating the amount due for health care services that are provided, address bill discrepancies and prepare outgoing bills. Potential employers will commonly require the medical coder to have a high school education and have completed formal training.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salary for the billing specialist ranged from 32,000$ to 36,000$. The highest annual salary for this field will range from 40,000$ to 44,000$. The job outlook for the billing specialist is said to grow by 7% each year for the next four years. This is a faster growth rate than the average health care career. 
Medical coders are typically entry level positions that can offer on the job training, however they employer will still require the applicant to have an academic history in mathematics and basic computer skills, such as data entry.
According to the American Academy of Professional Coders, those billing specialists that obtain their certification will experience a significantly higher annual salary. The medical coders that do not have certification will have an average salary of 28,000$ to 30,000$.
While it’s not common for the billing specialist to obtain the four year bachelor degree, those that do earn theirs in this field can expect an annual salary ranging from 45,000$ to 50,000$. With a bachelor’s degree in conjunction with the CPC certification will lead to the highest possible salary for this health care profession.
Experience will also play a role in the compensation received for the medical billing specialist. The certified coder with two years of experience can expect an average salary of 34,000$. Those that are not certified and have one to two years of experience can expect a salary of 30,000$, however, those that have worked in the field for over seven years can see a significant increase of a thousand a year.
