What Is The Difference Between Medical Billing And Medical Coding?

While the terms may often be uses synonymously, medical billing and medical coding jobs are two very distinctively different job titles. Both roles are extremely important to a healthcare practice and if not performed accurately and efficiently, the results can be detrimental to the success of a practice.

The best way to understand the different responsibilities of each job is to review the tasks associated with each role. Medical coders look at the patient’s records to determine what procedures were performed by a doctor, surgeon, nurse or other healthcare professional.  They review the procedures and accurately assign the correct procedure code or diagnosis code for the corresponding services obtained by the patient.

Because of the extreme importance placed on accurate coding, medical coders often have to coordinate with other members of the staff in order to get more details about a particular patient. This is integral to the process so that the procedures performed and the diagnoses given can be coded correctly. They may also have to inform the staff regarding the kinds of data and information that needs to be made part of the patient’s records so that the coding process can go smoothly and efficiently.

On the other hand, medical billing is concerned with entering the codes into software and processing insurance claims. Medical billers are in charge of ensuring that every patient is being billed correctly. Medical billers make use of special billing software which allows them to input the codes assigned by the coder as well as other insurance information so that the insurance claim may be sent to the insurer in order for payment to be facilitated. Because they have to deal with insurance companies, medical billers are expected to know the claims process and the requirements that have to be submitted to process the claims. They are also responsible for submitting the correct insurance claims to the insurer, ensuring that they have followed the correct billing format, that all fields are properly completed and all documents to support the claim are included in the filing.

Because of the importance of these roles, and the responsibilities attached to them, it is absolutely necessary for medical billing and coding professionals to receive training and the preparation they need to be successful on the job. The modern health care industry across all specializations depends heavily on skilled, qualified medical insurance billers and coders to correctly record, register and keep a track of each patient’s account.

Together, accurate and efficient medical billing and coding efforts keep a healthcare practice running successfully and are immensely important in the modern healthcare sector.

Medical Reimbursement Services has a staff of experienced and highly trained medical coders and billers that can interact effectively with the staff at your practice to successfully handle all billing and coding responsibilities. They are a highly experienced billing and collections agency that offers expert claims management, medical billing and administrative services that can increase the efficiency of daily operations in your practice. If your practice wants to dedicate more time to patient care and less time to medical billing, coding, collections, insurance claims and administrative tasks, contact Medical Reimbursement Services of Long Island at 516-781-8100.