MEDICAL BILLING
Medical
billing is a subspecialty of medical coding. The responsibility of the
medical biller in a health care facility is to ensure that the doctors and
nurses in her practice receive reimbursement for their
work.
Although
a medical biller’s duties vary with the size of the facility where she works,
she typically assembles all data concerning the bill. She makes sure all
insurance forms are completed and signed, and that all necessary information is
in the computer. Medical billers regularly communicate with physicians and
other health care professionals to clarify diagnoses or to obtain additional information. Therefore,
the medical biller must understand how to read medical invoices and, like the
medical coder, be familiar with CPT®, HCPCS Level II and ICD-9-CM codes.
In addition to preparing invoices, medical billers might contact patients from time to time regarding billing errors or past due bills. Collecting payments, making adjustments, interpreting Explanation of Benefits (EOBs), handling denied claims, and processing appeals are all part of the routine for a medical biller.
