A Background on the Medical Billing and Coding Profession

Medical Billing and Coding Specialists are trained to record and process data about patients. This includes treatment records, insurance billing information, and payments received. The specialist is responsible for properly coding a patient’s diagnosis, then sending it to the insurance company or the individual for payment. Medical Billing and Coding Specialist will find careers in hospitals, doctor’s office, rehabilitation facilities and other health institutions.

In the city of Portland, Oregon the average salary for a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist ranges from about $15 to $17 per hour. This of course depends on the size of the institution you work for, and the amount of work required. This career is a very stable option in the healthcare field. The need for Medical Billing and Coding Specialists continues to increase.

Education

Many employers seek out individuals who have an associate or bachelors degree in business administration, accounting or other related fields. Some employers will accept just a high school diploma because majority of the training received for Medical Billing and Coding is done on the job. There is an option to become certified through a national certification organization such as American Medical Billing Association in the United States. This will help improve your training and job prospects.

Financial aid is available. You would start by finding the school you wish to attend, and then apply at the FAFSA website. If you have questions or concerns about financial aid contact the school you are attending. There is always a financial aid representative there to help guide you through the process.

Medical Billing and Coding Schools in Portland

Carrington College
Portland:
Graduates of our medical billing and coding program are employed in a variety of settings including; hospitals and clinics. In addition, health information professionals work in physician offices, insurance companies, long term care facilities, rehabilitation and mental health facilities.

Apollo College
Portland:
Medical Billing offered at our Portland Campus is an important dimension of health care information – and a fast-growing profession in the medical industry. Apollo College provides students with the instruction needed to pursue this promising career and perform a wide range of functions. In short, controlling critical information in the delivery of quality care.

Heald College
Portland:
The Heald College Health Information Technology Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for HeAalth Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIIM). Graduates of Heald’s Health Information Technology program pursue rewarding careers as health data analysts, patient information coordinators, clinical coding specialists, and insurance claims analysts.

Everest College
Vancouver and Portland:
In the Medical Insurance Billing & Coding students program will learn the basic concepts and procedures to perform the tasks involved in health insurance as well as insurance claim forms. You will also gain knowledge of basic coding definitions and how to apply those codes to medical documentation.

Career Step
Career Step’s Inpatient and Outpatient Medical Coding and Billing course is designed to help you gain the knowledge and skills for both inpatient and outpatient medical coding and billing, making you more flexible and marketable after graduation! Start training today and be career-ready in as little as 4 months!

LA College International
Study online to earn your Associate of Arts in Health Care Administration from LA College International. Learn to Use coding conventions, terms, and abbreviations and Code procedures according to CPT and ICD-M guidelines in just 60 credit hours.

Allen School
The Allen School is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical billing and coding schools. Our Fast-Track to Success program lets you become a Medical Billing & Coding specialist in 9 short months versus 15 months at other schools.

Don’t forget there are a variety of education choices for this career. If the schools listed here do not work for you there are many online options for schools. Just be sure to check the schools credibility before you decide to attend.