What is the Difference Between Medical Billing and Medical Coding?

 Medical Coding and Billing Are Two Different Fields

Do medical coding and billing work the same way?  Not at all.  Medical coding and billing are two completely different disciplines!  Additionally, you should never, ever study them all in one semester!

Medical billing and coding have been grouped together by Diploma Mill (education clearinghouse) organizations for a number of years in an attempt to provide the public extremely poor quality, often worthless, courses.  Almost any kind of course (black jack, real estate investing, pet grooming, astrology, plumbing, etc.) can be found sold at a diploma mill.

A diploma mill is a facility or organization that awards a lot of degrees based on subpar or insufficient education.  Typically, they refer to themselves as "learning/career institutes" or "colleges."  These initiatives are frauds.

Billing for Medical Services

Medical billing is the accounting of bills and claims for medical services that are filed on a patient's behalf.  This field is unrelated to coding; it deals with accountancy.  The medical facility's revenue cycle management is managed by the medical biller.

Healthcare facilities utilize revenue cycle management (RCM), a financial process that tracks patient care episodes from registration and appointment scheduling to the last payment of a balance, using medical billing software.

A medical biller is educated in keeping track of the patient's financial commitments, including those made through insurance or personal payments.  The average length of a medical billing course program is four to six weeks.  The Practice Management / Medical Billing Software Program is the tool of the trade.  

Understanding and utilizing a Practice Management / Medical Billing Software Program is essential to receiving the right training as a medical biller.

Any medical billing course that does not teach medical billing software or practice management is severely deficient in its capacity to teach medical billing students.

In addition to offering Practice Management and Medical Billing Software training, Medical Billing Course.com allows students to utilize a live, fully functional Practice Management and Medical Billing Software program as part of the course curriculum.

Coding for Medicines

The process of turning lengthy handwritten notes and paperwork into codes is known as medical coding.  An ICD (International Classification of Diseases) code is created using the notes related to a patient's diagnosis.  

A CPT (Current Procedural Technology) code receives the notes pertaining to the procedures performed on a patient.

Anatomy, physiology, biology, and medical terminology are the subjects of training for medical coders.  The CPT and ICD coding systems are the instruments of the trade.  Completing a medical coding course can take two years or more.

Thus, as you can see, medical billing and coding are two completely different things that shouldn't be taught in the same course.  Several individuals have squandered hundreds of dollars on Diploma Mills' "Medical Billing and Coding Courses."  Simply said, don't.