In this era of digitalization, making a career is no difficult thing. No matter what the industry is, whether IT or medical, there are hundreds of opportunities available on the internet. In fact, after the pandemic many jobs have gone remote based and there are a plethora of companies that offer remote jobs in almost every sector. Talking specifically about RCM, medical billing and coding work from home jobs have also seen a hike.
If you are a job seeker or trying to establish your career in medical coding or billing, today we are going to provide you with a roadmap and proper guidance about where you should start, how to get medical billing and coding work from home job, and skills you should have before entering into the industry. So stay tuned if you want a high-paying remote job in 2023.
Rising Trend Of Remote Jobs
After the world was hit by a pandemic, there were huge modifications in almost every aspect of life. Many routine activities like academics were paused for months and many new activities or trends arrived like remote jobs. Though before that a considerable amount of companies were already operating remote-based after the pandemic almost every firm figured to let their employees work from home. Today there are around 3 times more remote jobs than it was in 2020.
When we talk about remote jobs, there are other terms interrelated that should be discussed, which are freelancing and the gig economy. As both these terms define remote work, these can be another way to earn a handsome amount of money. For now, let’s dive deep into why people prefer remote jobs more than physical ones.
There are many benefits of working remotely, and the top of them is a comfort zone. You can work from your home, park, or any other place you are at. There’s no need to commute to the office and waste time traveling. Besides, during traveling you have to spend some resources on fuel expenses, but when you work remotely you are not required to drive anywhere.
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Additionally, you set your workplace according to your preferences. As not all offices provide an ideal work atmosphere while working from home you can set your amused interior, like you can drink as much coffee as you want, work even while lying on the bed if you don’t feel like getting up and take short breaks as well if your job is flexible enough.
But here might a question arise in your head: if an RCM company allows you to work remotely, would they pay less salary than physical ones? While in some companies this may be an adhering rule, most of the time you are paid as equal as the one who works physically. Those companies that operate 100% remote-based pay a sufficient amount of salary, so there is no need to worry about pay when looking for remote medical billing and coding work from home job.
Introduction To Medical Billing And Coding Work From Home Job
As we described earlier remote jobs have increased in the market, there is also a constant need for remote medical coders and billers. Now you might think, why would a hospital want remote employees? So the simple answer to this question is that in that case, healthcare facilities might want to reduce their financial burden on purchasing computer devices and dedicating a separate space for employees. As these things require a heavy sum to be spent, hospitals hire remote-based billing and coding employees.
What Is Required To Get A Medical Coding Or Remote Job?
Being a competent medical biller and coder requires a high school or diploma at least a GED certificate, which is equivalent to a diploma. This is a basic requirement. But some candidates also go for a bachelor’s degree in order to be a valuable candidate. If you want to do the same, pursuing this degree is worth it as it can help you learn more complex medical terminologies, healthcare standards, and how to use codes in these lessons.
However, if you are not able to complete a degree, you can get medical billing and coding work from home job without it if you are lucky enough. As we said if you could do this, go for it but if not then that’s okay too.
Role You’ll Have To Perform As A Medical Coder And Biller
In simple terms, medical coders are the ones who will work on CPT codes and medical billers are the ones who will work on hospital bills. As both of these tasks are linked you can learn medical billing and coding and perform the role of both.
As a medical coder, you’ll have to identify medical codes (CPT, HCPCS, and others) for each medical service taken by the patient and order it in the bill for correct identification. You will also be required to study coding data and based on that make informed decisions. Medical coding jobs require a perfect and updated understanding of codes invented and deleted by the government so that the codes mentioned in the bill are accurate and up to date.
On the other hand as a medical biller, you’ll work on patient’s bills, fill in correct information and submit it to the insurance payer. You will be required to constantly keep an eye on bills and identify if they are paid by the insurer or rejected. In the case of rejection, you’ll have to rectify the objection and re-submit the bill for reimbursement. Also, you will work with the patients to collect medical bills from them and keep an updated record of paid and remaining bills.
Which Facilities You Will Work For?
After knowing the basic role of medical billing and coding work from home jobs, let us tell you the common healthcare facilities you will most likely be working for:
- Centers for Hospice
- Telehealth companies
- Collecting businesses
- Risk management companies
- Insurance companies
- Agency of the federal government
- IT solutions
- Imaging facilities
- Home health care providers
- Providers of EHR software
- Federal and state governments
- Career schools
- Clinical settings
- Therapeutic services
- A clearing house
Steps To Get A High-Paying Remote Medical Billing Or Coding Job
Finding medical billing and coding work from home job couldn’t have been easier with the availability of online resources available. You don’t have to step out of your house and drop your resume to healthcare facilities. All you need is a smart device like a phone, laptop, or PC. But in order to get a proper high-paying or even beginner-level remote job, there is a strategy that you must obey. Here we have listed all the steps in detail you have to follow to get your dream job.
Learn The Skill
This is, not to mention, the first step you have to perform if you want to be eligible for medical billing and coding work from home job. Learning the skills is the base on which your career will be established, whereas practical experience is the building. But what are the skills that you will have to learn if you want this job? Let’s see.
Flawless Communication
As you will interact with patients and with the other departments of the healthcare facility most probably through telephonic communication, you must possess excellent communication skills. You must learn to tackle different situations and how to handle inconveniences. Above all, learning to maintain patience and humbleness is crucial for medical billing and coding work from home job as good manners are what keep a patient coming.
Active Listening
Just like you must know what to say in a certain situation, you must be able to listen actively to what patients and other workers say. You will have to listen carefully to their needs and demands and come up with a proper solution to overcome their problem.
Problem-Solving Mindset
With communication and active listening, problem-solving is a skill that should be mentioned as both lead to addressing the problems of the patient and providing them with the best possible solution. Think of medical billing as a customer service job, as you will be closely working with the patients to manage their billing issues, knowing their financial conditions, and keeping records of paid and unpaid bills.
Clash Management
Where there is communication, there are clashes. You will have to learn to be calm even in a situation of conflict or stress. No matter how much a patient or situation puts stress on you, as a responsible employee you have to work out and solve the clash as soon as possible. For this, you will be required to have excellent people management skills.
Attentive
As you have to work on codes and filling accurate charges on the bill, you’ll need to have strong attention to detail skills. Any minor mistake i.e. replacement of a code word can lead to a rejection claim, which in turn will damage the healthcare facility’s financial wealth. So it is another crucial skill to learn.
Organization
Organization too is needed in almost all job roles. But talking specifically about medical billing and coding work from home jobs, you must be able to organize patient’s data and medical bills in a certain order. Not only bills, but you will deal with patient data which could be in a cluttered format sometimes. So you must make sure to keep data clean and at hand whenever the hospital needs it.
Time Management
Many patients or their claim applications may come at once, but all you need is some time management skills. With the help of this skill, you will be able to prioritize your work and focus on those bills or tasks that are important for the moment. You will have to deal with the claim applications in a proper sequence so that no application gets delayed.
Multitasking
After knowing what role you will be performing as a medical biller or coder, you might know that this job is multitasking. Under the top areas of medical billing, coding, and patient communication there are many subfields or tasks that you will be working on. I.e you will deal with patient bills, create and send them to insurance payers, make sure they have made the reimbursement, and if not then resolve the objection, all this besides collecting bills from patients.
Adaptivity
As CPT codes and the healthcare industry keep evolving, your worth is only based on adaptability. You must be updated with the latest technology and inventions in medical billing. Either there is any change in the billing process or any code is depleted you must make sure to not only understand these changes but adapt and operate according to the new trend. As employers too prefer those candidates that keep space for adaptability in their job roles.
Collaborative Nature
As we mentioned earlier, you will have to communicate with other departments as well, being a collaborative person is all that you need. You must possess a sweet and polite nature when you cooperate with your team as your team expects the best from you. Even during times of clash, maintain your composure and help your team to resolve the situation.
Create A Resume
Now that you have learned the skills, it is time to draft it in your resume. CV making is a skill that most people oversee and this is the most crucial thing in the eyes of an employee. It is the first impression that you set in a company. That’s why it is essential to create a resume that stands out from the crowd. Here we have listed basic things you need to consider when creating a resume, with the help of these tips you will surely get selected for an interview.
Contact Information
At the top of the page first, you have to mention your contact details. As this is the very first thing an employer will see, these details are more likely to be remembered. Write:
- Full name
- Contact number
- Email address
- City, state
- Linkedin or another professional profile link
Summary
Then write a short paragraph or 3-4 lines about your career goals, ambitions, and how you can benefit a healthcare organization as a medical biller or coder. This summary must be convincing enough to catch the reader’s attention.
Skills
Now it is time to list all the abilities you learned, including soft and hard skills. Mention your coding and technical knowledge along with the skills we mentioned above in the form of bullets. Remember not to overcrowd the space with unnecessary skills. It is a good practice to read the medical billing and coding work from home job description carefully and list only selected skills according to the specific role.
Work Experience
Here you have to mention all the work experience you possess, be it any internship or project-based role. Make sure to include only relevant experience, as the employer has got nothing to do with a school teacher if he is looking for a medical coder. If you don’t have any experience, then you can just mention that you are a beginner. In that case, you must expertly list your skills so that your level of employment is covered by the expertise you possess.
But it is suggested to do some internships before getting a proper medical billing and coding work from home job since most employers demand an experienced candidate.
Academics
Then mention your all academic history, your school, college, any degree or certificate you have. You can also include some awards you won or some courses you did in your pastime.
References
At the end of the CV, if applicable, mention the name and contact information of the reference on the suggestion of which you visited the job site.
Formatting
With all these tips, remember to keep your resume to 1 page only. Resumes containing more than 1 or 2-3 pages are considered as unprofessional in the eyes of employers. Besides, re-check all the details especially grammar mistakes to make sure your CV is flawless and you don’t miss any chance of getting a high-paying medical billing and coding work from home job.
Apply For The Job
Once you are done making your CV, go to the internet and apply for the job. This process is not as simple as you think. You have to check upcoming jobs again and again in order to apply and be first comers. Here we are listing some of the global job sites that offer remote jobs as well, so explore all of them:
- Indeed
- Glassdoor
- Monster
- Career Builder
- Simply hired
- ZipRecruiter
Apply filters according to your job preferences and make your research work easy. Besides finding jobs, these sites also offer some other features as well. Like you can create or upload a CV through these sites, make your profile reachable to potential employers, and much more.
After you apply for the medical billing and coding work from home jobs there is another step that you should consider and that is follow-up. This is the process of contacting the employer and inquiring about the progress of the resume. In this stage, you communicate with the employer and ask whether your application is accepted or not. It helps make sure your CV is seen and if any document is missing, you can re-upload that. Make sure to regularly follow up with the jobs you applied for, you never know if any employer might want to hear from you.
Get Ready For The Interview
If you have reached this step, congratulations. Selecting for an interview is not an easy task, it requires constant dedication and patience. If you are lucky enough to get selected, there are some tips that you should keep in mind when preparing for an interview.
- Examine the Company Review Position Description
- Use the STAR approach to create situational examples (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Even for a virtual interview, dress professionally.
- Practice responses to typical interview questions.
- Show your interest and involvement in the job role
- Approach inquiries with an open mind and a desire to learn.
- Maintain a straight back and make eye contact with the camera.
- Within 24 hours of the interview, send a thank-you email.
- Have faith in your abilities and experience.
Start Your Medical Coding Journey
In this comprehensive guide, we have enlightened everything you need to know about a medical coding career and how to get medical billing and coding work from home job. Now if you’re interested in this job role, begin your journey today with the steps we mentioned and get employment. Remember that this process might take some time, but the results are worth it. So don’t get disheartened and give your best.
