Conducting research about a job position is a must-step to evaluate the earning potential of a specific career. Talking especially about coding and billing in the dental department, this is also an interesting career and has seen a hike in recent years. Many fresh grads are looking forward to offering their medical coding services to dental facilities. But one thing that must be considered before getting into this career is the dental billing and coding salary.
Salary is one of the crucial things candidates pay attention to before entering into a career. So when we talk about dental billing, our guide will serve as your starting point.
Stay tuned with us as we are going to explore the intricacies of this profession. Our post will explain everything from what dental billing is to what salary a beginner will receive.Â
Understanding Dental Billing and Coding
To understand the average pay a beginner dental billing specialist gets, it is important to analyze the job description first.
As you know coding and billing are the same in every facility, let’s break down their roles in dental department specifically:
Role of a Dental Biller
A medical biller generally has to communicate with patients, schedule their appointments, gather their information, and list medical treatments in the bill. Biller acts as a center to create, send, and collect hospital bills.
Following are the other key responsibilities of a dental biller:
- Gathering and confirming patient data
- Confirming the patient’s insurance coverage and securing pre-approval
- Putting together and delivering precise invoices to insurance providers and patients
- Submitting insurance claims and monitoring them
- Keeping track of and balancing insurance company and patient payments
- Ensuring adherence to HIPAA and medical billing laws
- Corresponding with consumers, insurance companies, and healthcare providers to address billing concerns
Role of a Dental Coder
After a biller’s role is completed, the dental coder plays its part.
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These are the ones who translate dental treatments patients received into universal codes using ICD, HCPCS, and CDT coding systems and prepare dental claims.
These claims act as an application for insurance payers. This way they understand the charges they owe dental facilities according to individual patient’s insurance coverage.
Other key duties of a coder are:
- Reviewing patient dental records for correctness and completeness
- Assigning suitable dental procedure codes (e.g., CDT codes) to treatments
- Making sure ICD-10 codes are used correctly for dental care diagnoses
- Working together to resolve inconsistencies and clarify coding details with the dental staff
- Keeping abreast of modifications to dental coding standards and laws
- Ensuring compliance with insurance policies and billing regulations
- Assisting in the preparation and submission of dental insurance claims
Dental Billing And Coding Salary For a Beginner
As you can see the roles and responsibilities of a dental billing specialist as well as a coder professional, now let’s explore the world of salary.
Though this totally depends on your level of expertise and the geographical area you are located in, an average starting dental billing and coding salary is $31,000 to $45,000 per year in the United States.
Talking about hourly rates, as of the latest updates, the coding and billing salary in the dental department is $21.22 per hour but for those who have some experience.
If we broaden our spectrum, you can earn as low as $14.66 and as high as $28.12 per hour as a dental biller or coder, factors may vary.
So as a beginner, you will earn this basic salary. But the more experience you get, the more earning potential you will discover.
Job Requirements of a Dental Biller and Coder
As a beginner, you might get demotivated by a low starting salary but in reality, this is very good pay and better than most careers.
However, if you want to maximize your chances of getting a higher dental billing and coding salary let us tell you the ideal job requirements of this role so that you can adopt these skills and qualifications and step into your career as an expert.
Following are the common requirements of a favorite dental billing specialist listed by an employer.
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Qualifications
To secure a good income, you must have a strong academic background having:
- High school diploma
- Any dental billing and coding certification program (e.g., Certified Dental Coder (CDC), Certified Professional Biller (CPB))
- Knowledge of dental terminology and coding systems
Skills
Besides basic knowledge of the industry and degree, these are the skills that an employer observes in dental billing and coding candidates:
- Proficiency in dental billing and coding software
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy
- Excellent organizational and time management skills
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to handle sensitive patient information confidentially
- Problem-solving abilities and analytical thinking
Experience
- Previous experience in dental billing and coding (preferred but not always required for entry-level positions)
- Familiarity with dental insurance procedures and regulations
Top Paid Cities of the United States
At last, an average dental billing and coding salary will surely help you understand the potential of this career. But having some in-depth data will clear the picture more for you.
Salaries highly vary with the cities. So here is a table mentioning all the top-paid cities in the US that you must explore.
| Rank | City | Average Salary Range (per year) |
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 – $60,000 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $48,000 – $58,000 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | $47,000 – $56,000 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $45,000 – $55,000 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $44,000 – $54,000 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | $43,000 – $53,000 |
| 7 | Dallas, TX | $42,000 – $52,000 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | $41,000 – $51,000 |
Secure Your Future
Medical coding and billing has become an exciting career. More and more graduates are associating themselves with this healthcare industry for a secure job.
So this dental billing and coding salary estimate will be proven as satisfying if you want a stable income. This career is indeed one of the must-consider occupations to consider in 2024 and beyond.
Get the qualifications we mentioned and dive into your billing/coding career now.