Is Medical Billing and Coding Hard? What You Should Know About This Career Path

You may wonder, “Is medical billing and coding hard to do?” If you’ve never had medical billing and coding training, the idea of pursuing this healthcare career may create some doubts in your head. Or maybe you’re not concerned about medical billing, but it’s the coding part that has you worried. Is medical coding hard to learn? Let’s dig into these questions now.

Is Medical Billing and Coding Hard?

Unfortunately, this can be tough to answer because what may seem hard for one person might feel easy for another. So, maybe the best way to address your concerns is to understand that there are many resources you can use to help you perform medical billing and coding job duties.

For example, both medical billing and medical coding use standard coding systems, such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT). These systems determine which codes to use based on a patient’s specific diagnoses, tests, or treatments provided.

While you might start to learn certain medical codes from memory — especially if you use them often — computer software programs can help you find the ones you need without having to learn them all by heart. This is beneficial since the ICD-11 coding system alone contains more than 17,000 diagnostic categories and over 100,000 diagnostic index terms.¹

If you’re still worried about how hard medical billing and coding might be, it can be helpful to learn more about what this role does. This can give you a clearer idea of the duties you might perform. It may also help you decide whether you’d like to pursue a medical billing and coding career.

What Is Medical Billing and Coding? Taking a Closer Look

As the title suggests, this healthcare job has two parts. So what’s the difference between medical billing and medical coding?

• Medical billing involves submitting claims to patients’ health insurance companies for reimbursement of services or treatments provided. It also sometimes involves billing patients for their portion of the expenses not covered by their insurance providers.
• Medical coding involves translating a patient’s diagnoses, tests, or treatments into the correct universal code. This is important for reimbursement of healthcare services provided, but these codes can also be used to help us learn more about public health.²

It might help to see an example. If a medical provider questions whether a patient may be deficient in vitamin D, for instance, they might order a blood test to check the patient’s levels of this nutrient. The CPT test code for a vitamin D blood test is 82306.³

The medical coder would input this code into the patient’s digital medical records, also known as an electronic health record (EHR). This code not only helps keep an accurate record of the patient’s health information but also provides health insurance companies with the information they need for settling insurance claims.

Although some healthcare organizations hire both medical billers and medical coders, others hire one person to perform both functions. This person is titled a medical biller and coder.

Is Medical Billing and Coding a Good Career Choice?

When trying to determine whether medical billing and coding might be a good fit for you, one factor to consider is its job outlook or forecast. In other words, are jobs within this healthcare field projected to increase over the next few years, remain roughly the same, or decline?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical secretary and administrative assistant jobs (which is the category in which medical billers and coders fall) are expected to grow 5% between 2023 and 2033.⁴ This would equate to projecting roughly 41,300 positions in this time frame.

The BLS further indicates that this increase is expected due to an aging population. The baby boomer generation will require more medical services as they get older, and medical secretaries will be needed to help handle this increase in billing and insurance claims processing.

Reasons you may enjoy a medical billing and coding career

How do you know whether you might enjoy working in this type of position? Here are a few things to think about.

• You have the soft skills required. If you have the qualities that are important in a medical billing and coding role, you may find the work satisfying or fulfilling. These qualities include being organized, as well as having good decision-making, interpersonal communication, and written communication skills.⁵
• It’s an important healthcare role. Medical billers and coders serve an important function in healthcare. Using the correct codes on insurance claims can help healthcare providers get reimbursed at a faster rate since the claims aren’t being sent back due to incomplete or incorrect information.
• You want to help patients without providing direct care. When insurance claims are submitted with the correct codes, the insurance company knows the portion it is responsible for paying. This can keep patients from getting billed for covered services. Using the right codes also ensures the patient’s health record is current and accurate, which can help their healthcare team determine the best course of action for their specific health and medical conditions.

The value you provide to healthcare organizations and patients alike can make a medical billing and coding career feel rewarding.

How to Become a Medical Biller and Coder

Although some employers only request that applicants have a high school diploma to work in this position, postsecondary education may be required when working in the healthcare field.⁵

A medical billing and coding certificate, diploma, or degree program can provide the education and skills necessary to perform the required job functions. In addition to learning about the various coding systems, you gain other valuable skills that are helpful when performing these job duties. In entry-level medical billing and coding positions, this might entail scheduling patient appointments, reviewing insurance claims with providers, or discussing patients’ payment options.

When pursuing a medical billing and coding career, you may even want to consider where you’d like to work. You can find these types of roles within a variety of organizations within the healthcare industry, some of which include hospitals, doctors’ offices, and insurance companies.

What you learn in a medical billing and coding program

Each educational institution has its own medical billing and coding program requirements. That said, you will likely take classes to learn more about medical terminology, coding applications, insurance claims cycles, and more. The exact classes required can also vary based on the program type.

For example, Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) offers both a Medical Billing and Coding diploma and a Medical Billing and Coding Associate of Science/Associate of Applied Science degree program. The diploma program is 39 credit hours and includes courses such as:

• Diagnostic Coding for MBC (medical billing and coding)
• Procedural Coding for MBC: I and II
• Billing and Coding Application with Simulation
• Medical Law, Ethics, and Records Management
• Healthcare Settings, Claim Cycle, and Claims Processing

UMA’s Associate of Science/Associate of Applied Science degree program is a 63-credit hour program that includes these same core courses. However, it also includes additional courses, such as:

• Computer Fundamentals
• Interpersonal Professional Communications
• Working with People

The Medical Billing and Coding Associate of Science/Associate of Applied Science degree program requires the completion of a few general education courses as well. Topics covered in these courses include English, math, biology, sociology, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Contact UMA to Pursue Your Medical Billing and Coding Career Path

If you’re ready to pursue a career in medical billing and coding, UMA is here to help. You can enroll in either our Medical Billing and Coding diploma or Medical Billing and Coding Associate of Science/Associate of Applied Science degree program and learn the skills necessary to fill this important role.

The diploma program can be completed in 11 months or more and the Associate of Science/Associate of Applied Science degree program can be completed in 18 months or more.⁶ This enables you to choose the one that best fits your career path and goals.

Contact our Admissions team today at 888-213-4473 or you can reach us online. We are here to help in any way we can as you work to pursue your healthcare career!

FAQs

• What is medical billing and coding? Medical billing and coding involves inputting and/or retrieving codes used to identify a patient’s diagnoses, tests, procedures performed, and treatments. It also involves submitting insurance claims to a patient’s health insurance company to obtain reimbursement for the healthcare provider. Watch this short video to learn more: What is Medical Billing and Coding?
• How hard is medical billing and coding? Some might find medical billing and coding harder than others. That said, there are a number of tools and resources available to people working in these roles, such as software programs to help find the correct codes.
• Do you have to take classes to work in medical billing and coding? Whether you need a diploma or degree is dictated by the healthcare organization in which you work. While some only require a high school diploma, others might require postsecondary education or training. Even if classes aren’t required, you may benefit from learning more about how to perform medical billing and coding functions.
• Is medical billing and coding a good career? Medical secretary and administrative assistant jobs (which is the category in which medical billing and coding jobs fall) are expected to grow 5% between 2023 and 2033.⁴ This equates to projecting the addition of roughly 41,300 positions. You might also find this a career if you have certain qualities that are beneficial in this position, such as being organized and having good organization, writing, and interpersonal communication skills.⁵

Where national data regarding earnings or employability within a particular field are cited, individual readers should take note that national averages may not accurately reflect the earnings of workers in their particular part of the country, and may include earners at all stages of their career, not just entry-level wages for recent graduates.