According to the Department of Labor more than half of Wyoming’s fastest-growing jobs are in the healthcare field, and many of these require the services of a medical biller and coder. The Social Security Administration projects that by the year 2015 17 percent of the state’s population will be over 65, and this number is predicted to increase to 26 percent by the year 2030.
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As the Affordable Care Act – also known as Obamacare – begins to be implemented, thousands of uninsured Wyomingites are expected to sign up for insurance coverage. As more become insured there will also be a rise in the demand for medical billing and coding that follows, which helps to explain the projected rates for job growth in this field.
Working Environment in Wyoming
There are a variety of employers looking to hire medical billers and coders in Wyoming. Some of the largest include hospitals in the state:
- Cheyenne Regional Medical Center
- Campbell County Memorial Hospital in Gillette
- Wyoming Medical Center, with locations in Rock Springs and Casper
- Saint John’s Medical Center in Jackson
- Memorial Hospital of Carbon County
Other employers include:
- Private practice physician clinics
- Non-profit and income-based community clinics
- State, city, and county-supported healthcare centers
- Healthcare cooperatives
Although the medical billing and coding field in Wyoming does not require a state license, having board certification, the proper training, and education credentials are essential for anyone who wants to rise to the top. Experienced billers and coders will have their pick of agencies to work for, and can always choose to go into business for themselves as well.
Medical Billing & Coding Educational Programs in Wyoming
There are a number of campus locations for medical billing and coding education programs located across Wyoming in addition to online resources. Programs are available at levels including:
- Medical Office Support Certificate
- Associate of Science Degree, Medical Office Assistant
- Medical Office Support Credential with an emphasis in Medical Coding
- Diploma in Medical Billing and Coding
- Associate of Arts Degree, Health Care Administration
- Bachelor of Science Degree, Health Information Management
Becoming competent to work in this field requires a well-rounded education that makes use of several basic abilities. Candidates for these positions must have a solid background in computer skills, mathematics, English, and communication. A good medical billing and coding program will include instruction in:
- Medical terminology
- Medical software programs
- International coding systems
- Accounting programs
- Wyoming patient privacy laws
- Medicare and other government programs
- World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases, currently on the ninth revision (ICD-9)
Because the scope of medical billing and coding has national implications, there are a number of accrediting agencies who certify Wyoming educational programs and allow for credentials to be transferable to other parts of the country. Program endorsers include:
- American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
- National Healthcare Association
- American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
- American Medical Billing Association
Medical Billing and Coding in Wyoming to enter into a top career track
Achieving a valuable skill in a vital scope provided ample of opportunities to find quality occupation. It also assists to join an occupation that is in high demand. Medical billing and coding comes across all that standards and offers a bright future is full of job stability. Competitive pay is next perk that approaches with being a medical biller or coder and that profession continually comprises new professionals to seal positions in what has become a developing occupation.
General Overview of a Medical Biller and Coder
Medical billers in Wyoming work on a variety of job functions than medical coders. Medical billers recover the entire essential patient information and then turn out to be as a claim, which is in fact a legitimate bill. These claims are appraised by medical billers in Wyoming and referred to the responsible financier, which is typically an insurance firm. Medical billers also perform follow-ups to these claims. That might consequence in an assortment of expenses, transfer to assortments or the formation of a payment plan.
Medical billers communicate with patients and insurance firms on a daily basis. There are common patient queries led to medical billers, who also deal with insurance carriers. Organizing payments can take a great deal of from side to side and medical billers are frequently the intermediates.
The profession of a medical biller comprises its share of clerical job, but also needs a substantial amount of communication. For those motives, medical billers in Wyoming are systematized, amiable and detail-oriented. There are many things that involve into the day-to-day work projects of a medical biller, making it indispensable to multi-task. The dimensions of claims and all those particulars incorporated demand a perfect eye for detail amongst Wyoming medical billers.
Medical billers could not do their work function without the codes that are utilized on every patient claim. These codes are given by medical coders. Wyoming medical coders do not need to deal with the numbers of people medical billers encounter on a regular basis. Most of the medical coding jobs can be done self-reliantly.
Medical coders are offered with medical histories that feature all of the services given to a patient. It is their work to take those accounts and allocate the correct codes. That interpretation is a skill that has higher demands a comprehensive knowledge in medical coding.
Medical coders also check out patient records and often discuss with doctors in case some services are not visibly specified in the medical reports. Medical coders in Wyoming always utilize the health documentation processes while also retaining privacy and abide by HIPPA strategies. Medical coders are tallied on to be very precise, mainly as their work touches the financial compensation of a health care facility or private exercise.
Job Prospects and Potential Pay
Medical billers and coders in Wyoming are considered as health information specialists. The U.S. Agency of Labor Statistics reports the average income of a Wyoming health information specialist at $38,890 each year. The highest end salary stated in Wyoming for health information specialists starts with $57,780 per annum.