In this YouTube video, Victoria with Contempto Coding looks at the differences between medical billing and medical coding. While educational systems use both terms simultaneously in their career education courses as though they are the same thing, medical billing and coding are two separate components involved in the healthcare billing system. Medical billing companies need both to process insurance claims and receive revenue on balances due effectively.
Medical billing involves correlating and submitting the necessary paperwork to follow up on health insurance claims, ensure medical invoices are satisfied, and investigating any denied items.
Often, people getting into the administrative side of the medical field may start out working in the medical billing processes. This way, the person gets familiar with timelines of filing, policies of the insurance companies, and any appeal processes the medical institution or insurance company uses.
On the other hand, medical coding translates doctors’ and nurses’ medical reports into financial categories via codes that let the medical billing companies know what services to ask for a reimbursement. Medical coders spend more time with a patient’s medical records, medical documentation, regulatory compliance, medical terminology, and anatomy.
Both medical billers and coders share the responsibility to ensure insurance claims are translated and billed correctly. A medical biller or medical coder can choose to work only in specific medical areas, such as pediatrics, trauma, emergency, surgery, ob-gyn, etc.
