Medical Billing What is Medical Billing and How do You do it

A medical billing and coding specialist is the individual who takes information from a doctor’s office visit and puts it into a code which is consistent across insurance companies and third-party payers, in order to communicate the type of medical office visit you have experienced.Medical billing is a process when a specialist files the claim with a health company using specific coding information to help the company understand exactly what happened within the office. It is a specific and consistent way of making sure that health care providers are able to receive payments they request for the type of medical services that were given to patients.Medical billing and coding specialists also work with unpaid claims that insurance companies have either denied or patients have refused to pay. It is the responsibility of the billing specialist to collect on these unpaid claims and diligently watch the financial bottom line for the medical practice.After an office visit, the physician or chiropractor will mark a coding sheet that indicates the type of office visit the patient experience. Different codes are used for patients who received only education, a physical examination, testing or a combination of all three. The physician determines these things by evaluating the patient’s condition and background health information that indicates the depth of work involved.When this is then determined, a specific code is attached to the procedure or diagnosis that was done during the office visit. These different codes correspond to specific types of payment which insurance companies are willing to make for these procedures or diagnosis. Unfortunately, it can take several months for the process to be completed once the information has been submitted.One of the responsibilities of the medical billing and coding specialists is to track these claims to insurance companies, third-party payers and individuals, to ensure that the medical practice receive payments it requires in order to continue to function.Once these claims have been filed, they often will confirm the receipt of the claim and let the physician’s office know that the information will either be accepted and reimbursed, or the doctor’s office will be contacted for further information. Insurance companies will also use coding information to let the physician’s office know how much of a specific claim will be paid, how much should be paid by the patient’s and how much will never be paid or must be written off by the medical practitioner.