Medical Billing and Coding Program

Medical Billing and Coding Training Program Overview

The American Career College Medical Billing and Coding program is designed to help you learn how to use databases, industry software and various reference materials as you train for the critical responsibility of quickly and accurately recording and reporting patient information.

Upon successful completion of the school's program and earning your medical billing and coding diploma, graduates may pursue entry-level positions and perform many of these tasks:

• Work on the business side of dental or medical offices
• Secure patient information
• Work with insurance companies
• Submit and monitor billings for payment
• And perform many other important skills

American Career College's dynamic medical billing and coding classes and curriculum are designed to help you become proficient on current industry software, forms and terminology. Graduates of this program may pursue entry-level positions such as an Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerk, or Medical Secretary.

The focus is on your success!

The goal of our school's program is to help you graduate with the confidence and qualifications to begin your career in the field of Medical Billing and Coding.

As the medical industry expands, experienced and qualified medical billers and coders will continue to be essential to keeping offices running smoothly. With your American Career College diploma in Medical Billing and Coding, you can expect to qualify for entry-level positions in:

• Doctors' Offices
• Clinics and Other Health Care Facilities
• Dentists' Offices
• HMOs
• Insurance Companies
• Independent Billing Companies

A few interesting statistics about medical billing and coding careers: 

• The number of Medical Billers is expected to grow faster than average growth rate for all occupations. Jobs for Health Information Technicians are expected to increase by 19.6%, or 3,700 jobs between 2014 and 2024.
• The number of older people is growing, and older people visit doctor’s offices more than younger people.

Many area employers are very familiar with the quality of ACC's health care training programs and our school's track record for preparing confident, qualified professionals for rewarding careers. Our graduates have been hired by:

Courses in the school's program are offered in a blended format—as a convenient, flexible combination of online and on-campus classes. The American Career College Medical Billing and Coding class curriculum is divided into standalone learning units called class modules, which include:

• Introduction to Computer and Health Care Systems – In these courses, you will gain an overview of electronic health records, data exchange and the commonly available software tools used in today's health care systems. Ultimately, you will be able to describe the financing, organization, regulatory and delivery systems of different healthcare services.
• Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology – Coursework for this class module examines the systems of the body with an emphasis placed on the disease process affecting the human body. You will build your knowledge of common medical terms related to major disease processes, diagnostic procedures, laboratory tests, abbreviations, drugs and treatment of modalities.
• Billing and Coding – Coding and Diagnosis – This course includes an introduction to Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED), students will be asked to conduct a brief overview of its role in the health care delivery system as the basis for an electronic health record. You will also examine case studies and the use of more complex coding assignments.
• Pharmacotherapy and Introduction to Health Care management – These courses focuses on understanding the action of drugs, including the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs by the body. You will be introduced to the generic components of the use and structure of healthcare data and data sets. You will also become familiarized with components relative to primary and secondary record systems.
• Billing and Coding – Reimbursement Procedures – In this course, you will study the use of coded data and health information in reimbursement and payment systems appropriate to all healthcare settings and managed care. Content includes contemporary prospective payment systems and key health plans, charge master maintenance and evaluation of fraudulent billing practices.
• Billing and Coding – Identification and Procedures – In these courses, you will develop  an  understanding  of  coding  and  classification  systems  in  order  to  assign  valid diagnostic and/or procedures codes. By the end of this course, you should feel comfortable using hands-on labs as well as logic-based computerized encoding systems with coding reference software. 
• Introduction to Claims Examiner & Medical Software Applications – In these courses, you will gain an understanding of claims examiner and medical software applications. You'll also learn the importance of reviewing claims made against insurance companies as well as the difference between claims adjusters and claims examiners. Computer software tools will be utilized to deepen your understanding of public reporting, storage and retrieval, as well as identification of issues pertaining to various types of encoder software.
• Medical Billing and Coding Externship – Working under the direct supervision of qualified personnel at the externship site, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills presented throughout the training program and gain valuable real-life experience in the billing and coding field. The externship also contains 20 hours of online review to prepare you to pass the CCA certification examination. You must complete this externship to graduate and earn your college diploma.

Once you have completed your American Career College training and earned your college diploma, you'll be ready to pursue exciting entry-level career opportunities in the field of medical billing and coding. On the job, you'll use a wide variety of skills from basic human anatomy to personal computing.

As a medical biller, your day-to-day responsibilities* may include:

• Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
• Review records for completeness, accuracy and compliance with regulations.
• Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel.
• Release information to persons and agencies according to regulations.
• Plan, develop, maintain and operate a variety of health record indexes and storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store and analyze information.
• Enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures and treatment into computer.

You'll be on your way!

As you begin your career in the field of medical billing and coding, the ongoing development of your skills can create increased opportunities for advancement. Even after you are employed, ACC's Career Services team will remain committed to providing you with the resources, support and personalized assistance you need to keep your career on track.

*California Employment Development Department