| You might have already done enough research | | | | visits and medical care and keeping all patient |
| that you're familiar with the term "medical billing". | | | | information organized and easy to find. |
| But often times, people have different | | | | Medical billing covers a wider scope with broader |
| understandings of what medical billing actually is | | | | responsibilities when compared to medical coding |
| and how it differs from other similar aspects of | | | | or medical transcription. It covers the entire |
| the medical profession. Most often, medical billing is | | | | process, starting from scheduling the patient's |
| mistaken for medical transcription or coding, which | | | | initial visit to the office, making sure the patient |
| are very closely related but different enough that | | | | keeps their appointment. After seeing the doctor, |
| they should really be considered 3 separate | | | | it involves ensuring the patient's medical records |
| specialties. It's true that there is some overlap in | | | | are updated and setting follow-up appointments if |
| terms of the actually work done in each of the | | | | necessary. |
| three areas, but they all carry enough uniqueness | | | | Based on the system used in each particular |
| and fill a specific role within the medical profession | | | | office, the medical billing specialist will be |
| that they really are three separate specialties. | | | | responsible for organizing and maintaining the |
| Medical billing consists of a number of different | | | | office's patient records. Of course these records |
| tasks. First, it involves the process of submitting | | | | include detailed histories of each patient's medical |
| medical claims to the insurance company of each | | | | treatment and other pertinent information. This |
| patient. In addition, medical billing requires an | | | | allows doctors and other staff to have quick and |
| understanding of the front office skills required to | | | | easy access to patient medical information for |
| keep a medical office running smoothly and in an | | | | routine visits or in case of emergencies. They are |
| organized fashion. These include billing and | | | | also used to create records used for billing the |
| accounting, secretarial work to support the | | | | patient's medical insurance company for |
| doctors and other staff, documenting patient | | | | treatment they receive. |