Online Medical Administration, Billing and Coding Training

According to NHA, medical administrative assistants primarily work in the “front office” of a medical practice or healthcare facility. Their duties may include coordinating practice correspondence, maintaining files and scheduling appointments.

The healthcare environment operates on the basis of professionalism, precision and dedication to patient welfare. Medical assistant certification may be required for many jobs. Earning a CMAA establishes a medical assistant as a caring, responsible professional who has undergone a study and assessment program to validate their credentials.

Medical assistants commonly work in medical practices, such as physicians' offices, outpatient clinics and other healthcare facilities.

Essentially, these are two distinct skill sets used within a healthcare setting. However, the responsibilities of a medical assistant may include medical billing, medical coding or both. Similarly, medical billing and coding specialists may have their own job titles or may have their title combined with a medical assistant or medical administrative professional designation.

The healthcare field offers one of the leading areas of opportunities for career growth. Within healthcare, specialized medical assistants are among the most in-demand professionals. Matching office administration skills with medical billing and coding opens up more opportunities in both general healthcare administration and specialized medical services.

Entry-level positions typically require completion of a certificate and passing one of the certification exams or an associate degree program in medical billing and coding. Additionally, medical billing and coding professionals must understand the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.

Obtaining a CPC, CCA, or CBCS certification implies that an individual has met competencies in the medical billing and coding field. Certification is invaluable to the student's career goals. Students have an opportunity to make confident, informed decisions about the national certification they prefer.  See certification descriptions below:

The Certified Professional Coder exam is offered by the American Academy of Professional Coders. It is the gold standard entry-level coding certification for physician, or professional fee, coders.

The Certified Coding Associate is offered by the American Health Information Management Association. It is an entry-level medical coding certification across all settings--physician practices and inpatient hospital.

The Certified Billing and Coding Specialist is offered by the National Healthcareer Association and is currently an entry-level medical billing certification for physician practices. The exam is an entry-level billing and coding certification, with the inclusion of ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS Level II testing.

1. Medical Terminology
2. Certified Medical Administrative Assistant
   1. Medical Assisting Foundations
   2. Professional Behavior
   3. Legal and Ethical Issues
   4. The Art of Communicating
   5. Telecommunications, Telephone Professionalism and Telephone Techniques
   6. Written Communications
   7. Medical Office Environment
   8. Patient Scheduling
   9. Managing Medical Records
   10. Introduction to Health Insurance
   11. Medical Coding: An Overview
   12. Midterm
   13. Patient Accounts
   14. Insurance Claims, Patient Billing and Collections
   15. Daily Financial Practices
   16. Managing the Office
   17. Pharmacology
   18.  
   19. Final
3. Medical Billing and Coding
   1. Introduction to Medical Billing and Coding 
   2. Introduction to Health Insurance 
   3. Managed Healthcare
   4. Revenue Cycle Management  
   5. Legal Aspects of Health Insurance and Reimbursement 
   6. VI. ICD-10-CM Coding
   7. CPT Coding
   8. HCPCS Level II Coding 
   9. ICD-10-PCS Coding 
   10. Pharmacology for Coders 
   11. Midterm
   12. Clinical Documentation Improvement
   13. Insurance Claims 
   14. Commercial Insurance 
   15. Blue Cross Blue Shield
   16. Medicare
   17. Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, Workers’ Compensation 
   18. Certification
   19. How to Find a Job in Medical Billing and Coding
   20. Final