Basics of an Online Medical Billing Degree
Both 2-year and 4-year Medical Billing Degree programs are available online, although the bachelor's degree program is often known as health information management or health care administration. Coursework in a Medical Billing Degree program generally includes medical terminology, statistics, anatomy and physiology, billing and database management, quality improvement, medical coding, medical billing software and medical chart auditing.
What Can I Do With a Medical Billing Degree?
An associate's degree in medical billing generally leads to entry-level or higher positions as a medical billing clerk, while a bachelor's degree can lead to management positions. Other career opportunities include coding specialist, medical records specialist, billing coordinator, health information representative, claims processor, insurance verification specialist and hospital collections clerk, among others. Medical billing professionals work in hospitals, medical offices, clinics and health insurance companies, and an increasing number of medical billing clerks work at home.
Employment Outlook for Careers Related to a Degree in Medical Billing
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that job opportunities for medical billing specialists will only increase by 4% through 2016, but other positions in the medical billing field should increase faster than average. The average annual earnings for medical billing clerks in 2006 were $28,850, with similar earnings reported for other careers in the field (www.bls.gov). The Medical Billing National Conference is available through the American Medical Billing Association website (www.ambanet.net).
