How to Become a Medical Biller or Coder: Step-by-Step

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Purdue University Global
PROGRAM: Certificate for Medical Billing and Coding

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Gain the health care, IT, and business skills and knowledge required by employers in health care. Study medical terminology, reimbursement methodologies, and more, and prepare for industry certification exams.

Watch: How to Become a Medical Biller or Coder

This short video describes the main steps to entering the billing and coding field, from training and certification to landing your first job. It’s a helpful visual companion to the steps covered on this page.

Should You Become a Medical Biller or Coder?

If you’re on the fence about medical billing and coding school, it’s important to be sure your personality, working style, and job environment preferences line up with what’s expected of billers and coders. Before researching medical coding or billing programs, consider the following questions:

• Do you like working from home or in an office setting? Medical billers and coders spend almost all of their time processing paperwork or in front of a computer.

• Can you pay attention to details? Do you like to think analytically? Medical billing and coding is all about the nitty-gritty details, especially given how much of the billing process is computerized.

• Are you able to work independently? Do you like to take the initiative with assignments and projects? After the initial training phase of a new job, billers and coders are expected to hit the ground running.

• Do you like learning new skills and information to stay current in your chosen field? The health industry is going through a lot of changes, so billers and coders will be constantly learning new things.

• Do you have the patience to correct billing and coding mistakes? Can you hold onto that patience when Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance companies seem to take their sweet time in processing claims? Patience and perseverance might be two of the most important traits for success as a medical biller.

If you answered yes to these questions, you might have a future working as a medical biller or coder. Now it’s time to figure out which training pathway to take.

Pick a Training Program

There are numerous educational pathways for those interested in medical billing or coding. Certificate, diploma, or associate degree – which path is the best? Because each has pros and cons, the answer depends on your professional and personal goals.

Generally, the longer a program takes to complete, the more professional opportunities that result. On the other hand, a longer program can mean more money invested. Let’s take a deeper look at the options.

Types of Medical Billing and Coding Programs

Anyone considering a career as a medical biller or coder has a decision to make: Which type of educational programs is right for me? In general, each student has three options from which to choose: certificate, diploma, or associate degree. Here’s a quick look at how each of these compares.

Narrowing the Field

Once you figure out what type of institution to attend, your next step is creating a list of schools to apply to. Before you send your applications, make sure you answer the following questions. Thinking through your answers will help you make the most of your education.

• Is the institution accredited by the appropriate regionally accrediting body?
• Is the program accredited by a top medical billing and coding organization?
• Can you afford the program?
• Is the program’s length and schedule appropriate for you? Keep in mind that the shorter the program, the more intense the course schedule often is.

Start Applying to Schools

With your newly created list of schools, you can begin applying. During this application process, keep the following points in mind.

Finish All Your Courses

Whether becoming a medical coder or biller online or on campus, the bulk of the coursework will cover four primary subject areas: insurance, legal, coding, and the human body. Since each medical billing and coding program is different, how these subjects are taught will vary. You can expect to find classes such as:

Anatomy: This introductory course will provide a detailed overview of the names and terms of different body parts, areas, and systems.

Medical terminology: Students will receive a comprehensive understanding of common medical terms by learning the roots, suffixes, and prefixes commonly used in the medical field.

ICD Coding: Students will learn about Classification for Diseases or ICD codes. These are standardized diagnostic codes that provide uniformity when describing an injury or disease.

CPT Coding: This course will introduce students to Current Procedure Terminology codes, which are widely used in most doctor’s offices.

Health insurance: It’s important to understand the “end game” of billing and coding – and that’s to get the insurance company to pay their share. This course explains how the insurance claims process works.

Medical record keeping: Students will learn the basics of how medical records are kept, as well as the legal framework surrounding their creation and privacy. They may also learn EMR and EHR software, which includes billing in the software.

Find an Internship or Externship

To boost their chances of getting hired and wow potential employers, aspiring medical billers and coders should seek opportunities for on-the-job learning. Internships or externships are great ways to gain this experience. While they might not be mandatory for the job, having real-world practice can make securing a position in the field easier.

While “internship” and “externship” are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same. Internships usually last longer, are paid, and result in credit. In contrast, an externship usually covers a shorter length of time, is unpaid, and rarely leads to credit.

Either way, each is beneficial in that they provide a real-world view of how billing and coding works. Given their benefit, it’s easy to see why someone would want to apply for an externship or internship. There are numerous ways to find one:

1. Check with the school. Many coding and billing programs have career services where professionals can help match a student with an internship or externship at local healthcare providers
2. Go to healthcare facilities. Reaching out to doctor offices, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, and other similar facilities can lead to fruitful results.
3. Professional organizations may have a formal internship or externship program available, such as AAPC’s Project Xtern, and some will have similar opportunities, such as AHIMA’s Mentor Match program. Even if no such formal program exists, the networking opportunities provided by these organizations will help interested individuals get in touch with healthcare facilities looking for interns.

Obtain a Specialized Certification

Medical billers and coders are not required to be certified to work, but earning a credential can significantly improve your job prospects. Certification helps applicants stand out, signals commitment to the profession, and can open the door to specialized roles.

Here’s how certification fits into a billing and coding career:

1. Professional advantage – Certification shows employers you’ve taken extra steps to develop your skills and knowledge.
2. Specialization opportunities – Credentials allow you to focus on specific work environments or responsibilities.
3. Common certification options –
   • Certified Coding Specialist (CCS): Demonstrates expertise in hospital-based coding.
   • Certified Coding Specialist–Physician (CCS-P): Focuses on coding for physician office settings.
   • Other certifications may reflect general coding knowledge or administrative specialization.
4. Exam process – After selecting a certification, you’ll register for and take an exam, typically at an approved testing center. Exams are similar to standardized tests and often include 100 or more multiple-choice questions, depending on the credential.

Understanding your certification options can help you choose the path that best aligns with your career goals in medical billing and coding.

Read medical billing and coding certification online to learn more.

Prepare Resumes & Apply for Jobs

Resumes are your opportunity to entice an employer to interview you. Most resumes follow a general format, so it’s usually best to stick with what employers expect. In other words, don’t get too original. A good resume for a medical biller or coder will contain three major pieces of information: education/training, work experience, and skills. A great reference from a doctor or medical professional can go a long way, too.

These critical pieces of information effectively convey what you can contribute to the employer. Remember, the employer is looking for a person who can boost office productivity and revenue streams, so the better you can explain how you intend to do this, the more likely you will be to land the interview.

You can include additional information, such as references, personal interests (which can serve as a conversation starter in a job interview) or your employment objective. Since employers usually ask about these things as a matter of course, these bits of information can be omitted if there isn’t enough space to keep the resume to one page.

To find out more about how to write a solid resume, check out the following examples:

• How to write a medical billing resume (with examples) from The Job Network.
• Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Resume Sample by LiveCareer.
• Medical Billing Specialist Resumes from Indeed.
• A Sample Resume for Medical Billing and Coding Specialists by Branford Hall Career Institute.

Practice for the Interview

If you’ve been accepted for an interview, congratulations! It’s now time to start preparing. To make the best impression, you should prepare to be asked several questions.

While you could be asked about almost anything, below are seven questions you’re most likely to encounter. Understand that how you answer will be as important as what you answer, so don’t get too worried if you don’t think you have the perfect response.

1. What skills do you bring to the table?
2. Do you have a professional certification? Do you plan to obtain one?
3. What medical software are you familiar with?
4. How would you handle a difficult coworker?
5. How do you keep current with changes in healthcare coverage and insurance?
6. How familiar are you with the ICD-10?
7. Tell me about a time when you had to handle criticism on a coding project.