Did You Know: Medical Billing and Coding Blog is part of a network of blogs that discuss careers in the allied healthcare field.  Check out our friends over at Medical Administrative Assisting Blog.

President Obama won a hard-fought battle last week.  After months of stalled progress and fiercely partisan debate, the House passed a sweeping health care reform bill with a vote of 219-212.  The $940 billion plan will completely reorganize the American medical system, extending coverage to roughly 32 million additional Americans.

There is coverage of this bill from every major news organization: CNN, NPR, and New York Times to name a few.  The topic is also being discussed across Twitter and the blogosphere.

So how exactly does the bill affect people working in the allied healthcare field?  Whether you agree or disagree with Obama’s policies, it is important to know how they affect you as a medical biller and coder.

1. The bill increases coverage to 32 million additional Americans by requiring most Americans and businesses to have some kind of insurance plan or pay a fine.
2. Parents will be allowed to keep their children on their health care plans until they are 26.
3. Reform will eliminate discrimination based on pre-existing conditions or medical history.  If an individual hasn’t been able to get coverage because of a pre-existing condition, a ban on discrimination for adults will take effect in 2014. Additionally, a pool will be set up for high risk adults to get coverage until 2014. For those of you who have a child with a pre-existing condition, a ban on discrimination for children will take effect immediately.

External sources:  HealthReform.gov, New York Times Health Care Reform Overview

Prediction: All of these provisions, combined with the billions going to electronic health records, predict an increased need for billing and coding specialists in doctors’ offices.  The sudden spike in the number of patients seeking care combined with rapidly changing electronic health records systems could mean more jobs in the allied healthcare field.

According to Randall S. Hansen, founder of QuintCareers, cold calling potential employers can be a highly effective way to discover unadvertised jobs and get interviews with employers. “Cold calling, or uninvited job-hunting, is a proven method of finding employment,” writes Hansen on his blog. “When you consider that four-fifths of the job market is `closed,’ meaning you can’t find out about available job openings unless you dig for them – prospect for them – this method of job-hunting takes on great importance.”

Hansen recommends using cold-calling as one part of this job-hunting strategy:

First, identify potential employers in your area.

Second, call those employers and ask the person who answers the phone for the names of managers who hire people for the kind of job you are seeking.

Third, send a strong cover letter and resume to each of those hiring managers.

Fourth, call those managers to ask for an informational interview – not a job interview. In an informational interview, you ask general questions about gaining an entrée into the profession or about other potential employers in the area. Hanson explains, “Even if the majority of them say there are no current openings, interviewing with them gives you the opportunity to dazzle them – and then ask for referrals to other employers who might have job openings available.”

Is your work area more cluttered than calming? If so, here’s a selection of clever, innovative products that can speed your workflow. All are available at popular office superstores and online retailers – and all are priced at $25 or less.

To organize files . . .

Inclined desktop file sorters keep your working files upright and organized neatly. Because the files in the back of the sorter are positioned higher than those in the front, it is easy to see and retrieve the files you need.

Products: Rolodex MeshTop Sorter ($11.99). Popular office superstores sell other models too (about $11.00).

Wall-mounted file pockets hold files and paperwork in little bins that attach to the wall. We like the clear plastic models, because they let you see what’s inside.

Product: Deflect-o Docupocket (about $10.00 for one). Also see competing models from popular office superstores (about $19 for a pack of three).

Colored file folders let you easily organize projects by color – and find them faster.

Products: Pendaflex CutLess File Folders ($9.00 for a pack of 100). Also see competing products from popular office superstores at similar prices.

To free up desktop space . . .

Rotating desk organizers store paperclips and other supplies in one small “lazy Susan” that takes up very little desktop space.

Products: Deflecto Rotary Carousel Organizer ($21.99). Similar products are available from other manufacturers.

Computer monitor stands lift your monitor a few inches above your desk surface, freeing up desk space for other purposes.

Products: Allsop Metal Art Jr. Monitor Stand ($19.99). Similar products are available from other manufacturers at slightly higher prices.

Under-desk keyboard drawers let you store your keyboard out of the way, freeing up desktop space.

Products: Innovera Standard Keyboard Drawer ($19.00). Similar products are available from other manufacturers at slightly higher prices.

To make work faster and easier . . . Read the rest of this entry »

If you are offered a second or a third job as a medical biller and coder, should you take it?

It can be tempting to say yes. After all, logging only a few hours in the evening could provide extra income. If a local urgent care center, chiropractor or other care provider has a backlog of insurance claims to process, the result can be a second income stream for you.

So if you are offered an additional job, should you take it?

Only you know whether you have the extra time to invest in a second or third job. But one other important consideration can come into play:

Did you sign a non-compete agreement with your current employer? A non-compete agreement could have been a separate document that your employer required you to sign – or it might have been a small clause buried in other paperwork you signed when you accepted  your current job. If you signed a non-compete, you agreed not to work for one of your employer’s competitors for a specified period of time after you left your current job.

To learn more about non-compete clauses, take a few minutes to read about them in About.com’s online library of articles about Human Resources.

How enforceable are non-compete clauses? At least one recent court case has raised that issue. In case your current employer decides to question your right to work for another organization, to be safe, you  might consider the issues before you start moonlighting..

So, to moonlight or not to moonlight? It’s a question to weigh carefully as you expand your earnings and build your career.

For those of you contemplating a career change and are thinking about healthcare, there are a few questions that you should ask yourself:

-     In what area of healthcare are you interested?

-     Do you want to work with patients?

-     Do you like to work with computers?

-     What type of work environment do you like?

If you do not like to work hands-on with patients, but you still like to learn about diseases and surgical procedures, then Medical Billing and Coding may be the right career change for you.  You still get to help with patients, but in a different way.

Instead of taking care of a patient’s physical needs you can help take care of the financial responsibilities that resulted from the medical care that they received. This is done by coding the procedures and diagnoses that the patient received and submitting the claims to the insurance company for payment.

Medical Billing and Coding is one of the fastest growing careers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When you are considering a career change, one that is exciting and secure is a wise choice. For these reasons, medical billing and coding could be the right choice for you.

Healthcare will produce the most jobs in America over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Medical Billing and Coding is a healthcare career that is unlike most others – you will get to work in an office environment, with computers, and with limited patient interaction.

Is New York State a good place to build a career as a medical biller and coder?

If you have been following the news from New York, things do not look too rosy at first glance. On January 19, New York Governor David Paterson released his proposal for a budget that will attempt to close a projected $7.4 billion deficit for the 2010-11 fiscal year.

According to the Greater New York Hospital Association, that budget “contains major cuts and taxes for health care providers” that will put construction of new hospitals on hold. But the issue is more complex than that, for several reasons:

-     First, Governor Paterson is also trying to pass a new bill that will raise $650 million through new taxes on the sale of cigarettes and sugared beverages. If that bill passes, those funds will be earmarked for improving public health – and that spending could spur job growth for medical information processors.

-     Second, Governor Paterson recently announced that he will not seek re-election. That might not impact the passage of the new bill mentioned just above, but it does throw the long-term prospects for healthcare funding into uncertainty.

A Little Perspective

The 2009 Federal Issues Book: New York Hospital and Health System Priorities, a downloadable report from the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), helps put these recent events in context. According to HANYS, New York State’s 300+ hospitals have continued to offer many opportunities for healthcare professionals.

-     New York hospitals employed 357,780 full-time workers in 2009.

-     New York hospitals also created an additional 671,730 support jobs throughout the state in 2009.

-     New York hospitals paid $26.8 billion in direct wages and fringe benefits to employees in 2009.

-     Every year, New York hospitals provide 2.6 million inpatient hospital stays, 44 million outpatient visits (including 7.9 million emergency room visits), and deliver more than 250,000 babies. Read the rest of this entry »

You probably know the two types of resume formats – chronological and functional.  The question is, which format will work hardest to get you a job as a medical biller and coder

In most cases, it depends on where you are in your career.

• A chronological format could work best if you have already started your career as a medical biller and coder, because it highlights the jobs that you have held in the past.

• A functional format could be your best choice if you are seeking your first job, because it emphasizes the skills you have learned in school, not your past job experience.

There are other resume formats too. If your background includes both previous jobs and skills you learned in school, you may need to create a mixed-format resume that presents both effectively.

How do you decide which format is best for you? Here are some excellent online sources of advice that can help you make the best choice:

• MSN Careers offers an extensive library of free articles about writing resumes, including one that helps you format a resume if you have held a number of short-term jobs.

• HowToWriteaResume.net gives advice on choosing the format that is best for you, along with templates you can use to build your resume online. Note: Some services on this site require payment.

• ResumeResource.com lets you review about 200 sample resumes in different formats, including one designed for people who are changing careers.

And if you’re procrastinating about writing your resume . . .

“Five Tips for Better Resume Writing,” an article Dummies.Com, offers an upbeat overview of the process that can help you jumpstart your writing and get started today.

As we mentioned in a previous post, Five Reasons Why Medical Billing and Coding is Booming, General Electric is one of several major corporations who have invested in creating the best, and most efficient, system of electronic medical records (EMR). The video below was released by General Electric to provide a glimpse into one of its EMR systems at Westchester Medical Group.  Dr. Simeon Schwartz discusses the benefits of digital health records to individual patients, as well as to the American healthcare system as a whole.

Do you have any insight into any system of electronic medical records? Let us know about your experiences!

You’ve asked professors and professional contacts to write letters of recommendation for you. But how can you be sure that those letters are doing all they can to help you land jobs?

You’ll find some great advice on this topic in the article “How to Obtain and Use References and Recommendation Letters” by Maureen Crawford Hentz, writing on the QuintCareers.com Website.

Here are just three nuggets of Hentz’s wisdom:

-     Ask indirectly. Hentz recommends emailing your possible referrers to ask for references, not speaking with them directly. The reason? An email allows them to gracefully turn you down if they want. Getting a “no, thank you” is preferable to getting a lukewarm recommendation from someone who didn’t really want to write it for you.

-     Don’t ask for references at the last minute. Instead, collect letters of reference over time, from people who have good things to say about you. When you build a portfolio of references this way, you can later pick and choose the best of them.

-     Supply documentation. If you are asking for a reference for a specific job, give your referrer your resume and a description of the position you are applying for. Also point out how your abilities match the job. That allows your referrer to write a letter that spells out why you are a great fit for the job.

For more good advice on getting references . . .

Watch “Tips for Collecting Job References,” a video from consultant Tine Buechler on YouTube.