Demand for Medical Billing and Coding Specialists in Health Care
The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook predicts that medical billing and coding specialist jobs will grow more slowly than average over the next ten years (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos277.htm). Still, employment for medical billing and coding specialists will become increasingly competitive in the health care industry as more hospitals and physicians' offices use contract-billing companies.
Medical billing and coding specialists generally receive on-the-job training from their employer, but many employers prefer to hire workers who have completed training. Many of these training programs can be found at http://www.healthcareers.net/. Most billing clerks need at least a high school diploma. However, many employers prefer to hire workers who have completed some college courses or a degree. Workers with an associate or bachelor's degree are likely to start at higher salaries and advance more easily than those without degrees.
Medical billing and coding specialists compile records of charges for services rendered in the health care industry. Median hourly earnings of medical billing and coding specialists were $13.00 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $10.76 and $15.86 per hour.
