Medical coding and medical billing as a career.

If you have ever had a day off work and your left your television running, you would see frequent see advertisements for medical coding and medical billing. Previously these courses were only available in the classroom. Now with the support of companies like Gatlin Education Services, you can study at home and still receive high quality training by taking medical coding and medical billing courses online.

Let us look at both medical coding and medical billing as career choices. Although these two careers are somewhat similar, they vary in the duties required and the level of pay. Most people gravitate towards one or the other segment of this field depending on their long-term interests and career goals.

Medical coders focus mostly on converting a medical procedure, diagnosis, or symptom into the required medical codes to submit a claim for insurance reimbursement. This is primarily clerical in nature.

Medical billing specialists guarantee patients, hospitals and medical offices are billed for procedures provided by the health care provider, whether this took place during scheduled or emergency medical office, or hospital visits. The common platform, which ties both these related occupations firmly together is that both the medical coder, as well as the biller are responsible for the health care provider to get paid and the provider's livelihood and success depend on the biller's accuracy.

Next posting: Are either of these two careers are right for you?