Learningly

Medical billing is a career field which involves the collection of payment for medical services which have been rendered.  The people with these jobs submit bills and collect the payments from the insurance companies on behalf of the doctors.  This saves the doctor a lot of time and effort that can be better spent on caring for patients.  The medical billing employees have the sole purpose of interacting with the insurance companies who cover their patients.  They submit the bill to the insurance company on your behalf, instead of sending you the bill and making you request payment from your insurance provider.  These medical billing professionals are the middle men in the world of medicine when it comes to money changing hands.

This process is a little tricky and will really bring out the negative aspects of the medical care arena and the insurance companies.  Insurance companies will not pay when there is not a diagnosis made by a doctor.  This is extremely detrimental to the patient, especially in areas like psychiatry.  If a person sees a psychiatrist, that person is going to have a mental health diagnosis, because if they don’t get one, the doctor will not get paid by the insurance.  The person will then forever be labeled with a mental illness.

Some adjustments need to be made in the medical field so that this type of thing does not occur.  There needs to be reform to all areas of the process, so that people involved in the medical professions, insurance, or medical billing are helping the patients instead of hindering them with unvalidated diagnosis.

Medical billing as a profession however, has taken great strides with the advancements in technology and is no longer completely paper based.  Medical billers are now using the internet and have access to specialized software which allows them to be able to be far more efficient at their jobs.  Medical billers need to be constantly educated and trained, because there are changes occurring all the time in the medical insurance arena.  There is even now a certification for expertise in medical billing, allowing an individual in the field to become a Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist.  These individuals need to know all of the various forms, which could change from one day to the next.  They also need to be aware of the various insurance companies and the plans that they offer.  In addition to that, they need to be completely familiar with health care covered by the government for any individual.

Medical billing professionals are also bound by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which governs the privacy and confidentiality in all areas of health care.  These professionals are not allowed to discuss your bill with anyone other than your insurance company and yourself, because that would violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s regulations.  By discussing your bill, they would be acknowledging that you were in fact receiving treatment for one thing or another and would therefore be violating your privacy.