Medical Billing Software in Medical Billing Training

Table of Contents

As a medical billing instructor, I am frequently asked if a good medical billing course should contain training in medical billing software. This is a bit of “tricky” question to answer because the answer is both “yes” and “no.” Most medical bililng training programs take about 8 to 12 weeks to complete. The medical billing software used by each clinic or facility may differ amongst them vastly. Some people feel it’s a bit like learning Microsoft Word or WordPerfect in the business administrative field, and that one should know how to use such software. However, in the business world there are two top programs used for word processing- MS Word and WordPerfect. So, learning the top two program is not a complex experience. In the medical billing career field there are many programs used for medical billing, and courses would become not only extremely expensive but cumbersome to learn so many of them during training. It is important in medical billing to learn medical terminology, an overview of medical coding, and detailed knowledge of how to process a claim, resubmit claims, etc. Many medical billing textbooks come with student software so the student can get used to the data entry aspect of filing claims. However, when the student goes into the actual industry, they may work with an entirely different software.

Medical Billing Software in Medical Billing Training

Therefore, software training is usually done on the job. In the CCO medical billing program, we allow students to use a demo version of the software that goes with their textbook, but this is usually done on the student’s “own” time and pace, if they choose to do that. If the student does not want to use the software demo, it is not a required component of our program. There is much to learn in 8 to 12 weeks of medical billing training such as about the career itself, issues going on in the industry, how to process a claim, all about managed care, legal and regulatory isuses, medical coding, Medicare, Tricare, Workman’s Compenation, Blueross BlueShiled, Tricare, and the essentials of the CMS-1500 form. The goal for most adult learners is to gain a strong foundational knowledge in the career field to be able to gain employment quickly, and learn more on the job as they go. Software training while in medical billing school is a “nice” additional resource if the student desires it, but is not something I feel is extremely mandatory for an adult-learner online.

By: Dawn Moreno, PhD, CBCS, CMAA, MTC. Lives in the beautiful Southwest United States and has been an instructor for medical coding/billing for the past 7 years. Interested in quality medical billing training? Click here for Medical Billing Training Tips Now!