By: Kendall Upton
Professional insights: Olga Lyubar
Though some people may prefer to work as a generalist throughout their career, medical billers and coders can choose to specialize in certain healthcare fields, and it can be a worthwhile option for many. Medical coders—who translate patient notes into designated codes that signify what services or procedures the patient received—have more possibilities in this regard, as there are a lot more professional certifications available to them. But medical billing specialists aren’t completely left out, so it’s important to understand how and why someone would specialize to find out if it’s something to consider for yourself.
How do I combine medical billing and coding with other fields?
For many people, moving into a particular healthcare field as a medical biller or coder can be as simple as getting your foot in the door at a healthcare facility—a dental office or a mental health group practice, for example—and continuing to accrue experience in that area.
You could also search for continuing education courses through organizations like the AAPC (formerly known as the American Academy of Professional Coders), the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), or the American Medical Billing Association (AMBA), all of whom also offer certifications for medical billers and coders.
Olga Lyubar, Department Head for Health Information Management and Medical Billing and Coding at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, said that medical billers and coders usually specialize after they’ve already had several years of experience in the field. Students who have just completed their education, therefore, probably aren’t ready to pursue a specialty certification quite yet.
“The reason why is because they’re narrowing themselves into a specific area which they may end up hating,” Lyubar said. Instead, she recommends that graduates who are new to the field get a general certification first, such as:
“Now, if you are making a career out of that specialization or you want to continue, then you should be encouraged to get that actual specific certification,” Lyubar said. “Especially on the coding side, it’s a range from cardiology, dermatology, emergency, orthopedics, etc.”
Benefits of specializing as a medical biller or coder
Specializing in one (or several) healthcare fields as a medical biller or coder could be a great career move.
“It will give you a more competitive salary if you specialize and make you more competitive for hiring and employment. It gives you specific experience in that area, shows your knowledge, but the one thing that they have to also realize is you have to then maintain your CEUs,” Lyubar said. That’s going to increase the amount of continuing education you must complete because now you have a specialty certification to maintain.
“On the billing side there aren’t as many [specializations],” Lyubar continued, “but there is hospital billing, private insurance companies, federal and state insurances. People do usually work in those specialty areas.”
Healthcare niches for medical billers and coders
Just about every healthcare facility and organization needs medical billers and coders to make sure that patients are provided with value based care and properly billed for services. These are just some of the possibilities for what kinds of fields you may work in.
Nutrition and dietetics
Though many nutritionists and dietitians work in hospitals or other large, multidisciplinary healthcare facilities, plenty also work in private group practices or wellness centers that may require medical billers and coders. These professionals work with patients to come up with personalized nutrition plans with the goal of improving overall health or potentially help treat a specific health condition.
Certifications available: None
Physical, occupational and speech therapy, and audiology
Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and audiologists often work alongside one another at shared clinics, but there are also many clinics dedicated solely to one specialty. Medical billers and coders working in these fields process billing and insurance claims for the immense variety of rehabilitative therapies and treatments that these professionals provide.
Certifications available: None
Dermatology
Patients get referred out to dermatology practices—or dermatology departments within hospitals or other large health facilities—for numerous skin concerns, from treatments for acne to skin cancer and everything in between. Some dermatology clinics also provide cosmetic services like HydraFacials, laser hair removal and more.
Certifications available: Certified Professional Coder in Dermatology (CPCD) from the AAPC
Long term care
Long term care facilities and nursing homes for the elderly need professionals to submit claims for reimbursement, too. These facilities typically have nurses and other staff performing routine medical care that must be tracked, billed and paid for.
Certifications available: None
Mental and behavioral health
Though there are some mental and behavioral health care providers working in hospitals, most provide services from large, independent group mental and behavioral health care practices and outpatient care centers. Even if a licensed mental health counselor, for example, has their own private business, many of them contract with companies that handle the administrative tasks on their behalf, including billing and insurance.
Medical billers and coders are needed to charge for their mental health services such as therapy, medication management and psychological testing.
Certifications available: None
Oncology
Cancer centers—whether independent or within a larger hospital—need medical billers and coders to process payments for a variety of cancer-crushing treatments.
Certifications available: Certified Hematology and Oncology Coder (CHONC) from the AAPC
Holistic health and complementary medicine
Medical billers and coders may even be able to find opportunities working in the holistic health and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) markets. Professionals in these fields—which include naturopathic physicians, acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors and more—often have group practices or work for multidisciplinary wellness centers.
However, working as a medical biller or coder in this niche may present some unique challenges since these kinds of treatments are not always covered by insurance.
Certifications available: None
Women’s or men’s health
Many healthcare systems have dedicated women’s health or men’s health clinics that medical billers or coders may work at, and there are many independent health centers for men and women, too. Women’s health clinics are usually more common because they include obstetric and gynecological care.
Certifications available: Certified Obstetrics Gynecology Coder (COBGC) from the AAPC
Dentistry
Dental offices require medical billers and coders, too. Smaller practices may have an office manager or other administrator handle all the billing themselves, but many hire billing specialists to take ownership of that end of the business. As a dental biller or coder, you’ll create codes and submit claims for everything from routine cleanings to emergency dental procedures.
Certifications available: Certified Dental Billing Specialist (CDBS) or Certified Dental Coder (CDC) from the American Dental Coders Association (ADCA)
Optometry and ophthalmology
Optometrists perform routine eye and vision care, while ophthalmologists are medical doctors that specialize in advanced eye care and surgery. Ophthalmologists often work in hospitals but many also work in group eye care practices where both types of vision experts work alongside one another. In these and similar settings, medical billers and coders are necessary to keep the business running smoothly.
Like dental offices and other smaller practices, office managers at an optometry/ophthalmology office may be able to perform all the billing on their own. Others may hire billing specialists to ensure that routine eye exams, cataract and Lasik surgeries, contact lens prescriptions, eye disease treatments and more are billed correctly.
Certifications available: Certified Ophthalmology Coder (COPC) from the AAPC
Other specialties
There are several other healthcare fields that medical billers and coders can work and get certified in, such as forensic medical coding. Many of these specialties are typically for people working in certain hospital departments, such as the Certified Cardiology Coder (CCC), Certified Emergency Department Coder (CEDC) and others offered by the AAPC. For all AAPC specialty certifications, they recommend getting several years of experience in that niche before sitting for the associated exam.
Final say
Choosing to work in a particular healthcare niche can be a great option for many medical billing and coding professionals, though it is more common for coders because of the medical knowledge they need to do their job. For many specialty areas like dermatology, ophthalmology and more, there are even certifications available from organizations like the AAPC that validate your experience as a coder in this field. Getting certified could lead to a higher salary and becoming a more competitive job candidate because of your specialized knowledge, so it’s a viable career option worth consideration.
