6 Essential Keys to Choosing a Quality Medical Billing and Coding School
Open an employment guide and you’ll probably find dozens of ads from schools offering a medical billing and coding program. So how do you know what school to attend? How do you find a quality medical billing and coding program?
Don’t make the mistake that many students have made by enrolling in a medical billing program and then dropping out several months later. Do the research to find the best medical billing and coding school in your area.
Here are 6 keys to help you find a quality medical billing and coding school:
Accredited Curriculum
Don’t visit a medical billing school unless the campus is accredited by either a regional or national accrediting agency. Regional accreditation is better than national accreditation, so find out what accrediting body monitors their curriculum and teaching standards.
And just because the campus has accreditation, make sure to investigate what type of accreditation. Some diploma mills (schools that give out diplomas and degrees for little or no training) might claim accreditation, but it’s meaningless. So do some research on what their accreditation means.
Along with accreditation, you want to make sure the medical billing school is teaching classes that will be useful to you in your career.
Extensive Hands-On Training
Hands-on training is vital for a successful career in medical billing. You need to make sure the education you receive is combined with hands-on experience practicing codes.
You want to graduate from the program with enough hands-on training that you feel confident and ready to start your career as an experienced medical biller. If they don’t offer much hands-on training, the school isn’t going to be very valuable to you. The whole point of getting trained as a medical biller is to get experience—not just book knowledge.
And if they offer hands-on training, find out how much of the program is dedicated to giving you a chance to practice what you learned. Ask how soon you’ll start getting hands-on training, and how many hours are dedicated to giving you experience.
Another crucial issue is to find out if the hands-on training includes an internship in a real medical office. Sometimes schools call these “externships.” Although internships are not vital to getting a job after graduation, it definitely will help you with hands-on training and also getting references on your resume.
Short-term Program
It’s important when finding a medical billing and coding school that they will train you quickly and efficiently. You don’t want to spend two to four years getting trained. You also don’t’ want a shot-term program that isn’t going to give you enough time to get trained. You need to find the balance.
There’s no reason why you can’t find a medical billing and coding school that can train you in less than a year. Many programs suggest you can finish in 9 months, which is wonderful. This means you’ll probably start working in less than a year.
Excited Teachers and Motivated Students
One of the best ways to find out about the quality of the medical billing school you’re considering, you should definitely talk with the students and teachers.
Walk around the school and talk with a medical billing student. Find out what he or she likes about the school. Ask him or her what it’s like being a medical assisting students. Ask about the teachers. Ask about the career placement department. Ask about the hands-on experience. The students are going to reveal a lot about the school that you can’t find anywhere else.
You also should talk with the teachers. Find out how much they love teaching and what they do to make the classes fun. Ask them what to expect as a medical billing student.
Even brief conversations with teachers and students will give you tremendous insight into that school, and will help you decide on what medical assisting school to join.
Reputable School
Does the school you’re considering have a good reputation? What do others in your community think of the school? Has the school been around awhile?
If you have time, you should call the school’s career placement department and ask for a list of employers that hire their medical billing graduates. Call the employers and find out their opinion of the graduates they’ve hired. Are they well trained? How are they perceived by others in that work environment?
School reputation isn’t everything because there are new schools offering medical assisting programs that don’t have any reputation yet. You just need to do the research to find out if you will enjoy your experience there and feel confident they will help you with your job search.
Excellent Career Placement Department
Another key to finding a great medical billing school is the quality of its career placement department. Every school should have a career services department, and you’ll want to meet with the career services director or representative to find out how many graduates they place every year. The percentage of graduates placed in jobs is vital to making a decision to attend that school.
You also should find out what types of services they will provide you as a student. For example, will they help you with your resume? Will they help you prepare for the interview? Will they find you jobs within the area? How committed will they be to help you?
Final Thoughts
When deciding on a medical billing program, the reputation of the school, career placement department, core curriculum, short-term training, and motivated staff are all keys to finding a great school.
You may not find a medical billing school in your area that has all these qualities. That’s okay. You just want to make sure that as you visit different schools that you know what to look for. These keys will help you make an educated decision that you’ll feel good about.
