• Medical Training Institute of New York
paper in the table with ballpen and stethoscope

Medical Coding Specialist - Hybrid

Course Overview

The Medical Coding Specialist Program at Medical Training Institute of New York is designed to prepare students for careers in a variety of healthcare settings, including medical offices, hospitals, clinics, and skilled-care facilities.

The medical coding profession remains diverse, with career opportunities in many outpatient and inpatient facilities. There are career opportunities with health care facilities, third-party payers, and private physician settings, as well as self-employed medical coders. Although self-employment as a coding professional in private practice remains a viable option, many more employment opportunities exist.

WHAT DO A MEDICAL BILLER AND CODER DO?

Medical Billers and Coders are responsible for processing patient data including medical records and related insurance. In this position, you will code a patient’s diagnosis and then request payment from the patient’s insurance company. You will play an important role in ensuring that healthcare providers are quickly and accurately paid for the treatment they give patients.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MEDICAL BILLING AND A MEDICAL CODING?

Yes. Medical coders translate patient care into current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that the medical services provided are accurately coded. Medical billers are responsible for creating a claim based on the codes a medical coder provides. Many professionals in this area do both medical billing and medical coding.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING CAREER?

Entry-level positions typically require completion of a certificate and passing one of the certification exams or an associate degree program in medical billing and coding. Additionally, medical billing and coding professionals must understand the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Program Summary

Competency-Based Instruction

Competency-based instruction focuses on the mastery of skills that will be used as part of a professional coding practice.

Competency-Based Instruction will:

  • Focus on student learning and performance rather than on instruction, teaching techniques, textbooks, and instructor activity.
  • Emphasize student mastery of skills, habits, and attitudes that represent actual job requirements and situations.
  • Give students opportunities to problem-solve and apply information and skills.
  • Require students to demonstrate knowledge and skills in ways that are observable to both themselves and instructors.
  • Shift the focus of the traditional classroom from teacher performance to student performance, from teaching to learning, from instructors presenting to students presenting, and from instructors teaching to instructors guiding students as they teach themselves.
  • Present program content that is based on actual workplace application of the material being covered. This requires an integrated education structure in which all material, theory, ethics, practical application, and so forth are interrelated instead of taught as separate ideas.
  • Require the active involvement of students in the learning process instead of only passive

Competency-Based Lessons:

  • Are built on actual career expectations and applications.
  • Include performance activities as early in the program as possible.
  • Require students to think and perform like actual coding professionals.
  • Provide students with opportunities to create, problem-solve, and develop solutions.
  • Teach students how to monitor and evaluate their own performance instead of relying only on instructor evaluations.
  • Provide an opportunity for students to be active participants during classroom time.
  • Minimize instructor lectures and maximize student study groups, small-group work in the classroom, individual or group presentations, and projects.
  • Emphasize hands-on practical application of the material.

Competencies for the Professional Practice of Medical Billing and Coding

In general, the competencies required for a successful practice of medical coding fall into four areas:

  • Service coding with CPT and HCPCS
  • Diagnosis coding with ICD-10-CM
  • Reimbursement issues
  • Application of terminology, anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology skills Service coding involves the facts, concepts, and theories presented in the textbook about the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) and application of the service codes and modifiers.

Diagnosis coding uses the ICD-10-CM to report the diagnosis for which the patient received services.

Admission Requirement: GED/High School Diploma

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • Basics of Writing
  • Basic Math
  • Comprehension Building/Study Skills
  • Medical Law and Ethics
  • Anatomy and Physiology
  • Introduction to Computers
  • Medical Terminology
  • Medical Billing/Insurance
  • CPT/HCPCS Coding
  • ICD Coding/ ICD-10-CM Coding Principle
  • Pathophysiology
  • Medical Coding Internship
  • Certification Exam Review
  • Job Placement Assistant
  • Career Development Skills

WHO WILL BENEFIT

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Those Considering Coding and Auditing

Medical Billing and Coding is a great career choice for anyone who wants to be in a non-patient-facing position within the healthcare industry. It also offers the benefits of working from home and having a very flexible schedule

Coders can work in various settings including hospitals. outpatient clinics, urgent care facilities, nursing homes, treatment centers, physician offices, and insurance companies. There are also multiple outsourcing agencies that employ coders to work remotely for a variety of clients.

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Aspiring Medical Professionals

Working as a Coder gives many of us our first taste of working in the medical field. You might gain inspiration to continue that career path and get a more in-depth understanding of the medical world. It's okay to share this desire with your interviewer. It shows your dedication to the field and a willingness to learn

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Job Stability

The demand for medical coders is growing. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects this field to grow by 22% through 2026, About 34,300 openings for medical records and medical coding specialists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire

Tuition, Books & Technology Fees

Program Medical Coding Specialist
Hours 650
Registration Fee $100
Tuition $2,800
Books & Technology Fees $300
Clinical & Lab Fee $360
Lab Coat & Scrubs $120
Total Program Cost $3,630

Fees:

Registration Fee

A non-refundable Registration Fee of $100 was due during registration to reserve a seat.

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Clinical/Lab Fee

Clinical/Lab Fee is used to cover the cost of Liability insurance policy and student lab operations and to provide student with Liability Insurance at clinical rotation internship sites.

people doing lab work

Books & Technology Fees

Books and Technology Fee are used to provide students with Online Learning Resources, the learning management system, eBooks, and the student portal.

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Uniform Fee

Uniform Fee is used to provide students with school logo uniforms which include 3 sets of scrubs and one Lab coat.

health workers uniform

Tuition:

Medical Coding Specialist is $1,210 for each of the program's three (3) quarters, and a total of $3,630 for the entire program, with tuition payments due as follows:

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Quarter Hours Cost Per Quarter
1 220 $1,210
2 220 $1,210
3 220 $1,210

Schedule of Sessions

9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Morning Classes

The Morning program will be 5 hours per day, Monday-Wednesday.

16-25 hours per week for approximately 26-41 weeks.

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Evening Classes

The Evening program will be 4 hours per day,

5 days per week, for approximately 33 weeks.

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Weekend Classes

The Weekend program will be 8 hours per day, Saturdays and Sundays,

16 hours per week for approximately 41 weeks.

Frequently asked questions about Medical Billers

What is the difference between a Medical Coder and a Medical Biller?
Medical Coders and Medical Billers work together to make sure that healthcare providers receive payment for their claims. Medical Coders work behind the scenes to translate medical records into a series of codes, making it easy for insurers to quickly confirm or deny a claim. After completing a patient’s file, Medical Coders pass the information to Medical Billers, who communicate with patients and insurance representatives about the outstanding balance associated with an account. If an insurance provider denies a claim, Medical Billers prepare invoices for patients to pay out -of-pocket and arrange payment plans when necessary
What are the daily duties of a Medical Coder?
Medical Coders usually work standard office hours alongside other medical office staff. After a patient completes their visit, the Medical Coder reads their chart or file and classifies the information from their appointment into different categories. If they are unsure about the type of code for a certain treatment, the Medical Coder references medical coding guidelines and researches the correct code. They carefully put the codes in sequence and submit them to the patient’s insurance provider or to the Medical Biller on their staff. If there is an issue with a submission, they review existing codes and document any corrections.
Do Medical Coders have different responsibilities in different industries?
Medical Coders have the same basic role regardless of what kind of medical office they work in, but they can use different types of coding systems for various specialties. Most standard Medical Coders use three main codes: International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Current Procedural Technology (CPT), and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPS). Many types of specialized medical offices use their own coding systems, including emergency departments, chiropractic offices, dermatology practices, pain management centers and plastic surgery centers. Medical Coders need to learn the details of each specialty to appropriately process each type of treatment.
What are the characteristics of a good Medical Coder?
The most important characteristic of a good Medical Coder is the ability to pay attention to small details. Many medical codes have a single letter or number that differentiates a treatment from a completely different procedure, and coding mistakes could lead to a claim being denied or a significant delay in receiving payment. Good Medical Coders diligently check their work after translating a file into medical codes, checking that each entry is accurate. They are good at troubleshooting problems with a patient’s file and determining the cause of any discrepancies in someone’s medical history and insurance claim.