Medical Coding and Billing Schools in Wisconsin

Are you looking for the perfect place to begin your health care career? If your goals include improving health care in Wisconsin, learning in-demand skills, and working in a growing industry, the field of medical coding and billing may fit your needs.

Medical coding and billing is an administrative support position in health care that involves processing paperwork from various care providers, sending billing statements to insurance companies and individuals, and following up on bills that have been sent out.

In Wisconsin, the need for skilled medical coding specialists is severe. Reports show that health care in Wisconsin is considerably more expensive than it is in most states (Chippewa, 2015). This trend negatively affects patients, health care institutions, insurance companies, and government funding agencies. Billing professionals can ensure that services aren’t double-billed and that costs are not unreasonable.

Ready to find out what it takes to start a career in the medical coding and billing industry? Learn more and check out our list of medical coding and billing programs in Wisconsin to get started.

What to Expect in Wisconsin Medical Coding and Billing Training

If you have never looked into the field of medical coding and billing, you may wonder what it takes to become a successful employee in this field. You should be able to work independently, since a small department or clinic may only have one or two medical billing professionals on staff at any given time.

You should also be extremely detail-oriented, since each coding language utilizes thousands of codes. Mixing up codes can be disastrous for your employer or your patients. You may find it easier to work in this field if you can learn fairly quickly, since memorizing codes can save you a lot of time and make you much more efficient at your job.

Although this sounds like a fairly complicated specialty, it does not involve as much training as many other health care careers. In fact, you may be able to complete your education in as little as one or two semesters. The length of your program depends on whether you plan on earning a diploma, certificate, or Associate’s degree.

You should plan on taking many in-depth coding and billing courses throughout your training. Classes that may be in your curriculum include Diagnosis Coding Systems, Health Insurance Billing and Reimbursement, Health Information Management Technology, Advanced Coding Applications, and Anatomy and Physiology.

In Wisconsin, there are quite a few health care employers and associations that fund scholarships for health care students. Fort Healthcare awards scholarships to local students each academic year.

Working as a Medical Billing and Coding Professional in Wisconsin

As you get close to graduating, you may wonder if you should apply for certification. This is a personal decision—some people opt to become certified as early as possible, while others never become certified in coding and billing. Through AAPC, the certifying agency for this career, you can learn more about the benefits and process of certification to find out if it’s the right choice for you. Keep in mind that certification is entirely optional in this specialty.

Job growth statistics in Wisconsin mirror those reported on a national level. According to O*Net, job openings for Wisconsin medical records technicians may increase 19% through the year 2022 (2015). The average salary for a billing and coding technician in Wisconsin is $36,200 per year (O*Net, 2015).

Beginning your career in billing and coding gives you the chance to improve patient care by supporting physicians and allowing them to spend more time with patients. Take the first step now by reaching out to medical coding and billing programs in Wisconsin.