ONONDAGA — Onondaga Community College (OCC) is offering training for those interested in the field of medical billing and coding.
“We’re offering this class to help people get the training, get the credentials, and then obtain employment,” says Barbara Dennehy, OCC’s coordinator of lifelong learning.
The training will also prepare the participants to take the national certification exams, should they choose to take the exams, she adds.
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Dennehy spoke with CNYBJ on Jan. 29.
During the past year, organizations in Central New York posted nearly 300 related openings, according to a Jan. 13 news release from OCC.
Michael Metzgar, OCC’s associate vice president for economic & workforce development, who uses labor-market analytical software for real-time data, provided the figure, according to Dennehy.
She calls it a “fast-growing” field in the nation’s health-care industry.
Training will include the new federally mandated coding standards that take effect in October 2015, OCC said.
The average starting salary in the Syracuse area is $24,700, according to the school.
The training lasts 300 hours for nine months from March 9 through Dec. 9, says Dennehy.
“It’s broken down into two parts: medical coding and medical billing. The first part, medical billing, will be 120 hours and it’s both classroom lecture and then simulated billing with software in a computer lab,” she adds.
The coding instruction includes 140 hours of classroom work and 40 hours in the lab.
Each service that a health-care provider offers has a code for medical-claim reimbursement purposes.
“Coders will go through patient charts and assign the proper codes to the services that were provided,” she says. The services could include an exam or laboratory work.
Medical coders and billers work “hand in hand,” says Dennehy.
Billers prepare the insurance claims for reimbursement.
Training participants will learn about completing the forms and then processing insurance claims for reimbursement. They’ll also learn about the insurance-industry standards for the processes involved, she adds.
They work in physician offices, hospitals, and nursing homes.
“Every medical office needs someone with the knowledge of coding and billing,” says Dennehy.
The course also prepares students for one of three national certification exams, which OCC recommends.
Students would have to register for and take the exam on their own, the school said. The exam is optional and not required for employment.
OCC held a Feb. 3 information session for those interested in enrolling in the training course.
“They certainly can stop by our office or give us a phone call and we can walk them through that and answer any questions that they have,” Dennehy says.
Tuition for the full 300-hour program is $2,700, which includes all books and materials. OCC will hold classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. in Mulroy Hall.
