Increased Job Opportunity for Billers & Coders as 2013 Brings More Changes to CPT® than Seen in Years
US healthcare industry is dynamically changing every day, constantly increasing the medical billers and coders demand. Added to these changes 2013 brings more changes to CPT® than seen in years comprising of more than 650 code changes - including 82 evaluation and management code revisions.
Moreover physicians preparing in advance for the upcoming ICD-10, find it prudent to lean towards experienced medical billers and coder’s knowledge to help in successful implementation. These demanding changes are expected to only further expand medical coding specialist’s job roles, opportunities and remuneration in 2013 and ahead.
Industry Standards State
- According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) a total of 176,090 people were employed in medical billing and coding in 2010
- From 2010 to 2020, the U.S. economy is projected to add 20.5 million new jobs as total employment grows with the healthcare being one of the top 4 occupations where fastest growth is expected
Medical Billing and Coding Outlook for 2013 and beyond
Reasons for the increasing demand
- CPT changes in 2013 depict changes in hundreds of codes and guidelines which have been broadened to include “other qualified health professionals”; including new codes in the Evaluation and Management, Surgery, Pathology and Laboratory, and Medicine sections of CPT
- Federal regulations that will result in the way medical procedures are classified will result in a need for more medical coders.
- ICD-10 - a much more complicated coding system than what has been in use for the past 30 years (ICD-9) - scheduled to go live on Oct. 1, 2014 is to affect the entire healthcare industry.
- Growth of Medicare, Medicaid, and all forms of private insurance coverage will result in many more claims being filed. b
- Advances in medical technology allowing people to live longer and have more active lives; will result in a higher population of people who will require medical care than ever before.
- Numerous changes resulting in the usage of more health records, coupled with the widespread use of electronic health records by all healthcare providers - will lead to an increased need for technicians.
Increased Job Prospects Employment projection data for healthcare occupations, 2006, 2010, 2020 (Numbers in thousands)
|
Occupation |
Employment | Change, 2006–2010 | Projected change, 2010–2020 | ||||
| 2006 | 2010 | 2020 | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
|
Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations |
7,197.6 | 7,799.3 | 9,819.0 | 601.7 | 8.4 | 2,019.7 | 25.9 |
| Healthcare support occupations | 3,723.5 | 4,190.0 | 5,633.7 | 466.5 | 12.5 | 1,443.7 | 34.5 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Employment projections data for medical records and health information technicians, 2010-20
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2010 | Projected Employment, 2020 |
Change, 2010-20 Percent |
| Medical Records and Health Information Technicians | 179,500 | 217,300 | 21 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What can you anticipate in the future?
Increasing competition will make it essential for medical billers and coders to get certifications; making it highly probably that most medical billers and coders will have certifications by 2020. Moreover with the growing use of software allowing medical billers and coders to work from home, along with the increasing work commute issues- it is likely to result in an increasing number of medical professionals to work remotely from varied locations rather than in an office by 2020.
Acquiring the right job opportunity with MBC
Medicalbillersandcoders.com has been catering to the healthcare industry for over a decade now, across all 50 states and 42 specialties. With the industry expected to grow almost double the average for all jobs in US over the next 10 years- MBC’s wide network across all the states and the MBC job board strives to provides all medical billers and coders with a platform to acquire jobs in various healthcare organizations.
Medical Coding Specialists to stay ahead in the future competitive industry would benefit by working towards - securing a certification in their field, considering both in-office and online positions. MBC’s coding specialists with this in mind are constantly trained and updated about recent industry updates, hence are able to provide accurate solutions to healthcare providers across all specialties states.
