Medical Billing and Coding Schools in Utah (Programs & Salary Information)

Utah has fairly good prospects when it comes to finding employment.

Medical coding and billing is an important administrative part of the healthcare system and it is one of the easiest occupations to start a career in.

If you want to learn more about it, read on!

Medical Billing – Requirements, Exam, Certification

Medical facilities send out invoices to those they treat, in order to get paid.

They employ a specially trained person to create these bills.

To become a medical biller, you need to:

• Graduate from a specific training program
• Have an Associates degree
• Know some anatomy
• Know medical terms
• Know pathophysiology
• Be an AAPC member
• Score at least 70% on the certification exam

AAPC is the institution administering the medical billing exam and issuing the certifications for this profession.

The medical billing exam can be taken for a $399 fee, but it can be retaken for free in less than 12 months by those who fail.

Medical Coding – Requirements, Exam, Certification

AAPC also oversees the medical coding which it created, to facilitate the billing process.

As a medical coder, you’ll translate the data on medical records into shorter code so that it is easier to use later for other scopes, such as various reports and invoices.

You can be one of these types of coders:

• Certified Outpatient Coder
• Certified Inpatient Coder
• Certified Risk Adjustment Coder
• Certified Professional Coder

There are 3 types of codes you’ll work more with, as a coder:

• CPT,
• ICD-10-CM,
• HCPCS Level II

The requirements to become a medical coder, are:

• A high school diploma or GED
• Knowledge of anatomy
• Know medical terms
• Earn the certification

To earn the certification, you’ll have to answer at least 70% of the 150 questions correctly, on the exam administered by AAPC.

You’ll have 5 hours and 40 minutes to do so, and you can use the following books to help you out:

• AMA’s CPT Professional Edition
• An ICD-10-CM code manual
• An HCPCS Level II code manual

Training Programs

While AAPC is the best place to find training courses for both medical billing and coding, other schools also ave such classes.

The training programs at AAPC include:

• Medical billing
• Medical coding
• Anatomy
• Medical terms
• Pathophysiology

You can choose to become certified as a biller and coder at the same time if you want to have better career prospects.

Of course, for this, you’ll have to pass 2 exams instead of 1.

Enrolling in a school, like the ones below, gives you the possibility of earning a degree which will further improve your future career.

The advantage of the AAPC training is being allowed to study whenever you can, in the time frame of a maximum of 6 months.

Medical billers and coders need to learn the following subjects:

• Medical codes
• The rules and organization of the codes
• Types of insurance plans
• Local and national coverage determinations
• Payer policies,
• Billing rules and regulations in the healthcare industry
• The life cycle of a medical bill claim
• Anatomy
• Medical terms

Expected Salary and Other Information

In Utah, the average salary of a medical biller and coder is similar to the average in most other states.

The cities where the salaries are higher include St. George, West Jordan, South Jordan, and Salt Lake City.

Regional Salary in Utah

Residents of Utah who are certified as medical coders and billers, can seek employment at these facilities first:

• Beaver Valley Hospital which is a newly built facility, where employees benefit from retirement options, paid time off, and some health insurance options.
• Castleview Hospital caters to the needs of the rural community and offers to its staff paid time off; dental, life, health, and vision coverage.
• Gunnison Valley Hospital has the most perks, including short-term disability, and a retirement package.

Medical Billing and Coding Classes by City

Medical Billing and Coding Classes by State