Medical Billers

What Do Medical Billers Do?

Medical billers calculate health care provider charges, develop bills, and prepare them to be mailed to patients. By reviewing medical and hospital records and making or verifying calculations, they ensure that even the most complicated bills are accurate. Medical billers are responsible for timely submission of medical claims to insurance companies. Medical billers most often work with electronic billing systems and are responsible to make sure that patient, provider, and insurance information is correct and that fair payments are made. Medical billers may also be responsible for crediting patient accounts, appealing reimbursement denials, and tracking accounts receivables for providers.

Day-to-day responsibilities for medical billers will vary from location to location, but may include:

Where Do Medical Billers Work?

Medical billers work in a variety of health care settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, physician offices, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and health clinics. Billing clerks are typically employed in an office environment, although a growing number—particularly medical billers—work from home or a separate office, either as independent contractors or with firms that specialize in medical billing.

Most billing clerks typically work 40 hours per week during regular business hours.

What Do Medical Billers Earn?

According to the 2019 BLS, the average salary for full time, medical billers nationwide was $40,620, varying by specialty and geographic region. Average annual salary also varies greatly across New York State, depending on location. The NYSDOL reports that medical billers in New York earned an average annual salary of $31,030, (entry level-$32,300, experienced- $63,940).

Supply and Demand

The medical billing occupation is expected to see strong growth in the health care industry as numerous recent state and federal reforms will make health care available to many more people. The BLS projects that between 2016 and 2026, the number of jobs for Billing and Posting Clerks will increase by 14.1% nationwide. The New York State Department of Labor projects that the number of jobs will increase by 22.4% in New York during the same period.

For more information on projections of Billing and Posting Clerks by New York labor regions, 2014-2024, click here.

Education Requirements

Most jobs in this occupation require only a high school diploma; however, many employers prefer to hire workers who have a degree or have completed some college courses such as communication, accounting, and basic computer courses.

Medical billers can obtain training in a variety of ways, including on-the-job or through certificate or associate degree education programs and Web-based learning. Many community colleges and other colleges offer certificate programs in medical billing that generally take between two and three semesters and usually consist of courses in medical terminology, accounting, basic anatomy and physiology, and medical reimbursement methods.

Traditionally, billers have either been trained on-the-job or have been medical coders who do both the coding and billing. However, the shortage of coders and the growing demand for skilled medical billing specialists have employers looking for professionals who know billing basics.

New York Licensure Requirements

While New York does not require medical billers to be licensed or certified, national professional groups, such as the American Medical Billing Association, offer certified medical reimbursement specialist (CMRS) certification. Please visit AMBA’s website for more information: www.ambanet.net/AMBA.htm. In addition, the American Academy of Professional Coders, http://www.aapc.com/, also offers medical billers credentials based on passing a qualifying exam and experience and education.

Financial Support

It may be possible to obtain financial assistance for training and education from an employer. Also, colleges and organizations that provide training for those wishing to become medical billers may have scholarships.

Educational Programs in New York (subject to change)

Most jobs in this occupation require only a high school diploma, though many employers prefer workers with some billing, accounting, or customer service experience.

Information about education programs is offered by AMBA on their Web page “Medical Billing 101”: ambanet.net.

Many educational programs to become medical billers are offered online or on campus through BOCES schools, community colleges, and City University of New York (CUNY) schools, and State of New York (SUNY) colleges. Contact these agencies or search your geographic area online to find medical billing education programs convenient to you.

A sampling of education programs are listed below. 

Access Careers 474 Fulton Ave. Hempstead, NY 11550 (516) 433-0034 and 1930 Veterans Hwy Islandia, NY 11749 (631) 630-9410	ABC Training Center 1 East Fordham Rd. 2nd floor Bronx, NY 10468 (718) 364-6700
Berkeley College 3 E 43rd St & 12 E 41st St New York, NY  10017 (866) 317-6087 Also, campuses in Brooklyn & White Plains, NY	College of Staten Island Office of Continuing Education 130 Merrill Ave Staten Island, NY 10314 (718) 982-2182
Bryant & Stratton College Programs available at Albany, Amherst, Buffalo, Greece, Henrietta, Southtowns, Syracuse, and Liverpool campuses. (866) 948-0571	Schenectady County Community College 78 Washington Avenue Schenectady, NY 12305 (518) 381-1200
Hostos Community College 500 Grand Concourse Bronx, NY 10451 (718) 518-4444	Hudson Valley Community College 80 Vandenburgh Ave. Troy, NY 12180 (518) 629-4822
Hunter Business School 3601 Hempstead Turnpike Levittown, NY 11756 (516) 796-1000 or 3247 Route 112, Bldg # 3 Medford, NY 11763 (631) 736-7360	The Manhattan Institute 45 W 34th St, 5th floor New York, NY 10001 (347) 220-8181
Branford Hall Career Institute 1100 North Broadway Amityville, NY 11701 (631) 608-9113	New York Medical Career Training Institute 36-09 Main Street, 5th floor Flushing, NY 11354 (718) 460-1717 or 500 8th Avenue, 5th floor (between 35th-36th Streets) New York, NY 10018 (212) 947-4444
Plaza CollegeNew York Institute of Career Development118-33 Queens Blvd Forest Hills, NY  11375 (718) 505-4188	Kingsborough Community College2001 Oriental Boulevard Brooklyn, NY 11235-2398 (718) 368-5200
Mohawk Valley Community College Utica Campus 1101 Sherman Drive Payne Hall 348 Utica, NY 13501 (315) 792-5400 or Rome Campus 1101 Floyd Ave. Rome NY 13440 (315) 339-3470	Elmira Business Institute Langdon Plaza 303 N. Main Street Elmira, NY 14901 (607) 733-7177 or Vestal Executive Park 4100 Vestal Road Vestal, NY 13850 (607) 729-8915
Ace Institute of Technology 312 W 36th St. 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10018 (212) 695-9700 or 4040 75th St., Ste. 4038 (718) 575-3223	ASA College Manhattan Campus Herald Center Mall 1293 Broadway (One Herald Center) New York, NY 10001 or Brooklyn Campus 81 Willoughby Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 (866) 990-6148
Brooklyn Educational Opportunity Center Certificate Program 111 Livingston St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 802-3358	Queens Educational Opportunity Center Certicate Program 15829 Archer Ave. Jamaica, NY 11433 (718) 725-3320
Hunter College 695 Park Ave New York, NY 10065 (212) 650-3850	Queens College, CUNY 65-30 Kissena Blvd Queens, NY  11367 (718) 997-5000
Lehman College 250 Bedford Park Blvd W Bronx, NY 10468 (718) 960-8000
Borough of Manhattan Community College-CUNY Center for Continuing Educ & Workforce Dev 25 Broadway, 8th FL New York, NY 10004 (212)346-8410
Bronx Community College Workforce Dev & Continuing Educ 2155 University Ave Bronx, NY  10453 (718) 289-5170
Westchester Community College 75 Grasslands Road Valhalla, NY, 10595 (914) 606-6661	LaGuardia Community College 31-10 Thomson Ave Long Island City, NY  11101 (718) 482-7244
Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences 226 West 26th St. New York, NY 10001 (212) 924-5900 ext. 199