Take the Medical Billing and Coding Exam Online

There are no legal requirements on the state or federal level for billing personnel. You do not have to be certified to work in a doctor’s office or to handle the medical billing and coding. But all medical careers are expanding, services are becoming more complex, and insurance companies and governmental red tape will make the job increasingly difficult. For job security, and as a hedge against the necessity of seeking employment elsewhere, or for newcomers in the field looking for careers, it can be very important to gain the latest certification.

The certifying agency for billing personnel is the Certifying Board of the American Medical Association (CBAMBA). They confer a CMRS designation for those who can pass an exam on billing and coding procedures. Passing the test proves you have attained a high level of knowledge and are fully qualified to handle these duties for a variety of healthcare providers including doctors and dentists offices, nursing homes, hospitals, clinics, optometrists and other medical offices.

The medical billing and coding exam can be taken online at a secure site, and you will have access to complete it for 45 days. The test is divided into sections and each section is graded immediately upon completion. You can review each section thoroughly before you submit it for grading. When you have finished your score will be given instantly. The CMRS Certifications will be mailed to you in 3-5 days, if you have passed the tests.

The designation is good for one year. You can extend your certification by providing evidence that you have completed 15 continuing education credits. You can retake the test twice at no charge, but 30 days must have passed since your previous attempt and no more than 60 days can elapse. The exam is exhaustive to grant credibility to those who pass. It is divided into these 16 sections:

    Information Technology
    General
    Case Study
    Web and Information Technology
    Medical Terminology
    Anatomy and Physiology
    ICD-9-CM Coding
    CPT-4 Coding
    Insurance Carriers
    Insurance
    Acronyms
    Clearinghouses
    CMS 1500
    Compliance
    Fraud and Abuse
    Managed Care

The exam requires an 85% score to become certified. You must also be a member of the AMBA and maintain membership status yearly, in addition to completing the required 15 course credits every year.  You should have knowledge and experience in the industry’s procedures or you will not be able to pass the test. You are required to have your high school diploma or a GED. Study aids can be ordered if you choose through the AMBA and are available in e-book format and it is called the CMRS Study Guide. This review covers about 80% of the material that will appear on the exam. The price is $199.00.

With proper CMRS Certification, you will qualify for any number of exciting careers in the medical industry. Greater and greater numbers of doctors and healthcare professionals are seeking qualified personnel that understand the complicated business and regulatory issues that face the medical industry.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 7th, 2011 at 12:23 pm and is filed under Medical Billing and Coding School. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.