Medical Biller Salary Expectations

As a person who’s looking at a possible career shift into the healthcare information management field, you’re probably wondering how much your take-home salary would be once you start work. As an entry-level worker, you’d expect to receive just enough from a career in medical billing, although you have to take some things into consideration as well. You have to factor in that the location, responsibilities involved and the relevance of training you received play an important role in your salary offer. As confirmed by a survey conducted by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) in 2011, the salary range of medical transcriptionist varies depending on the aforementioned factors.

One thing that medical billers can get excited about is that the earning potential of medical billers goes beyond the minimum wage set for their jurisdiction. And it only makes sense as medical billers have to undergo rigorous training before they’re good to go and work without supervision. Medical billers deal with sensitive financial/billing issues and they have to be not just familiar but also adept with healthcare documentation. They also play a crucial role in ensuring that the medical provider is complying with state rules and third-party agreements. 

Medical Billing Job Duties: An Overview  

Medical billers are clerks that process the payments of clients and insurance providers for the healthcare services delivered to the patients. Since most patient records have been migrated to a centralized electronic database, medical billers should know the various codes used to identify the services rendered, as well as the type of medications prescribed, diagnosis and the type of insurance product a patient is entitled to receive. Most importantly, a medical biller has to know the right way of computing for the percentage of the payment amount that the client is supposed to pay from their own pocket and the payment amount that will be handled by the insurance provider.

Sample Average Salary for Medical Billers per State

According to Indeed.com, the average salary for medical billers and related positions (e.g. medical claims specialist, medical records field technician, medical billing collections specialist) range between $31,000 and $49,000 in California. In Chicago, the salary range between $14,000 and $44,000. In New York, certified medical billers earn a starting salary of $17,000 up to as much as $50,000. The salary forecasts are even higher in websites like Medicalbillingandcodingu.org and Salary.com, with estimates of up to $57,334 annually. Pacific states such as California, Washington and Alaska and widely-affluent New England states are known to proffer higher rates for medical billers, while Southern states where the cost of living is usually lower have lower annual salary rates for these professionals.  

In any case, how well you did on your medical billing training and how well you perform your job can make a difference in how your salary rate would be assessed. Remember that it isn’t so hard to gain a step up the ladder of success so long as you keep an honest and diligent mindset while on the job.