On average the hourly wage in the United States for someone who is working as a medical biller is estimated between $10.93 per hour and $18.48 per hour. These wages are estimated to increase over time with sums from $1.51 and up to $27.02 per hour. The annual medical biller salary in 2017 has an average that is estimated from between $18,217 per year and up to $48,537 per year, with an average estimation that reaches about $34,413 per year.
How much does a Medical Biller make?
The salary of a medical biller is mainly influenced by several economic factors such as the years of experience, the lowest and the upper points that can be found in this industry. Other decisive factors can be found based on the type of employment and the location in which one of these individuals is working.
In the United States, a medical biller salary has an average estimation that reaches about $34,413 per year. The lower points in this field will lead to an annual income that reaches at $21,321 per year and even less. At the same time, the upper points for a medical biller reach at $47,182 per year and even more.
When it comes to the type of work setting the annual salary and the hourly wage will vary greatly. For instance, a medical biller hired at insurance companies (being their employee) benefits from more funds. They can expect to take home an annual income that reaches at $42,921 per year. Their salary means an expected hourly wage that reaches at about $20.63 per hour.
If you are a medical biller who is employed in a surgical hospital or a medical hospital then you can expect to an annual salary estimated at $34,351 per year. This means an hourly rate that reaches about $16.53 per hour. Being employed at an office of a physician will lead you to take home a wage that is estimated to reach about $34,152 per year. For the same category, the hourly wage is estimated at $16.43 per year.
You can also expect to a yearly bonus that is included in the salary of about $1,176 per year, a yearly profit sharing estimated between $102.12 and can go up to $4,893 per year. This will lead to total annual earnings easily estimated to range between $23,318 per year and up to $40,652 per year.
The years of experience you have in practice is another factor that has a great impact when it comes to medical biller. For instance, those medical billers who have less than one year of experience in the field can expect to earn an annual salary that is comprised between $24,586 per year and up to $32,005 per year. Their average hourly rate is estimated to range between $9.83 per hour and up to $15.47 per hour.
Those professionals who already have between 1 and four years of experience in the field can expect to an annual income estimated between $21,667 per year and up to $45,287 per year. Their estimated average hourly rate is comprised between $9.93 per hour and up to $16.92 per hour.
If you already have between 5 and up to 9 years of work experience in the field you can easily expect to take home a better salary. Your wage is estimated, in this case, between $23,486 per year and up to $47,514 per year. In this case, you will have an average hourly rate that is estimated between $11.84 per hour and up to $18.03 per hour. A medical biller, who has between 10 and 19 years in the field and has already gained a lot of experience falls into a superior category. They can expect to an annual salary that ranges between $27,056 per year and up to $45,542 per year.
Being a veteran in this field with more than 20 years of activity and experience at the work setting will lead you even further. Then you can expect an annual salary estimated to range between $24,627 per year and up to $57,528 per year. The average hourly rate is comprised between $12.72 per hour and up to $20.18 per hour.
The job of a medical biller is well paid in states such as Colorado, which grants an income of about $41,412 per year. Also, California comes with $47,472 per year, New York with $40,394 per year, South West Alaska with $41,932 per year. Additionally to these states, there are other well-paying states as well. These states will offer good medical biller salaries due to factors such as densely populated regions and living costs that are usually above the average.
This last factor is not a rule since there are less populated states such as Alaska and Colorado that still offer very good annual salaries for medical billers. This is accomplished because of the number of increased demanding.
However, you can still find like in any other job also lower points such as low-paying states. Low annual salaries for medical billers are granted in states such as Alabama, West Virginia, and a few other. The annual income in these states is estimated to be between $22,510 per year and $32,010 per year.
Salary of a Medical Biller in 2017
In 2017, in the United States a vast majority of medical billers are women. In this field, the average hourly wage has an estimation around $14.82 per hour. Impact factors in this field that influence the salaries of medical billers are based on the geographic location and the years of experience. For instance, the yearly bonus that is granted can reach up to $1,037 per year, with a commission that is ranging between $7,510 and up to $20,386 per year.
You can also add the yearly profit sharing that is comprised between $257.62 per year and up to $4,132 per year. This will finally lead to a total payment that is comprised of amounts between $23,024 per year and up to $42,510 per year and even more.
Medical Biller Salary in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom
In Canada, the annual salary for a medical biller is usually estimated at C$33,010 per year. This salary has quite a lower point compared to other countries such as Australia and The UK.
In Australia, for instance, the annual income of a medical biller is estimated to reach at about AU$51,010 per year and even higher. In the UK, a major influential factor in this profession like in any other is the age. Those individuals who are in their 20s can expect to take home a medical biller salary that can usually reach at £25,126 per year. At the same time, those who are working in this field and are currently in their 30s can expect to take home an estimated income of about £32,834 per year. A medical biller in his 40s and 50s can expect to earn an income that reaches at about £38,862 per year.
The median expected salary for someone working in the UK as a medical biller is estimated to reach at about £33,510 per year with an included yearly bonus that usually reaches about £774 per year. The starting hourly rate in this field is estimated to be comprised between £6.08 per hour and up to £8.23 per hour that will gradually increase to £6.14 per hour and up to £10.32 per hour.
Medical Biller Career
A medical biller is one of the professionals that will follow a billing claim to make sure that the healthcare practice will receive reimbursement for the work that was performed by the providers. The medical biller has the responsibility to assemble all the existent data of the bill. The process includes charge entry, payment posting, the transmission of the claim, insurance follow-up and, of course, the patient follow up.
A medical biller is the specialists who keeps in touch with physicians or other healthcare specialists in order to clarify diagnostics, or in order to obtain any required additional information. These professionals must be able to understand and read clearly and accurately the medical records.
Job Description of a Medical Biller
The job of a medical biller involves responsibilities such as billing of medical debts as well as collecting them. Their work is to make sure that every of the patient bill is accurate, clear and is a swift process. A medical biller should be able to understand the complexities of medical billing and at the same time to have knowledge of different types of insurance plans, or the assisted plans that are provided by the government. These professionals should be able also to understand the discounts that can be applied to various and different groups of people.
In this field having a strong understanding will lead to an accurate billing and the opportunity to easily fix things in the event when errors occur. The daily tasks of medical billers that are to be found in this job involve preparing the bills, or they will prepare the medical invoices for the insurance companies and the reimbursement. They will have to record the due amount for the services or the medical procedures.
Their job is also to revise any errors that might occur on the way, verify the billing data accuracy. These experts also need to review the medical records as well as retain them, contact patients in order to obtain account information or relay account information.
How to Become a Medical Biller?
In order to become a medical biller the first step is to graduate high school and get a diploma. Besides possessing a high school diploma, it would be advisable to earn some years of experience that in some places will be required.
A medical biller must have knowledge of the procedures and practices that are in this field, due to the nature of the job. This knowledge is usually accomplished in the working setting. As an additional option, it is always advisable to take into consideration the training courses of an associate’s degree in chemistry, computer, biology or even mathematics.
You will find out that most employers will offer on the site training that will allow you to be lead to the recognizable standards of coding and billing. For the job, there is no certification required but many employers prefer that their candidates will possess a CMRS certification else known as the Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist certification.
The CMRS certification is actually a certificate course with the length of time comprised between nine months to one year. This certification will provide knowledge in the fields of science and mathematics that are important when it comes to this job. Employers prefer applicants that have knowledge in fields such as medical terminology, insurance procedures, computer database management and billing procedures.
For a medical biller, it is very important to possess certain skills and qualities that fulfill the chart for this job. For instance these professionals must be very good communicators, have awareness in which concerns the medical billing, possess critical thinking, have empathy as well as ethical standards on a high scale. Other qualities in this field are related to having a strong medical knowledge and the ability to work as an independent individual.
Work Environment and Schedule
The job of a medical biller usually involves an office work setting. The working hours are estimated to a schedule of 40 hours per week from Monday to Friday. These professionals might be asked from time to time to do overtime, especially those who are hired by insurance companies.
A medical biller can also work from home. In this case, they can work for themselves having independent physicians as their clients, or they can work for large companies that will usually provide these professionals with their work loaded on various electronic means.
Medical billers can find work in various settings and industries such as pharmacies, doctors’ offices, hospitals, legal offices, insurance companies. They can also work in nursing homes, consulting firms, medical clinics, as well as other healthcare centers and institutions.
Pros and Cons of Being a Medical Biller
When it comes to choosing a career as a medical biller the very best good news is the employment outlook that is estimated to grow on average very fast compared with other occupational fields. The steps to becoming a medical biller are not that many and are very easy.
The formal education that is required in this field is not that huge, for an entry level position you can only possess a post-secondary certificate and a professional certification. Another good news in this field is the benefits obtained such as bonuses, profit sharing, health insurance, paid sick leave and other.
The cons in this job are the extended working hours that can in some cases involve evenings or overtime. For career promotion in this field, there are not too many opportunities and the nature of the job involves a lack of direct patient interaction and contact. As a medical biller, you will rarely interact with a patient due to the job responsibilities and tasks.
Another con related with this job is that the conditions in which you are working many times will be very stressful. The stress is why a medical biller must have an eye for details and be very calm, being able to react properly when an error occurs.
Conclusion on Medical Biller Salary
As mentioned earlier, a variety of factors influences a medical biller salary in the US. The annual salary for these specialists is estimated to have an average of about $34,314 per year with an hourly rate that is estimated around $15.06 per hour.