Rhode Island billing and coding specialists usually choose this occupation because they want to help people without having direct contact with patients.
In this position, you would not have to perform blood draws, heart stress tests, or temperature checks and perform other tasks that require direct patient contact.
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License Requirements to Become a Medical Billing & Coding Specialist
You can work in any healthcare facility as a billing and coding specialist without a state license.
However, most medical centers, doctor’s offices, clinics, or senior living facilities that hire health care staff will require certification from job candidates.
One of the main certification associations is the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).
You can earn certificates from their own training and exam preparation, or you can attend an instructional program they recommend.
The American Health Information Management (AHIMA) and the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) have similar setups, offering their own courses and college recommendations.
5 Medical Billing & Coding Schools in Rhode Island
1. MotoRing Technical Training Institute (MTTI)
The 30-week Medical Billing and Coding/Office Administration program provides you with more than just information about classifying insurance claims and filing medical bills.
You also will become proficient in a variety of administrative tasks, such as pulling patient charts from a database and answering patient and insurance company questions.
Upon receiving this training, which could take you less than a year, you could work in a doctor’s or physical therapy office.
Other settings where you might find employment include hospitals, nursing homes, and third-party billing companies.
2. Community College of Rhode Island
The CCRI teaches a Medical Insurance Billing Specialist Concentration.
This five-semester program provides you with comprehensive knowledge of CPT and ICD-CM coding systems.
In addition, your instruction will equip you to file medical records and handle communication between insurers and patients.
3. Lincoln Tech
Your Lincoln Tech Medical Billing and Coding certificate training will equip you for keeping healthcare records up to date.
In the process, you will receive ICD coding instruction and will prepare yourself for the Certified Professional Coders (CPC) offered by the AAPC or the Certified Coding Associates (CCA) credential offered by AHIMA.
Your Lincoln Tech training could also make you be ready for the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) exam.
NHA is the association that provides this credential.
4. AAPC
In addition to preparing for the Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Certified Outpatient Coder (COC), or Certified Professional Biller (CPB) certificates, you could take advanced training.
Specialized AAPC courses prepare you for work in a variety of environments, such as in a medical doctor’s office or hospital, behavior health center, or neurosurgery department.
Many of them occur online, or this association refers you to a local school.
5. AHIMA
After you have achieved the Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist – Physician’s Based (CCS-P), or other certificates, you could take some of AHIMA’s other online courses.
Instruction provided by this association helps students update their employment skills.
In the process, they learn all billing procedures and alphanumeric codes required for classifying patient records.
Billing and Coding Schools in Rhode Island – Summary Table
Top 5 Schools in Rhode Island
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| MotoRing Technical Training Institute (MTTI) | 1241 Fall River Ave, Seekonk, MA 02771 |
| Community College of Rhode Island | 400 East Ave, Warwick, RI 02886 |
| Lincoln Tech | 622 George Washington Hwy, Lincoln, RI 02865 |
| AAPC | 5050 Kingsley Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45227 |
| AHIMA | 233 N. Michigan Avenue, 21st Floor Chicago, IL 60601-5809 |
Salary
An entry-level billing and coding specialist in Rhode Island can make about $42, 445 per year.
You might earn up to $10,000 less when working as an assistant under a certified specialist, however, until you achieve at least one certificate.
Cities besides Providence where you can find jobs, include Bedford, Warwick, Newport, or Pawtucket.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Medical Biller and Coders in Rhode Island
| City Name | Salary |
|---|---|
| Providence | $43,200 |
| Warwick | $43,200 |
| Cranston | $43,200 |
| Pawtucket | $43,200 |
| East Providence | $43,200 |
| Woonsocket | $43,100 |
| Coventry | $43,100 |
| North Providence | $43,200 |
| Cumberland | $43,200 |
| West Warwick | $43,200 |
Regional Salary in Rhode Island
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 700 | $50,860 | $24.45 | $70,870 | $36,080 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Schools by City
Frequently Asked Questions
What daily tasks do RI medical billing and coding specialists perform?
A Rhode Island billing and coding specialist works out issues that may occur between patients and insurance carriers.
They also examine medical bills and make sure they provide accurate patient information.
If you work in this role, you also might collect payments from treatment recipients.
Can a Rhode Island Medical Biller or Coder advance to another position?
Yes, they can.
You might start out working in a general hospital.
Then, you might move on to obtain a private practice certification, and maybe you even earn a management credential.
With each certificate you earn, it provides you with more authority.
If you run a team of billers and coders, for instance, you might make $70,000 or more per year in Rhode Island.
What do you need to know about RI billing and coding privacy?
You have strict patient privacy rules set by HIPAA that you must abide by.
Make sure you never violate a patient’s confidentiality when handling their personal information.
This includes confirming you have their permission to share their medical history when necessary.
Is RI billing and coding work stressful?
You might experience some bouts of heavy patient intake, which can stress you out.
Other times, you might become bored if working in a routine clinic and entering the same codes all day.
Will I do both billing and coding when I get hired?
When you work for a large Rhode Island hospital that takes in dozens or more patients, you might just work as a biller or a coder.
Therefore, you would want to specialize in one of these two areas or the other.
Some exceptions to billing and coding specialist placement apply to working for small practices.
In this case, you may want to make sure you have both the billing and coding training.
That is why many programs prepare you for both roles even if you don’t perform all the duties.
