Medical Billing Work Terminology You Have To Know
If you are currently in the medical bill review industry, you know it can incredibly technical. You have to know the names of all these medical procedures, anatomy, the codes, the software shortcuts, accounting terminology, etc. You get the idea. You have years of experience, so you know these terms without even thinking.
But if you are new to the industry, you are probably confused by all of the acronyms. Now there is no reason to be embarrassed, we have all gone through that phase. And to help you out, I have put together a quick article going over commonly used terms and categories.
The first categories you need to become familiar are codes. Lets go over the first two categories: Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 or ICD-10). CPT is a listing of codes for procedures and services performed by US physicians.
ICD-10 is a listing of diseases, and is currently on its tenth addition. Both codes are updated as new diseases and medical procedures are discovered. The World Health Organization (WHO) assigns, publishes, and uses the ICD-10 codes to classify all of the diseases and also track mortality rates based on the health records of each country. The codes are in alphanumeric codes and represent known diseases or circumstances that have caused a persons death.
You also need to know all of the forms and these also have acronyms. The CMS-1500 form is probably one of the most important. The acronym CMS stands for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and is an insurance claims form. You definitely want to become real familiar with this acronym and the various types of medical insurances, both private and government.
Become more familiar with these three phases since you will be seeing them on a daily basis in order to do your medical bill review work.