Introduction 1
Part 1 Getting to Know Medical Billing and Coding 5
Chapter 1 Dipping Your Toes into Medical Billing and Coding 7
Chapter 2 Exploring the Billing and Coding Professions 17
Chapter 3 Weighing Your Employment Options 31
Part 2 Boning Up on the Need-to-Knows of Your Profession 43
Chapter 4 Compliance Understanding the Rules 45
Chapter 5 Not-So-Strange Bedfellows Medical Terminology and Medical Necessity 61
Chapter 6 Getting to Know the Payers 87
Part 3 Becoming a Professional Getting Certified 105
Chapter 7 Your Basic Certification Options, Courtesy of the AAPC and AHIMA 107
Chapter 8 The Path to Certification Finding a Study Program 121
Chapter 9 Signing Up and Preparing for the Certification Exam 141
Chapter 10 Adding Street Cred Specialty Certifications and Continuing Ed 161
Part 4 Dealing and Succeeding with Nitty-Gritty On-the-Job Details 173
Chapter 11 Processing a Run-of-the-Mill Claim An Overview 175
Chapter 12 Homing In on How to Prepare an Error-Free Claim 193
Chapter 13 From Clearinghouse to Accounts Receivable to Money in the Pocket 211
Chapter 14 Handling Disputes and Appeals 223
Chapter 15 Keeping Up with the Rest of the World 245
Part 5 Working with Stakeholders 253
Chapter 16 Dealing with Commercial Insurance Claims 255
Chapter 17 Caring about Medicare and Medicaid 267
Chapter 18 Coding Ethics Being an Advocate for Your Employer 281
Part 6 The Part of Tens 297
Chapter 19 Ten Billing and Coding Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 299
Chapter 20 Ten Acronyms to Burn into Your Brain 305
Chapter 21 Ten (Plus One) Tips from Billing and Coding Pros 311
Glossary 317
Index 325
