North Campus to Offer Classes for Medical Billing Specialist

Pennsylvania College of Technology's North Campus near Wellsboro is offering classes for a medical billing and coding specialist certificate.

The part-time certificate curriculum is approved by the National Healthcareer Association, which certifies the competency of newly trained professionals in allied health.

The classes are offered for those interested in obtaining the skills needed to work in the handling of proper insurance claims in a physician's office or medical insurance company using CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) and ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification) for coding. Students must complete 132 hours to sit for the NHA certification exam.

Classes will be offered from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 12 to May 20, in Room 117 at the North Campus. Topics include medical terminology, medical insurances and third-party reimbursements, filing claims, completing common insurance forms, delinquent and denied claims, and billing procedures.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of billing and coding specialists is expected to increase greatly over the next 10 years. Obtaining NHA certification can give individuals the competitive edge to obtain a job or promotion.

Prospective students must have either a high school diploma or GED and must have successfully completed the North Campus NHA-approved training program to take the certification exam.

For more information or to register for courses, contact the North Campus at 570-724-7703.