When most go to the doctor their main concerns are diagnosing their health issue and getting better.
Then at some point, the medical bill may become a concern. Will their insurance cover the treatment? How much will be owed out of pocket?
It may have not occurred to the patient how the hospital or doctor communicates with the insurance company to make certain they get paid for the proper diagnosis, treatments and supplies used.
Deborah Kay Arter, a medical coder at Salem Community Hospital and instructor at the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center, knows exactly how it is done. She recently went over the process with CTC board members, talking about her two semester program, which prepares students for a career as a certified medical coder.
Arter said the importance of passing the exam to become a certified coder can mean $5 more per hour over non-certified coders. Of those who take the national certification test 76 percent do not pass, she said. At the Career Center last time, 100 percent passed.
