Kentucky has opportunities for people interested in a billing and coding career.
Training may take you less than a year to start, and you can earn a decent wage while learning.
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- State Medical Billing and Coding Licensing Requirements
- 5 Medical Billing & Coding Schools in Kentucky
- Additional Educational Recommendations
- Salary
- Schools by City
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What does a medical billing and coding specialist do?
- Will the demand increase for billers and coders in the future?
- Do I need a degree to become a professional coder?
- How long does medical billing and coding training take?
- How do I know the billing and coding training program is legitimate?
- How much does billing and coding training cost?
State Medical Billing and Coding Licensing Requirements
The state of Kentucky does not require a medical billing and coding license to serve in this role.
However, most health care employers seek candidates who have American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) credentials.
The ideal medical billing and coding or medical informatics program will prepare you for the Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC), or Certified Outpatient Coder (COC) AAPC exams.
You also can achieve one of several additional specialized certifications, such as Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC) or Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA).
Otherwise, you can enroll in a Certified Professional Biller (CPB) track.
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) offers certifications too, such as the Certified Coding Specialist (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), or the Certified Coding Specialist – Physician-Based (CCS-P).
5 Medical Billing & Coding Schools in Kentucky
Ohana Coding
This online training center typically offers 12-week certificate courses.
They typically host two to three different classroom slots in the morning or evening on Zoom.
They also host weekend “Bootcamps” and prepare you for CPC, COC, and other AAPC specialties.
MedCode Logix
This training center offers a 16-week AAPC-approved course.
Prepare for the CPC exam and learn what diagnostics, medical tests, and treatments or procedures you have coding abbreviations for.
ATA College
Earn a Medical Coding Certificate, during which time you would take Anatomy, Physiology, and a variety of basic and advanced coding protocols required for acquiring a CPC, CPC-I, CPB, or CPPM certificate.
You also can prepare for the CEMC or COC and prepare for all related AAPC certification exams.
Beckfield College
This school does have an office in Kentucky, but you can earn your Medical Billing and Coding Diploma (Certificate) online.
Beckfield has received accreditation from the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
It prepares you for the CCA certificate you would earn from AHIMA.
WVJC
This school has an office in West Virginia.
However, they also have an online Medical Coding Associate Degree program that serves Kentucky.
In this training track, you will learn the codes required for your insurance claim processing position.
You will also acquire applied knowledge of medical diagnostics, anatomy, physiology, and other classes required by AAPC or AHIMA.
Additional Educational Recommendations
If you want to become a hospital administrator or employ yourself in a management position after having been a coder for a while, consider a university education.
For instance, you could earn a health sciences degree at the University of Kentucky.
Otherwise, the University of Louisville offers a business administration degree, for which you could apply to health care management.
Western Kentucky University, however, has health care administration and management concentrations.
In addition, this school has a medical informatics certificate program.
It also has three different health science concentrations.
Billing and Coding Schools in Kentucky – Summary Table
Top 5 Schools in Kentucky
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Ohana Coding | 1515 N Warson Rd Ste. 256, St. Louis, MO 63132 |
| MedCode Logix | 4025 Barnard Dr, Lexington, KY, 40509 |
| ATA College | 10200 Linn Station Rd #125, Louisville, KY 40223 |
| Beckfield College | 16 Spiral Dr, Florence, KY 41042 |
| WVJC | 148 Willey St, Morgantown, WV 26505 |
Salary
A medical coder in Louisville, Kentucky makes an average annual salary of $48,320 as of March 29, 2022.
Employment as a certified biller may earn you a little less.
If you move onto management, you could make about $60,000 or more.
Some upper-management positions might even generate an income of between $70,000 and $100,000 or more.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Medical Biller and Coders in Kentucky
| City Name | Salary |
|---|---|
| Lexington-Fayette | $38,600 |
| Louisville | $38,700 |
| Owensboro | $38,500 |
| Bowling Green | $37,100 |
| Covington | $40,100 |
| Hopkinsville | $36,900 |
| Frankfort | $37,500 |
| Henderson | $38,800 |
| Richmond | $38,200 |
| Jeffersonville | $38,300 |
Regional Salary in Kentucky
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green, KY | 160 | $46,600 | $22.41 | $62,330 | $34,680 |
| Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY | 60 | $49,480 | $23.79 | $74,310 | $37,180 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 630 | $49,690 | $23.89 | $64,870 | $37,150 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 1,130 | $48,860 | $23.49 | $67,580 | $34,740 |
| Owensboro, KY | 80 | $46,130 | $22.18 | $53,340 | $32,350 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Schools by City
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a medical billing and coding specialist do?
You would either spend most of your time in a health care billing department filing patient records.
Otherwise, you might spend most of your day processing insurance claims to make sure patients receive reimbursement.
Will the demand increase for billers and coders in the future?
For 2020-2030, career researchers predict a 9% job growth outlook.
You might find 34,300 new job openings within this 10-year period.
However, you might face some increased competition once more people find out about an increase in work-at-home or hybrid positions.
It is best to start your billing and coding training as soon as possible before everyone else snags all the open positions.
Do I need a degree to become a professional coder?
Entry-level positions do not require a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
However, a bachelor’s degree could benefit you if you decide to pursue a managerial position.
How long does medical billing and coding training take?
It could take you only a few months to earn your CPC certification, but you might want to earn an associate degree or acquire additional certificates.
However, you can work while preparing for each certificate exam and continue seeking an experience that will make you ready for performing additional specialized billing or coding roles.
How do I know the billing and coding training program is legitimate?
Start with schools approved by either AAPC or AHIMA.
If attending a university, make sure it has received accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, or another government-recognized association.
How much does billing and coding training cost?
The minimum fee for a certification program that offers medical billing and coding training is about $2,595-$3,395, but it may cost as much as $29,390 at some institutions.
