You could pursue a medical billing and coding career in Texas without professional certification.
However, having a credential that an employer recognizes will increase your chances of getting hired.
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- Licensing Requirements To Become a Texas Medical Billing & Coding Specialist
- Additional Certifications
- 5 Medical Billing & Coding Schools in Texas
- Salary
- Schools by City
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does it take to become a Texas biller and coder?
- Do I need a degree to become a TX billing and coding specialist?
- What does Texas a medical billing and coding specialist do?
- Do Texas job openings require both billing and coding tasks?
- What is the most important thing about handling TX patients?
Licensing Requirements To Become a Texas Medical Billing & Coding Specialist
The Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) is issued by the National Health Association (NHA) and is currently the entry-level medical billing certification for medical research.
Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) exam provided by the National Health Association (NHA).
Additional Certifications
The NHA also provides the Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CERS) credential.
You also have the option to seek a certificate from the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), which is the largest U.S. credentialing body for this field.
If you do, you probably would start out with the Certified Professional Coder credential unless you already have it.
Another option is the Professional Coder Apprentice also offered by the AAPC.
Otherwise, you could earn the Certified Coding Specialist credential issued by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
5 Medical Billing & Coding Schools in Texas
1. The UTSA PaCE Training
USTA provides a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant program.
It includes the coding you need to know when classifying specific medical diagnoses, treatments, and procedures when you file patient medical records.
This instruction will also provide you with the knowledge that will prepare you to take the CMAA offered by the NHA or the CPC provided by the AAPC.
You also have the option to prepare for an AHIMA CCA or CBCS exam.
You will receive a voucher for a free exam. Medical terminology instruction is also provided to provide you reference for recalling codes.
2. Texas State
The Medical Billing and Coding certificate program offered by Texas State comes with an exam voucher to reduce expenses.
You will become accustomed to identifying medical services, and procedures, and performing billing or reimbursement consultation.
Additionally, also learn how to input data into patient records using the correct alphanumeric codes to be used by healthcare professionals and insurers.
This training is for earning the CPC credential hosted by the AAPC or the CCA issued by AHIMA.
You could apply it to acquire your CBCS certificate offered by the NHA too.
3. Texas Tech – Office of Continuing & Professional Education
This training will teach you the Healthcare Common procedure Coding System (HCPCS), CPT Category II, and ICD-10 coding.
You will also have time to practice using medical billing and coding software when taking this course.
After you complete this instruction, you can prepare for your CPC, CBCS, or CCA exam.
Once certified, you should have the confidence required to classify a patient’s medical history.
4. Altierus Career College
This training center provides ongoing career assistance.
Therefore, you might use this come time to renew your billing and coding certificate if you already have one.
Otherwise, acquire a new one.
You have the chance to attend campus one day a week if you want.
The rest is online, and it takes about eight months.
Learn the HCPCS, ICD-10-CM, and CPT codes.
Upon course completion, you should be ready to take the AAPC’s CPC exam.
In addition to hands-on training, you also can experience some simulated billing and coding scenarios.
5. Western Tech (WT)
Earn a certification from one of the “big 3,” (NHA, AAPC, or AHIMA) when done with your coursework.
What is more, gain professional experience in a real-world environment while still learning.
In addition to coding work, you could also become a medical secretary, a biller, or a collections agent.
Otherwise, you could certify yourself to become a medical records clerk or an insurance specialist.
Billing and Coding Schools in Texas – Summary Table
Top 5 Schools in Texas
School Name | Address |
---|---|
The UTSA PaCE Training | 501 W. Cesar Chavez Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78207 |
Texas State | 601 University Dr, San Marcos, TX 78666 |
Texas Tech - Office of Continuing & Professional Education | 9 West Cary Street Box 842505 Richmond, Virginia 23284-2505 |
Altierus Career College | 9700 Bissonnet St #1400, Houston, TX 77036 |
Western Tech | 9624 Plaza Cir, El Paso, TX 79927 |
Salary
A Texas entry-level biller and coder can earn about $39,696 per year in this state as of April 2022.
The range totals about $35,943-$43,650.
Earn more if you have more than one credential, and look for jobs in these locations: Austin, Houston, Denton, and more.
By the way, you can search the AAPC site for opportunities.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Medical Biller and Coders in Texas
City Name | Salary |
---|---|
Houston | $42,100 |
Dallas | $40,900 |
San Antonio | $40,000 |
Austin | $40,400 |
El Paso | $36,000 |
Fort Worth | $40,100 |
Arlington | $40,000 |
Corpus Christi | $38,600 |
Plano | $40,700 |
Garland | $40,800 |
Regional Salary in Texas
Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abilene, TX | 130 | $41,880 | $20.13 | $60,340 | $28,900 |
Amarillo, TX | 300 | $43,650 | $20.98 | $60,280 | $33,280 |
Austin-Round Rock, TX | 1,270 | $48,310 | $23.23 | $71,210 | $34,080 |
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 150 | $40,410 | $19.43 | $58,800 | $28,010 |
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 260 | $40,840 | $19.64 | $56,740 | $27,950 |
College Station-Bryan, TX | 260 | $47,750 | $22.96 | $70,860 | $31,580 |
Corpus Christi, TX | 320 | $43,430 | $20.88 | $60,990 | $30,440 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 6,450 | $51,680 | $24.85 | $77,070 | $35,240 |
El Paso, TX | 470 | $44,710 | $21.5 | $63,350 | $28,070 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 4,340 | $49,620 | $23.86 | $73,220 | $34,030 |
Killeen-Temple, TX | 270 | $46,610 | $22.41 | $63,770 | $32,020 |
Laredo, TX | 90 | $39,260 | $18.87 | $55,680 | $27,060 |
Longview, TX | 240 | $47,470 | $22.82 | $66,910 | $33,830 |
Lubbock, TX | 260 | $43,050 | $20.7 | $59,070 | $28,370 |
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 580 | $38,260 | $18.39 | $56,420 | $24,290 |
Midland, TX | 80 | $47,700 | $22.93 | $66,850 | $35,410 |
Odessa, TX | 40 | $46,450 | $22.33 | $74,400 | $28,780 |
San Angelo, TX | 90 | $43,990 | $21.15 | $56,430 | $29,180 |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 1,710 | $47,070 | $22.63 | $66,330 | $31,750 |
Sherman-Denison, TX | 110 | $40,960 | $19.69 | $48,960 | $31,040 |
Texarkana, TX-AR | 100 | $36,490 | $17.54 | $51,600 | $26,980 |
Tyler, TX | 220 | $47,550 | $22.86 | $73,290 | $28,610 |
Victoria, TX | 60 | $46,030 | $22.13 | $73,960 | $28,190 |
Waco, TX | 170 | $41,690 | $20.04 | $55,310 | $27,680 |
Wichita Falls, TX | 130 | $46,770 | $22.49 | $63,670 | $29,170 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Schools by City
- Austin, TX3 Schools
- Brownsville, TX5 Schools
- Dallas, TX5 Schools
- El Paso, TX4 Schools
- Fort Worth, TX5 Schools
- Houston, TX5 Schools
- McAllen, TX7 Schools
- San Antonio, TX4 Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a Texas biller and coder?
It usually takes one to three years to become a medical billing and coder.
However, you can train as an assistant before you receive your first certification, and that may only take a few months.
The amount of time you spend in school is up to you, except come time to renew your certificate(s).
That, you must do about once a year for most.
Do I need a degree to become a TX billing and coding specialist?
Becoming a medical billing and coding specialist does not require a bachelor’s degree.
However, you must pursue a medical coding certification.
Online study programs can help you prepare for your exam, which you would take before you receive your billing and coding certificate.
What does Texas a medical billing and coding specialist do?
Medical billers and coders assign codes to various medical diagnoses and procedures, use the code to place the patient in a Diagnosis Related Group (DRG), and then bill insurance companies and/or individuals for the procedures.
Do Texas job openings require both billing and coding tasks?
Not all of them do.
You could find a position where you would just work as a biller or a coder.
However, many healthcare office professionals perform both medical billing and medical coding tasks.
Entry-level positions typically require only passing one certification exam and an appropriate certificate program in medical billing and coding.
After training is complete, you can land work as a medical biller.
However, both the medical biller and insurance coder training are often combined into one job.
What is the most important thing about handling TX patients?
Medical billing and coding professionals must understand the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
That is part of the reason for using the alphanumeric abbreviations for classifying bills and insurance claims.
It increases patient privacy because only trained healthcare staff can interpret them.