The medical coding and billing field is on the rise, with the Bureau of Labor statistics predicting a 20% growth in the number of careers over the next ten years. In Connecticut, this would mean that around 318 jobs would be created in the next ten years. This job growth is partly due to an increase in reliance on technology for record keeping and the retirement of an older generation. Also, the current median wage in Connecticut is slightly higher than the national average.
General Connecticut Medical Billing and Coding Information
- Number of Medical Billing and Coding Employees in Connecticut: 1,590
- Average Medical Billing and Coding Salary in Connecticut: $38,450
- 90th Percentile Salary: $53,370
- 10th Percentile Salary: $25,220
Medical Billing and Coding Training and Education in Connecticut
Sandford-Brown
Certificate Program in Medical Billing and Coding
The Medical Billing and Coding program at Sanford-Brown is designed to help students begin their careers in entry-levels jobs at medical offices, hospitals, clinics, and other medical centers. The careers that the course is geared toward include medical office biller, medical office billing assistant, medical office assistant, medical receptionist, and medical records assistant. Some of the topics of study include billing practices and systems, reimbursement systems, data abstracting, health record maintenance, and healthcare computer applications. Sixty-six credit hours are required for certification and each credit costs $210.42, putting the total cost at $13,913.
Naugatuck Valley Community College
Medical Coding and Billing Specialist Program
The Naugatuck Valley Community College offers a medical coding and billing program that has four modules, including a clinical internship. The program consists of 450 hours held three evenings during the week for three hours each session. The modules cover topics such as medical terminology, computers in health care, and basic and advanced ICD-9 and CPT coding. The program takes 15 months to complete and costs $6,099.
Goodwin College
Medical Billing and Coding Certificate
The Goodwin College Certificate for Medical Billing and Coding includes courses such as CPT Coding, Medical Office Management and Medical Terminology. The program is 27-30 credits in length, and includes elective classes as well as an elective internship. All core classes require a grade of “C” or better, and students will be eligible to sit for the Certified Professional Coder examination upon completion of the course. Students can also apply the majority of their credits toward an Associate or Bachelor of Science in Health Science. The cost of tuition varies according to the number of hours, ranging from $9,000 per semester for full-time students to $560 per credit for students taking less than six credits per semester.
State AAPC CPC Exam Information
- City: Danbury, CT
- Proctor Name: Jean Betancourt, CPC, CHAA, CPC
- Registration Deadline: 10/22/2011
- Exam Date: 11/19/2011
- City: Southington, CT
- Proctor Name: Donna M Gandza, CPC
- Registration Deadline: 11/12/2011
- Exam Date: 12/10/2011
- City: Meridian, CT
- Proctor Name: Linda K Dixon, CPC, CPC-I
- Registration Deadline: 12/03/2011
- Exam Date: 12/31/2011
Medical Billing and Coding Jobs in Connecticut
Three significant employers of medical billing and coding professionals in Connecticut are:
Saint Francis Care
- Address: 114 Woodland Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06105
- Email Address: webmaster@stfranciscare.org
- Phone Number: 1-800-993-4312
- Website: www.stfranciscare.org
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center is nationally recognized as a provider of quality healthcare and services. Founded in 1897 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambery, it is one of the largest hospitals in Connecticut. Saint Francis is also affiliated with the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Hospital of Saint Raphael
- Address: 1450 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
- Email Address: webmaster@srhs.org
- Phone Number: 203-789-3000
- Website: www.srhs.org
The Hospital of Saint Raphael is a community teaching hospital affiliated with Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to the most modern technology and advanced medical procedures, this faith-based organization offers compassionate care, holding the dignity of each patient as a priority. Saint Raphael is the leading provider of bilateral joint replacement and the center of choice for other adult inpatient services such as orthopedic surgeries and thoracic surgeries. In addition to offering leading technology and minimally invasive surgeries, Saint Raphael offers many on-site and community-based outreach programs.
Masonicare
- Address: 22 Masonic Avenue, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
- Email Address: careers@masonicare.org
- Phone Number: 888-635-6664
- Website: www.masonicare.org
Masonicare is the leading provider of healthcare and retirement living communities for seniors in Connecticut. They are not-for-profit and have over 100 years of experience caring for residents and patients. Masonicare has its roots in Connecticut’s first Masonic Lodge, which began a charitable fund and established an 88-acre homestead as The Masonic Home in 1895. Masonicare employs more than 2,500 people throughout Connecticut.
Top Cities in Connecticut for Medical Billing and Coding Careers
1. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metropolitan area employs the highest number of medical coders and billers in the state and also has the highest concentration per capita. There are 660 employees who make an average of $17.38 per hour and $36,150 per year. The lowest ten percent of employees make $25,100 annually, while the highest ten percent make $52,430 annually.
2. New Haven, CT
New Haven employs 230 medical billers and coders, paying them an average of $18.17 per hour and $37,800 per year. The top ten percent of workers earn $57,000 annually and the bottom ten percent earn $27,120.
3. Waterbury, CT
Waterbury employs the least amount of medical billers and coders – 70. The wages, however, are for the most part the highest in the state. The only number that comes in second is the annual wage for the highest tenth of coders, which is second to Danbury at $61,570. The lowest ten percent make $26,000 annually, while the average worker makes $19.66 per hour and $40,890 per year.
4. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
The second highest number of employed medical billers and coders are in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area. However, all other numbers for this city are the lowest in the top seven areas. The average employee is paid $15.82 an hour and $32,910 annually. The top ten percent of medical billers and coders in this area make $46,270 annually while the lowest ten percent make $21,330 annually.
5. Danbury, CT
There are 100 medical billers and coders employed in Danbury. The average worker in this city makes $19.19 per hour, second only to Waterbury, and $39,920 per year, also second to Waterbury. The lowest ten percent of wage earners make $26,000 annually and the highest ten percent make $61,570, making it the highest paying city in the highest percentile.
5. Norwich-New London, CT-RI
There are 130 medical billers and coders in the Norwich-New London metropolitan area. These workers earn an average of $18.01 an hour and $37,470 a year. The lowest ten percent of billers and coders make a wage comparable to the respective workers in New Haven, $27,100 per year, while the top ten percent earn less at $53,230 per year.
About our expert. Jan Jacobs has worked in medical offices since the early 1980's. Ms. Jacobs has worked for M.D.'s and D.O.'s in primary care and specialty care. She is employed as a senior medical biller and has been at her current job for nearly 10 years, where she uses three different billing systems.
