Massachusetts hosts one of the most promising outlooks for medical billing and coding jobs in the country – largely due to their successful implementation of an entirely electronic records-keeping system in state hospitals. According to a medical professional in Massachusetts, Dr. Judy Ann Bigby, “strengthening the technology that supports our health care has the power to save lives, reduce costs and create thousands of new jobs.” Physicians in the state also receive financial incentives to use electronic medical billing and coding in their practices, receiving as much as $60,000 to pay medical coders and billers in order to help make the transfer painless. Hospitals that have even more records and need to make the transfer can qualify for even more incentives.
Massachusetts, along with being at the forefront of electronic medical billing and coding in the nation, is also home to the world renowned medical school, the University of Massachusetts in Worcester. As a result, the city is often host to the Health Care Information Technology Conference, with the most recent conference having occurred in May of 2011.
General Massachusetts Medical Billing and Coding Information
- Number of Medical Billing and Coding Employees in Massachusetts: 5,710
- Average Medical Billing and Coding Salary in Massachusetts: $40,230
- 90th Percentile Salary: $60,500
- 10th Percentile Salary: $24,920
Medical Billing and Coding Training and Education in Massachusetts
Bristol Community College
Certificate of Achievement in Medical Coding
The Medical Coding Certificate Program at Bristol Community College is designed to provide students with the knowledge needed to document disease and procedure codes in medical coding systems and communicate those codes to medical insurers and government programs for payment. Courses include Information Technology Fluency, Coding of Procedures and Healthcare Reimbursement, and Medical Coding/Billing Externship and Seminar. The program is 27 credit hours in length, and tuition for Massachusetts residents is $24 per credit.
Holyoke Community College
Medical Coding Certificate
The Medical Coding program prepares students to assign appropriate codes from narrative descriptions of diseases and to handle procedures required for reimbursement. Courses include Health Insurance Reimbursement & Computerized Billing, Coding Procedures, and Medical Terminology. There are 25 total credits in the program. Upon completion, students are prepared to work in health information settings. After three months of work experience, graduates should be able to sit for the Certified Coding Associate exam through AHIMA.
Massachusetts AAPC CPC Exam Information
- City: Quincy, MA
- Proctor Name: Nanci M Myers, CPC, CEMC
- Registration Deadline: 11/05/2011
- Exam Date: 12/03/2011
- City: Hyannis, MA
- Proctor Name: Melanie Dias, CPC
- Registration Deadline: 11/12/2011
- Exam Date: 12/10/2011
- City: Burlington, MA
- Proctor Name: Lois D Mazza, CPC
- Registration Deadline: 11/12/2011
- Exam Date: 12/10/2011
Medical Billing and Coding Jobs in Massachusetts
Three significant employers of medical billing and coding professionals in Massachusetts are:
Beverly Hospital
- Address: 85 Herrick Street, Beverly, Massachusetts 01915
- Email Address: gmackill@nhs-healthlink.org
- Phone Number: 978 922-3000, ext. 2300
- Website: www.beverlyhospital.org
Built in 1889, Beverly hospital is a 58-bed full service acute care center, named one of the Top 100 Hospitals by Thomson. They specialize in cancer care, radiology, geriatric services, maternity care, gynecology, day surgery, pediatric care and more. Benefits at Beverly include on-site child care and preschool, hospital discounts, paid time off, a paid time off cash-in option, tuition assistance, an employee assistance program and much more.
Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital
The first rehabilitation clinic in the state, Fairlawn now employs 25 physicians in a 110-bed acute care facility. Services include rehab for amputees, arthritis sufferers, brain injuries, burns, cardiac issues and more. Benefits at Fairlawn include medical, dental and vision coverage, flex spending accounts, paid time off, income protection packages, tuition reimbursement, loan forgiveness, a 401k and 529 college savings plan, and much more.
Arbour Hospital
- Address: 49 Robinwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-2156
- Email Address: Click here to access their contact form.
- Phone Number: 617-522-4400
- Website: www.arbourhealth.com
Arbour Hospital has 118 private beds in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Their services include 24-hour evaluations, inpatient treatment for adults and adolescents, partial adult hospitalization, outpatient and inpatient ECT services, and a short-term supervised dorm called The Parker House. Benefits at Arbour Hospital include several health insurance options or an indemnity plan, dental, disability and life insurance, paid time off, a 401k plan after the first 30 days of employment, tuition assistance, pre-tax flex spending accounts, a stock purchase plan and more.
Top Cities in Massachusetts for Medical Billing and Coding Careers
1. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA
The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metropolitan area employs half of Massachusetts’s medical billers and coders and has the second-highest wages in the state. There are roughly 3,000 employees who make an hourly mean wage of $20.32 and an annual mean wage of $42,270. The tenth percentile wage is $25,720 per year and the ninetieth percentile wage is $64,780 per year.
2. Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA
There are approximately 140 medical billers and coders in the Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford metropolitan area. The average hourly wage is $20.72 and the average annual wage is $43,110, both of which are the highest in the state. The tenth percentile wage is $24,930 annually and the ninetieth percentile wage is $67,210 annually, which is $13,000 more than the national average.
3. Barnstable Town, MA
In Barnstable there are about 240 medical billers and coders who make an average of $19.78 per hour and $41,150 per year. Those in the lowest ten percent make $23,660 per year and those in the highest ten percent make $58,670 per year.
4. Peabody, MA
Around 180 medical billers and coders work in Peabody making an average hourly wage of $18.21 and an average annual wage of $37,870. The tenth percentile wage is $23,470 annually and the ninetieth percentile wage is $59,720 annually.
5. Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA
There are only about 60 medical billers and coders in the Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner metropolitan area, and the average worker makes $18.12 per hour and $37,700 per year. The annual tenth percentile wage is $24,950 and the annual ninetieth percentile wage is $60,050, third-highest in the state.
6. Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA
The Providence-Fall River-Warwick metropolitan area employs approximately 860 medical billers and coders. These workers’ hourly mean wage is $18.10 and their annual mean wage is $37,650. The highest ten percent of workers make $55,400 per year and the lowest ten percent make $24,390 per year.
7. Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA
In the Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton metropolitan area there are roughly 190 medical billers and coders. The mean wages are $17.73 hourly and $36,890 annually. Those in the top wage bracket make $57,780 per year and those in the bottom wage bracket make $24,230 per year.
8. Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA
The numbers for the Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury metropolitan area are very similar to the previous area. There are about 120 medical billers and coders who make an hourly mean wage of $17.72 and an annual mean wage of $36,850. The tenth percentile wage is $24,270 per year and the ninetieth percentile wage is $57,280 per year.
9. Framingham, MA
Framingham employs about 150 medical billers and coders. The hourly mean wage is $17.51 and the annual mean wage is $36,430. The tenth percentile wage is second-highest in the state, $25,620 annually, but the ninetieth percentile wage is lower than the state and national averages at $50,790.
10. Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, MA
There are approximately 80 medical billers and coders in the Lawrence-Methuen-Salem metropolitan area, and the wage numbers fall mostly below the national and state averages. The average hourly wage is $16.30 and the average annual wage is $33,910. The annual tenth percentile wage is $22,450 and the annual ninetieth percentile wage is $48,660.
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.
