What Are My Options for Medical Billing From Home Jobs?
According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, almost all of these medical billing jobs ads are among the top work-at-home scams, especially in an economic climate where money is tight and there are high unemployment rates.
Con artists offering these too-good-to-be-true job credentials make their money when they get you to pay for starter kits or bogus medical billing certificates. They entice with offers of large incomes for full- or part-time jobs that can be accomplished electronically from a home environment. Their training packages may include bill processing software, a list of potential clients, as well as dial-up technical support. Typically these client lists are outdated and the billing may not work. Such training packages and extras can wind up costing job seekers fees that can accumulate into thousands of dollars.
The harsh reality for those looking to start their medical billing home business is that there are few legitimate work-at-home jobs in the field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the vast majority of medical billing and coding jobs do not occur in a home setting. Medical billing professionals most typically work in office settings in hospitals and other health care facilities, as well as in physician office settings. The medical billing field is strongly competitive and most physicians process claims and bills in their hospital office or practice. For those with hopes of starting a medical billing from home freelance business, outsourced medical billing jobs are typically handled through well-established large firms with their own office settings.
How to Assess the Legitimacy of Home Medical Billing Jobs
There are a few legitimate medical billing from home jobs available. These jobs are typically given to medical billing professionals with years of experience working in a health care setting along with a clientele familiar with his or her expertise. There are also medical billing jobs offered through legitimate health care organization online databases and forums. But even these posted medical billing from home jobs should be assessed for legitimacy.
Ways to assess the legitimacy of medical billing from home job offers include the following:
- Ask to see a list of users, past and present, who have bought the medical billing program. The list should be sizable. Make sure to get user contact information. Make many phone calls or send emails to users on the list before doing business with work-at-home job providers.
- Consult with an attorney, accountant, or any other business adviser that you trust. Check out the sponsor with the Better Business Bureau, your State Attorney General’s office, as well as your local consumer protection office.
- Ads for medical billing from home jobs typically include a toll-free number where potential clients encounter high-pressure salespeople. Ask the right questions and make sure to get the answers in writing before doing business with work-at-home job sponsors.
Questions to ask medical billing from home jobs sponsors include:
- What tasks will I have to perform in a medical billing from home job? Ask the salesperson to list every step of the job.
- As a work-at-home medical biller, will I be paid a salary or by commission?
- Do you have any documents proving that your claims are true?
- What is the total cost of the work-at-home medical billing training package including supplies, equipment and membership fees?
There are legitimate medical billing jobs from home available, but you’ll first need to get the appropriate certification training from an accredited school. Go out into the job market and get the necessary work experience at a doctor’s office or other health care facility setting like a hospital. Build up your expertise, aiming for a freelance business with clients who trust you.
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.
