Medical Billing & Coding Specialist Employment Outlook
The number of jobs for Medical Billing & Coding Specialists, called Medical Records and Health Information Technicians by the U. S. Department of Labor, is expected to increase by 27 percent or more by 2014. In 2004, there were approximately 159,000 people employed in the U.S. as Medical Billing & Coding Specialists.
Specialists with expertise in medical coding will be in demand because the growth in managed care increases the amount of paperwork required to file insurance claims. Demand for Medical Billing & Coding Specialists is also driven by recent Federal legislation that mandates the use of electronic patient records.
While the growth for these types of health careers are expected to remain steady in hospitals, the largest growth will be in physicians' offices, especially large group practices. The U.S. Department of Labor also predicts high job growth in non-hospital facilities, such as residential and outpatient care centers.
For workers with medical coding experience, the employment outlook through temporary help and professional services agencies is predicted to be good.
