As of 2017, there were around 200,000 jobs in the field of medical auditing and the job outlook is set to progressively grow by 13% by the year 2026. This makes medical auditing a rewarding, lucrative and an in-demand career. Continue reading “All About Medical Auditing As A Career”
Category: Medical Auditor
Reasons Why Healthcare Auditing Is Necessary
The purpose of an audit is to identify and close any discrepancies in the procedural and diagnosis codes entered in the patient’s medical charts. Continue reading “Reasons Why Healthcare Auditing Is Necessary”
What Are The Skills Required To Become A Medical Auditor?
A medical auditor collects and analyzes data to identify any duplicity, discrepancy or fraud in the patients’ healthcare data records. They also examine general ledger entries to spot possible extravagance or non-compliance. Continue reading “What Are The Skills Required To Become A Medical Auditor?”
How To Become A Certified Professional Medical Auditor
Certified medical auditors are also called compliance auditors and their job duties primarily involve reviewing clinical documents, administrative & patient health data and physician billing & coding records. Continue reading “How To Become A Certified Professional Medical Auditor”
The Perks of Being a Medical Auditor
A medical auditor is a certified professional who reviews a claim that has already been coded and scans for any compliance or coding issues. The purpose of the auditor is to remove any discrepancies so as to ensure smoother processing and minimize payment delays.
While that may sound like a dry subject and a boring profession at first, there are lucrative incentives for those who actually complete their studies. Here’s a closer look at some of the well-known perks of being a medical auditor.
1. It’s a Growing Industry:
The best part of being a medical auditor is the rapidly expanding industry. In fact, numbers posted by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the healthcare industry looks set to grow by 18% from 2016 to 2026 (due to an aging population). In other words, medical auditors are almost guaranteed jobs in the near future.
2. There’s a High Market Demand:
Speaking of which, all certified medical auditors are in high demand these days. This means there’s a minimum waiting time after you graduate with healthcare clinics even offering incredible contracts to promising students who are yet to clear their CPC exams!
3. You Earn More:
While money may not be able to buy you happiness, financial security sure does open a lot of doors. Even in this regard, medical auditors are well off as they’re adequately compensated for their services.
While healthcare technicians earn around $38,040 per annum, medical coders earn an average of $52,000 – with medical auditors earning even more than that!
4. Wide Career Options:
If you hold a medical auditing certification but find the hospital setting to be depressing or if you simply cannot sit in a healthcare clinic anymore, you don’t have to worry about wasting your education as you can choose to become a licensed teacher. This will move you away from the clinic and into the classroom of esteemed universities and medical training institutes.
5. Kick-Start Your Career in Days:
As discussed above, medical auditors rarely sit on the bench as they’re called into action almost instantly as they graduate. Generally speaking, a medical auditing student can expect to have a job proposal waiting for them days after they graduate which is remarkable especially considering the fact that most doctors have to wait for months!
6. Work from Home is a Possibility:
In recent years, the rise of mobility has seen a lot of industries adopt the work from home approach. This means that instead of wasting away at your office desk, you can choose to work from the comfort of your living room and don’t have to pay extortionate rates on commutes.
7. You Make a Difference:
By far the best thing about being a medical auditor is that you make a substantial difference in the lives of your patients. By scanning and reviewing medical claims, you make sure that they’re error-free and can be processed quickly. This ensures that your patients are reimbursed for healthcare services and that they aren’t financially strained for months!
Because of these reasons (and countless others) we’re strong advocates of medical auditing as a profession. If you want to earn medical billing certifications you can do so by enrolling in our online classes. For years, Allied Prep Technical Institute has been offering impeccable medical billing training classes online that have helped our alumni land respectable and profitable jobs.
Get in touch with us today to learn more about how you stand to benefit from our online classes.
Benefits of Online Learning for CPMA Certification
If you’ve been working as a medical biller or a medical coder for the last few years, you may feel ready to take the next step in your career. For many medical coders, that step is becoming a certified professional medical auditor, or CPMA.
CPMAs are in demand in hospitals, at doctor’s offices, and in government agencies that regulate health care facilities. They can make substantially more money than billers or coders, because they must have more experience, more training, and a second certification in medical auditing.
If you’re already working full time as a medical biller or coder, how can you find the time to get the training you need to pass the CPMA exam? The answer is online CPMA school.
At Allied Prep, our online CPMA certification program lets you take your career to the next level without sacrificing your current job or your schedule. Online coursework lets you plan your studies around your schedule. You can go at your own pace. Maybe you’d like to cram through the course during a few weeks of vacation. Or maybe you’d like to set aside a few nights a week for regular lectures and study time. If your schedule is unpredictable, you could even fit in coursework here and there as you are able until you have time to finish.
Online learning also has a financial benefit. Allied Prep’s online course lets you get CPMA certification training for a set, low price that is much more affordable than an in-class alternative. All you need to succeed in an online course is an internet connection and a little determination. It’s by far the most flexible option for furthering your learning and moving your career forward.
In our online CPMA course, you’ll learn advanced medical coding, basics of statistical modeling, how to identify and report fraud, and many other skills. Once you pass your exam, you could be qualified for an in-house auditing position at your current workplace, or you could look for a job with an auditing agency. These positions let you travel around and work with new people all the time. There are lots of different ways to be successful as a CPMA, and the room for growth into more senior, even better paying positions is excellent.
Learn more about our online CPMA program by taking the time to contact our team! We’d be happy to address any questions you may have about our CPMA school.
Exploring the Advantages of CPMA Certification
If you’ve reached a plateau in your career as a medical biller or medical coder, it might be time to head back to school so that you can take the next step in your professional life.
Certified Professional Medical Auditors (CPMAs) are medical coders or billers with at least a few years of experience who have taken the time to get certified in medical auditing. This certification is harder to obtain than a basic medical coding or billing certification. It shows that you have the necessary expertise to identify errors or even fraud within the work of other billers and coders.
Because CPMAs have more experience and need to obtain a second certification, they are paid much more than other medical billers. They are in high demand, as medical offices and hospitals need to regularly submit to outside audits from federal and state agencies. Many medical offices also hire internal auditors to stay on top of their own records and avoid problems down the line.
In order to pass the CPMA exam, you will need advanced knowledge of medical coding as well as in depth knowledge of statistical sampling, quality assurance measures, medical fraud, and the accompanying documentation and reporting methods. Some people choose to study for the CPMA certification exam on their own, but it is much easier to prepare through a CPMA school.
At Allied Prep, our CPMA coursework gives you all the necessary tools to pass the exam the first time around. You’ll have access to knowledgeable instructors, the opportunity to take multiple practice exams, and support from fellow students. In a matter of weeks you’ll be ready to get CPMA certification off your checklist and move your career forward. Having your certification will make you a more valuable asset in your current job and open up possibilities of promotions and pay raises.
CPMA professionals are in demand around the country, and the opportunities are only expected to grow over the next ten years. Learn more about the responsibilities and benefits of being a Certified Professional Medical Auditor by visiting our campus or giving us a call today. We have online and in-class learning options, a flexible payment plan, and financial aid opportunities. Call 504-304-8826 now to learn more.
CPMA Exam Tips and Preparation
The Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA) exam is the test that you must pass in order to step into a job as a medical auditor. These jobs can be quite lucrative and are a great next step for professional medical coders or billers.
CPMA exams cover a number of topics, including general coding concepts, quality assurance, communication of results, the medical record, and government guidelines for medical documentation fraud and abuse reporting. Currently, the exam costs $350 to take and allows one free retake.
CPMA Exam Prep
The first step in CPMA exam prep is understanding the format of the exam and what will be expected of you. In your years of experience as a medical biller or medical coder, you’ll have already gained a lot of the experience necessary to do well on the test. But you will need to expand your knowledge, particularly of fraud detection and other auditing skills, in order to pass the exam.
The exam is a 150 question test made up entirely of multiple choice questions. You’ll be given five hours and forty minutes to complete the test, and you will be able to use your coding manuals during the whole thing. The AAPC recommends that test takers bring their own copy of the Current CPT, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II manuals.
Prepare the Smart Way
CPMA exams are notoriously difficult, so it’s important to prepare diligently in advance.
The best way to do that is with a CPMA certification course. By meeting regularly with a qualified instructor, either online or in a classroom, and practicing your skills in advance of the test, you can greatly increase your odds of passing the first time. Our best CPMA exam tips are to take practice tests early and often, and you’ll be able to do exactly that in our CPMA certification program.
Beyond exam prep, Allied Prep’s CPMA course also helps prepare students for a career as a medical auditor. The course will provide you with practical knowledge and skills that will help you step into a medical auditing job quickly and excel at your work.
Learn more about Allied Prep’s CPMA certification program by contacting our school today. You can also stop by the campus or fill out this form to request more information.