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Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a billing specialist. Feel free to use our billing specialist job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a billing specialist.

 

Who is a Billing Specialist?

Billing Specialists are typically responsible for accounts receivable by managing and documenting all company invoices. Their primary objective is to ensure that they charge customers accurately and regularly monitor all payments.

A billing specialist is a professional that ensures that insurance companies and healthcare facilities maintain accurate records. They collaborate closely with customers, patients, or company personnel to create invoices and verify billing statement calculations to ensure payment procedures are error-free.

A billing specialist is an administrator who oversees billing procedures, typically for an insurance agency or medical facility. A billing specialist’s responsibilities include patient billing management, information update, invoice generation, and payment processing. Billing Specialists play a crucial role in protecting a company’s revenue.

 

Billing Specialist Job Description

Below are the billing specialist job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a billing specialist job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.

• Posting transactions to the general ledger.
• Submitting claims to increase revenue.
• Recruiting personnel to organize accounts receivable operations and updating practices and procedures.
• Maintaining current knowledge and comprehension of third-party insurance billing and reimbursement procedures.
• Examining employee work and performance to ensure compliance with organization policies and procedures.
• Preparing daily payroll.
• Preparing entries for installment loans to identify and rectify errors.
• Providing rapid and precise billing data entry into the company system.
• Providing billing partners with clear and concise reports, and assisting administrative assistants and departmental personnel in generating reports.
• Ensuring the proper preparation and documentation of emergency department patient charts for billing by physicians.
• Assisting pharmacists in ensuring prompt payment of real-time claims for long-term care and hospice patients.
• Answering the telephone, taking messages, and distributing emails.
• Assigning the appropriate code(s) to support each service’s need and documentation.
• Using knowledge of codes, as well as modifiers, to provide additional information/clarification for insurance claims.
• Verifying the accuracy of diagnostic and procedure codes.
• Maintaining an up-to-date working knowledge of billing principles, government regulations, protocols, and third-party billing requirements.
• Examining the insurance explanation of benefits and verifying the accuracy.
• Entering data for electronic submission of medical procedures to various insurance companies.
• Monitoring and administering incoming payments.
• Keeping the clients informed of their outstanding debts and providing them with a reasonable payment deadline.
• Maintaining and updating the billing report and presenting it to the billing supervisor.
• Collecting client feedback and assisting them in resolving billing-related issues.
• Issuing invoices, bills, and receipts, among other documents, and managing the account status.
• Verifying the legitimacy of debit accounts.
• Checking for any unpaid invoices and informing the Billing Coordinator.
• Maintaining and updating records of accounts receivable.
• Supervising the sending of invoices to clients and the monitoring of unpaid balances to ensure that all accounts are paid on time and in full.
• Managing multiple client accounts simultaneously.
• Accepting and classifying incoming payments
• Controlling and monitoring incoming payments
• Maintaining account standings.
• Identifying inconsistencies
• Revising the database of accounts receivable regularly.
• Informing customers of their outstanding debts and upcoming due dates.
• Responding to clients’ equations and addressing their issues.
• Maintaining an accurate record of client accounts and delinquent balances
• Receiving, classifying, and monitoring incoming payments.
• Validating debit accounts to ensure the veracity of payments, maintaining meticulous records, and a keen eye for detail.
• Maintaining a record of client accounts with their current charges.
• Notating any missed or made payments.
• Issuing receipts for payments received.
• Addressing and solving client questions and issues.
• Managing client information securely and payment details.
• Employing accounting software to determine overdue accounts.
• Generating specific bills and invoices for customer accounts.
• Delivering invoices to clients via electronic and conventional mail.
• Processing all payments and utilizing multiple payment services
• Reconciling every payment to your account
• Sending past-due accounts to the department of collections.
• Producing monthly and quarterly reports.
• Delegating responsibilities as required to subordinate personnel.
• Following up on insurance claims.
• Assisting with client billing issues.
• Entering bills into the computer on time.
• Making payment arrangements for customers paying independently
• Coordinating payment schedules for self-pay customers.
• Submitting reimbursement requests to insurance companies
• Providing regular, accurate billing data reports.
• Receiving and processing incoming payments with due regard for their veracity.
• Managing the status and balances of accounts and identifying discrepancies.
• Assisting in the collection of delinquent accounts.
• Validating billing details for new clients.
• Verifying debit card accounts for validity
• Updating the accounts receivable database to reflect any new accounts or missed payments.
• Examining each financial statement for inconsistencies or errors in payment
• Collaborating with clients, third-party institutions, and other team members to resolve inconsistencies and errors in billing.
• Developing invoices and billing materials for direct mailing to a client.
• Adding payment history, upcoming payment information, or other financial data to a personal account.
• Sorting financial problems for clients who may require assistance with payments.
• Translating medical code if employed in a medical environment.
• Preparing billing correspondence and maintaining a billing database.
• Providing accounting clerical support, and reconciling customer payment entries.
• Completing daily and monthly eligibility checks for all clients to ensure accurate billing information is current.
• Ensuring customer satisfaction by providing quality service and identifying customer needs.
• Submitting electronic bills, troubleshooting electronic billing issues, and keeping the Billing Manager apprised of unresolved billing issues and workload regularly.
• Preparing and submitting correspondence to obtain additional information regarding specific billing issues.
• Responding to telephone inquiries with promptness and courtesy.
• Utilizing skills in data entry to maintain customer orders and ensure proper processing.
• Assembling and maintaining client charts containing current demographic information and reviewing data entry to ensure accurate and complete files.
• Communicating with sales and customer service to implement a paperless crediting system to expeditiously handle account adjustments.
• Creating a manual of procedures for all customer service representatives to ensure uniformity and efficacy among these representatives.

 

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent GED.
• Bachelors in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. Accounting high school diplomas will also be considered.
• Billing knowledge (1-2 years preferred)
• 2-4 years’  work experience as a Billing Specialist, Billing Coordinator, Billing Analyst, or in a comparable role.
• Familiarity with standard industry terms
• Telephone communication abilities
• Expertise with MS Excel and ERP software.
• Capacity for organizing and coordinating multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to prioritize and work under pressure.
• The detail-oriented focus for accuracy.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Capability to work independently or in teams as necessary.
• English Proficiency
• Superior attention to detail and dependability

 

Essential Skills

• Communication skills

Communication skills indicate that you can convey your thoughts, opinions, and ideas to others. Written Communication is the most prevalent form of business communication because it involves the interaction of using the written word with precision and logic. A Billing Specialist is required to acquire and maintain effective written communication skills, including the construction of logical arguments, note-taking, editing, and summarizing, as well as the incorporation of new presentation writing techniques. Billing specialists must interact effectively with medical professionals, insurance companies, and patients in person, over the phone, or via email to collect and share information, process payments, and resolve issues.

• Knowledge of company processes

Knowledge of company processes is an in-depth understanding of a collection of related, structured activities that serve a specific objective for a group of valuable customers. A billing specialist must maintain consistency across daily processes while keeping an eye on the organization’s overall strategy by ensuring that company processes are executed and adhered to.

• Accuracy skills

Accuracy refers to the degree to which a measured value corresponds to a known value or standard established by the governing laws. A Billing Specialist must always be accurate with figures and data used and required in the office, without any guesswork or estimations, to facilitate precise and accurate information in every department, thereby fostering a genuine atmosphere that will be respected by the employees.

• Phone Skills

Phone Skills are useful for presenting a professional company image over the phone to customers and making them feel informed and valued without necessarily seeing their faces. A Billing Specialist must master and project an enthusiastic, natural tone to make both customers and staff feel at ease during conversations, thereby fostering a productive, cordial exchange.

 

• Customer-Oriented skills

Customer-Oriented is a skill that focuses primarily on the client as the King by providing quality services that meet the customer’s expectations intending to inspire people as opposed to simply selling their product. A professional billing specialist must be customer-focused to improve the company’s image, stand out from the crowd, and develop innovations for the future that has a new focus: meeting customer expectations.

• Customer Service

This is the capacity to cater to the needs of the client by providing uncompromisingly excellent customer service. A Billing Specialist must recognize that customer satisfaction is directly proportional to the success of the business and, as a result, must establish a superior customer experience culture within the organization that every employee must adhere to to ensure that all customers are treated properly.

• Financial Management

This is the ability to learn how to handle accounting, finance, and organizational management by providing daily data on daily operations. A Billing Specialist must be highly effective in planning and organization, controlling and management of the company’s financial resources to achieve the predetermined organizational goals for the growth of the business.

• Competitive skills

Competitiveness is the skill of being able to compete as a team or business against other enterprises in the same line of entrepreneurship and emerge victorious. A Billing Specialist must be creative in determining the policies and factors that determine the enterprise’s level of productivity relative to its competitors, leading to the expansion of the business and the increase in revenue.

• Interpersonal skills

Professionals must communicate clearly and with respect to others. Their communication skills and other qualities such as empathy and emotional intelligence allow them to comprehend the needs and motivations of others. Billing specialists utilize their interpersonal skills to solve problems, respond to inquiries, and collaborate on mutually advantageous solutions.

• Analytical skills

Analysis skills are required for billing professionals to comprehend physician diagnoses, apply the appropriate billing codes, identify billing errors, and make other billing-related decisions. Developing a solid foundation of company knowledge by studying the company’s terminology, terms and procedures can further strengthen these abilities.

• Math Skills

Workplace-relevant math skills include the ability to perform basic addition and subtraction, as well as solve for the unknown and visualize data. This skill is highly needed especially when it comes to analyzing, and sorting out accounts and financial procedures.

• Organizing skills

Organizational skills are necessary for working as efficiently as possible, as they allow one to concentrate on current projects while maintaining a clean workspace. Billing specialists utilize organizational skills to collect data from multiple sources, frequently for multiple bills. Maintaining order is essential to ensure precision.

 

How to Become a Billing Specialist

• Education

Typically, entry-level billing specialists must have a high school diploma or the equivalent, as well as skills, certifications, and experience. Some jobs require at least an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Some employers may specify the preferred field of study for a billing specialist to prepare them for industry-specific challenges. Accounting, health care administration, and health information management are examples of some of these degree specializations.

Those without a degree can also earn technical certificates that teach the billing software, insurance documentation, communication, medical terminology, and administration skills necessary to become a billing specialist. Some roles may accept commensurate experience to replace educational requirements.

• Training

While the technical requirements for the job, such as medical coding, are taught in the classroom, many aspects of the job are learned through on-the-job training. During their first few weeks on the job, many billing specialists find it easier to learn the peculiarities of their office’s software or record-keeping procedures.

Billing specialists with relevant prior experience may be able to transfer customer service and time management skills to a new employer.

• Certifications

Professional certifications can demonstrate a professional’s qualifications to current and prospective employers. Billing specialists can obtain certifications to gain a deeper understanding of their daily responsibilities, validate their professional abilities, and advance their careers. Here are some of the most common credentials associated with this profession:

Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist (CMRS)

This certification, administered by the American Medical Billing Association, promotes ethical and professional medical billing practices and demonstrates a professional’s commitment to continuing education and skill development. The CMRS certification acknowledges professional competency and proficiency and promotes ongoing professional development. Professionals must pass a national assessment based on their industry knowledge to be certified. Although certification is not required by law, the vast majority of providers require their billing specialists to be certified.

Certified Specialist in Billing (CSB)

A certification in billing confers superior knowledge of insurance claims processes and related topics in comparison to non-certified peers. This certification, which requires six months to obtain, provides the experience necessary to advance to supervisory or managerial positions much more quickly.

Certified Expert Programmer (CPC)

This certification, granted by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), assists in ensuring compliance and preventing down-coding, thereby protecting medical providers from severe legal repercussions and substantial fines. The six-month CPC course, which can be completed in-person or online, prepares students to take and pass the AAPC National Certification Exam.

 

Where to Work as a Billing Specialist

• Insurance companies
• Healthcare facilities
• Banks
• Commercial businesses
• Hospitals
• Manufacturing companies
• Government organization
• Education corporations
• Medical care

 

Billing Specialist Salary Scale

In the United States, the average salary of a billing specialist is $40,576.annually.

In Nigeria, the salary range of a billing specialist is between 136,000 NGN and 277,000 NGN monthly.

 

Business and Finance

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