• THE JOB
• COMPENSATION
• REQUIREMENTS
• OCCUPATIONAL CODES
  
  

MEDICAL INSURANCE SPECIALISTS (ADMINISTRATIVE MEDICAL CAREERS)
California Occupational Guide Number 2002A (part)
Interest Area:  Emerging Occupations
1996

THE JOB  

Medical Insurance Billing Specialists work in the hospitals, doctors' and 
insurance companies' offices.  They analyze patient records to determine 
legitimacy of admission, treatment and length of stay in the health-care 
facility, and verify that the patient's costs are covered by either a 
government agency or a medical insurance company.  Medical Insurance Billing 
Specialists create fee schedules for patients who cannot afford to pay the 
bill right away and keep track of those schedules until the amount due 
is paid.

Private Health-Care Cost Managers are consultants who contract with private 
companies and help them reduce their health-care costs.  The Managers 
contact hospitals and doctors to provide treatment at discounts and design 
ways for employees to pay for more of their own medical costs.  Health-Care 
Cost Managers recommended cost reducing ideas like company owned pharmacies 
that provide prescriptions at a lower cost and corporate wellness programs.

COMPENSATION

Wage data are not available for Medical Insurance Specialists, however 1993 
hourly wages from selected areas for Medicine and Health Service Managers 
(a closely-related occupation) were as follows:

No experience                $11.00-17.00 per hour
Experienced                  $13.00-24.00 per hour
Over 3 years experience      $16.00-35.00 per hour

REQUIREMENTS

Skills

  - Understand and use advanced math and statistics
  - Interact with many kinds of people 
  - Gather, interpret, use, and report data
  - Devise and evaluate procedures
  - Set goals to be accomplished 

Training/Requirements

  - Master's Degree in Business or Public Health
  - Be familiar with hospital rules and insurance company policies
  - Hospital or HMO administration experience 

OCCUPATIONAL CODES

DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles, 4th Ed., Rev. 1)
  Not available for this occupation.
OES (Occupational Employment Survey (System)
  Not available for this occupation.

Source:  State of California, Employment Development Department,
         Labor Market Information Division, Information Services Group,
         (916)  262-2162

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