Rhode Island's Top Medical Billing and Coding Programs: Online & Campus
Remote working opportunities await you in an exciting career in medical billing and coding. Start your journey today by exploring Rhode Island’s best online & campus programs.
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The world of medical records can seem overwhelming. Figuring out how much insurance companies owe on claims, making sure procedures are properly coded and billed, and verifying that medical records match medical claims — all while protecting patient privacy — requires tenacity and attention to detail. If this sounds like a challenge you’re ready to tackle, then an online medical billing program in Rhode Island might be the right next step for you.
Your first step is to select one of the outstanding on-campus or online medical billing programs in Rhode Island. Courses are available through community colleges, workforce initiatives, and online schools that focus on allied health. Graduates work in various areas in the healthcare world, but especially in hospital systems, outpatient clinics, insurance companies, and the like. While some of these jobs require you to be in an office, many of them allow for remote work, providing maximum schedule flexibility.
A 100% online medical billing program in Rhode Island offers the ability to adjust your studies to your schedule and create the future you deserve. This is ideal for the single parent who’s looking to make more money, the working professional who wants to move into the administrative side of healthcare, or the caregiver who needs a job that allows them to work from home. Keep reading to discover the program that’s right for you.
Looking at Rhode Island’s Popular Medical Billing & Coding Programs
Online medical billing programs in Rhode Island take anywhere from a few months to a few years to complete. Figuring out which one is right for you means taking your needs and time into account. These schools provide a solid overview of what to expect and will prepare you for certification as a medical biller or coder.
State of Rhode Island
The Department of Labor and Training through the State of Rhode Island offers a certified medical billing and coding specialist program. This 16-week program is a hybrid that allows some work to be done online while other work must be done on-site in Warwick, Rhode Island. Expect to devote 240 hours to the program, which costs just shy of $10,000 – however, there’s potential financial aid of up to $15,000 for those who qualify.
Students learn the foundations of medical billing and coding, including human anatomy and physiology, infection control, medical terminology, communication, and other basics of allied health. Next they dive into medical coding programs, accounting procedures, reports in the medical field, and more. When students complete the program, they’ll be eligible for the National Healthcareer Association Certification Examination.
Ed2Go
Popular career-training provider Ed2Go is home to a medical billing and coding program through the Rhode Island Division of Workforce Partnerships. Students need a high school diploma or GED to get started.
Open enrollment in this 370-hour online medical billing and coding program in Rhode Island allows you to choose when to begin the work and provides the opportunity to work at your own pace. Most complete the course within 12 months or less. Students learn the basics of medical terminology, legal and ethical standards, billing and coding best practices, and the finer points of the allied health system. They then move into training for their potential new jobs, which includes knowledge of ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, CPT, and HCPCS Level II coding management.
The cost of this online medical billing program in Rhode Island is just shy of $3,000. That includes all coursework as well as a voucher to take the certification test upon completion. Some students may qualify for financial aid. Contact the Division of Workforce Partnerships to learn more about what’s available.
AAPC
The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) offers online medical billing and coding programs in Rhode Island. Study at your own pace, on your own time. Unless you have two years of experience in healthcare, you’ll be required to take prerequisites in fundamentals of medicine, anatomy, medical terminology, and pathophysiology.
Both billing and coding courses are available in three online formats: self-paced, which allows a year for completion; self-paced max, which includes a one-year AAPC membership, three practice tests, two certification exam attempts, and more; and instructor-led, which includes a 16-week, instructor-led course and many of the self-paced max benefits. Costs range from $1,495 for the self-paced medical billing program to $3,549 for the instructor-led coding program.
Rhode Island Salary & Career Potential for Medical Billing and Coding Specialists
Those who graduate from an online medical billing program in Rhode Island will want to know about available jobs and the potential salary. To help with this, we explored the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The organization doesn’t offer specific information on medical billers and coders but does offer an in-depth look at medical record specialists, which is the category that medical billers and coders fall under. We also consulted Projections Central to learn what the job market looks like in the Ocean State.
Jobs in the medical billing and coding field will grow by 8.5% across the nation. In Rhode Island, the number is just slightly less, at 8.3%. That means 50 new jobs — in addition to the 600 jobs already on the books in RI— will open each year through 2030. Those jobs might be in healthcare facilities, physicians’ offices, outpatient clinics, independent coding firms, and many other areas.
When it comes to income, the median wage for medical records specialists in Rhode Island is $53,920. That’s quite a bit higher than the national median wage of $48,780. To drill down a bit more, those in the Providence area can expect a median quite similar to the overall median in the state, at $53,280.
Those who are just starting out might fall into the lower 10th percentile with a salary at $39,000 per year – and those who have been around the coding world for a while will see a 90th percentile wage of $78,530. These incomes allow for comfortable living in the state; for instance, Sterling’s Best Places recommends an annual wage of $47,600 for a single person to live comfortably in Rhode Island.
| Area | 10th Percentile | Median | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $35,080 | $48,780 | $77,810 |
| Rhode Island | $39,000 | $53,920 | $78,530 |
| Providence | $38,390 | $53,280 | $78,530 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023
| Area | Current Jobs | Projected Jobs | New Jobs | Job Growth | Avg. Annual Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 194,300 | 210,900 | 16,600 | 8.5% | 15,000 |
| Rhode Island | 600 | 650 | 50 | 8.3% | 50 |
Source: Projections Central, 2020-2030
Careers for Medical Billing and Coding Specialists
Billing Analyst
A billing analyst often works in the billing department of a hospital, healthcare facility, or larger organization. They are tasked with handling billing for patients, including making sure the bills are correct, the invoices are issued in a timely manner, and that the proper codes are entered to ensure payment from the insurance companies. They might also be involved in ensuring that the company receives the revenue it is expecting for services rendered.
Coding Auditor
A coding auditor is a coding expert who reviews the work of other coders and ensures that it’s correct, so that billing for a particular service or treatment can be paid by insurance companies or patients. The coding auditor’s work involves looking at the coding and billing work of others and spotting mistakes or problems that can hinder proper billing or the receipt of payments. The auditor also makes note if certain errors continue to happen and tracks down the source of the problem, which could be an error in the system or a medical biller and coder who isn’t following procedures.
Medical Record Coordinator
Medical records coordinators are responsible for – you guessed it – medical records. Specifically, they compile, coordinate, process, and maintain medical records for patients in the facility or healthcare system in which they work. This includes staying up to date on the medical, legal, ethical, and administrative considerations of those medical records, with maintaining privacy standards the primary concern. They’re trained to spot problems in the medical records and to handle them, including issues with the coding and billing.
Reimbursement Specialist
The role of a reimbursement specialist depends upon the field in which they work. Most of the time, this refers to someone who works in benefits and compensation for a large organization, such as a healthcare company. In the medical field, it can refer to someone who organizes the billing and coding for insurance companies, which then determines the reimbursements due for healthcare organizations, physicians, and patients. The specialist looks at billing and coding, ensures that all is as it should be, and fixes errors as they come up.
Answering Your Top Questions
How much are medical billing and coding classes in Rhode Island?
Online medical billing programs in Rhode Island vary depending upon what you obtain from the course, how much time you spend in school, and any financial aid you receive. You might be able to find a program that costs $1,000 or less. However, most of these programs will be very bare-bones and might not provide what you need to become certified. A more reasonable estimate is somewhere between $2,000 and $4,000 for a medical billing and coding certificate.
If you choose to obtain a degree rather than a certificate, expect your costs to go up. An associate degree can run $10,000 or more, and a bachelor’s degree costs much more than that. However, keep in mind that the tuition you see on a school’s website is most likely not your bottom line. You might be eligible for financial aid at the federal, state, local, or school level. Before you decide that an online medical billing program in Rhode Island costs too much, check with the school’s financial aid office.
Can medical billing and coding certification programs be entirely online?
Absolutely. In fact, you’re more likely to find a fully online medical billing program in Rhode Island than you are to find a program that requires in-person attendance.
Online programs allow you to work at your own pace within a set timeframe. You can complete your program in about four months with an accelerated option or take as long as four years if you choose to get a degree in the field. Even if you choose an associate or bachelor’s degree, in many cases those degrees are entirely online, never requiring you to set foot in a classroom.
However, some online medical billing and coding programs in Rhode Island require an internship or hands-on training before the certificate or degree is awarded. Look into the requirements before enrolling. Another factor to consider is if the online program allows for networking opportunities,which can be the key in landing your next job.
Do you need a degree for medical billing and coding?
In Rhode Island, no formal training is required to enter the medical billing and coding field. With that being said, the job market can be competitive, and those who have a formal education in medical billing and coding will also have an advantage over those who don’t. Delving into resources for online medical billing and coding in Rhode Island provides a little extra support when you need it.
If you choose formal education, a degree isn’t required. You might pursue an associate degree or, more rarely, a bachelor’s degree in the field. However, choosing a short program that focuses only on medical billing and coding can be sufficient to teach you what you need to know for entry-level jobs and will look great on a resume when applying for jobs as a medical biller or coder in Rhode Island.
What is the difference between a medical billing and coding associate degree vs. a certificate?
When you decide to earn your associate degree in medical billing and coding, you can expect to invest about two years in the program. In addition to medical billing and coding studies, you’ll also take general education courses that set you up to move into a bachelor’s degree program if you choose.
When you opt for a certificate-only online medical billing program in Rhode Island, you can complete the work in much less time – as little as four weeks for some programs – and your education will be focused solely on what you need to know for entry-level jobs in the billing and coding industries. This means that if you choose to advance your education in the future, your medical billing and coding certificate might not apply toward your credits for an associate or bachelor’s degree.
Many professionals who already have a degree in another field, such as medical assisting, find they can enhance their job prospects by taking the shorter medical billing and coding course instead of going back to school to get an additional degree.
