One of the most important jobs in healthcare is medical billing and coding. Every medical office and healthcare facility relies on medical billing and coding to properly encode medical records and submit reimbursement claims to insurance companies. Campus is currently offering an Online Medical Billing and Coding program for students in Florida to help train you in both medical coding and medical billing, helping you earn certification in both so you can begin your career. You’ll learn all about medical billing and claims processing, ICD-10-CM codes, CPT® codes, HCPCS codes, procedural coding, and other medical terminology. If this is the first time you’ve researched medical billing and coding, let’s explain what this career is all about.
What is Medical Billing and Coding?
Medical billers and coders take the details of each patient visit and encode those details in universally-used codes. These codes are used for medical records, but more importantly, for creating and submitting reimbursement claims to insurance payers and government healthcare agencies. When the claims are approved, the medical office gets compensated for the appropriate amount, which covers the portion documented in the patient’s health insurance policy. This is the revenue cycle which keeps healthcare facilities operational and cashflow positive.
Medical coders are the first step in the process, encoding the diagnoses, procedures, and other details of the patient appointment into alphanumeric codes. These codes are used and understood by all healthcare facilities, government agencies, and insurance payers. These codes are used in the next step in the process by medical billers. The billers take the codes and with them, prepare insurance reimbursement claims. When the claims are approved, the insurance companies pay the medical facility for services rendered.
Medical coders and medical billers are two distinct roles, but they can be done by the same person, depending on the medical office. Accuracy is an important aspect of medical billing and coding, as the insurance payers each have strict internal policies to prevent undercharging or overcharging for services. Reimbursement claims may be denied if the claims forms are not prepared correctly .
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Why Become a Medical Coder and Biller?
Every medical office, hospital, clinic, and healthcare facility needs medical billers and coders to encode the details of patient visits and prepare insurance reimbursement claims. Medical billers and coders are instrumental in the revenue cycle, and without them, private practice physicians, healthcare facilities, and hospitals would have a difficult time getting reimbursed by medical insurance companies for the services they provide.
Medical billing and coding contains a lot of nuance; it’s tricky to find the most specific code for each procedure, and make it fit to the diagnosis. This is exactly what insurance payers are looking for when they check claims for approval, the highest level of specificity. These jobs will require highly-skilled specialists for a long time to come.
Another reason to become a biller and coder is the pay is decent, especially for an entry-level job. Earning additional specialty certifications may also help you earn more, according to the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC). [2] You are eligible for specialty certifications after so many years or hours of hands-on work experience, due to the increased complexity and understanding of the coding standards.
One compelling reason to become a medical biller and coder is that most of the jobs allow you to work remotely. In the beginning of the 2020s, most of these jobs transitioned to a remote position, meaning you can skip a daily commute, and spend more time with a healthy work-life balance. If you are one of the medical billers and coders that is still working in the office, you won’t have to interact with patients. More often, you work directly with the medical provider, such as a physician. If you’re good at managing your time and staying organized, this may be an ideal job for you. This can also be a good job for people for whom a commute would be more difficult than normal due to health issues.
What Do You Need to Know as a Medical Biller and Coder?
Medical coding and medical billing are two distinct, but complementary skill sets. As a medical coder, you’ll have to know which codes match up to diagnoses, procedures, and treatments. Because insurance companies look for the codes that are the best match, knowing the various codes and when to use them is an essential part of the job. Here are the main coding standards you’ll need to know inside and out.
ICD-10-CM: International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification. This is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO).
CPT®: Current Procedural Terminology codes, these were created by the American Medical Association (AMA), currently maintained by the CPT Editorial Panel, who are appointed by the AMA.
HCPCS: Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, which was created for use by government agencies such as Medicare and Medicaid.
When you work in medical billing, you take the medical codes and use them to fill out reimbursement claims. You’ll need to know how to check the claims for errors (“scrubbing”) and what each insurer is looking for on claims. Each insurance payer has different internal policies, so this can be tricky to remember. You’ll submit the completed claim for approval, and if there are any issues, you must fix the claim or follow up to correct them for a full reimbursement.
Job Outlook and Salary
The job projections for medical billers and coders are healthy, with jobs nationwide projected to grow by 7 percent from 2024 to 2034 according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics [1] [3] (BLS). In May 2024, the BLS showed medical coders and billers in Florida earned a median annual salary of $45,990 per year and a mean annual salary of $50, 320. [4] Billers and coders in Florida in 2024 also earned a median hourly wage of $22.11 per hour and a mean hourly wage of $24.19 per hour according to the BLS.
According to the BLS, in 2024, there were 15,510 medical billing and coding jobs in Florida, only trailing behind California and Texas. With a higher than average aging population, there is a great need for billers and coders in Florida for the foreseeable future.
Salary and Wage for Medical Billers and Coders (2024)
| Florida (2024) | |
|---|---|
| Median Annual Salary | $45,990 |
| Mean Annual Salary | $50,320 |
| Median Hourly Wage | $22.11 |
| Mean Hourly Wage | $24.19 |
You Can Become a Medical Biller and Coder in Less Than 10 Months
If you’ve been thinking about becoming a medical biller and coder, there’s never been a better time. Campus has an Online Medical Billing and Coding program that will help you earn your certifications in less than ten months. This is a fully online program. You’ll learn procedural coding, ICD codes, CPT codes, medical billing, insurance claims submissions and more. For more information on start dates, class schedules, and financial aid, please contact our Admissions team or call 888-675-2460.
[1] Note: The data provided in this article is from sources unaffiliated with Campus, formerly known as MTI College, are for informational purposes only and represent the employment field as a whole. They are not solely specific to Campus graduates and, by providing the above information, Campus makes no representation, direct or implied, or opinion regarding employability.
[2] American Association of Professional Coders, https://www.aapc.com/resources/medical-coding-salary-survey , Retrieved February 11, 2026.
[3] Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-records-and-health-information-technicians.htm#tab-1 , Retrieved February 11, 2026.
[4] Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Maps, https://data.bls.gov/oesmap/ , Retrieved February 12, 2026 .