Medical Billing and Insurance Coding Classes

To begin a successful career in Medical Billing and Insurance Coding, new professionals in the field require in-depth knowledge of three components:

• Content of a medical record, patient privacy laws and industry regulations
• Health sciences including anatomy and physiology, disease processes and medical terminology
• Medical coding for diagnostic and procedural reporting, classification and indexing for inpatient and outpatient facilities, imaging centers, pathology/laboratories and other ancillary departments and facilities in the health care industry

The Herzing University Medical Billing and Insurance Coding online programs thoroughly address each of these topics. Further, the Herzing programs include an internship opportunity so students gain valuable hands-on experience in the field. In addition, the Program Review and Career Development courses guide students through the different certifications available to Medical Billing and Insurance Coding professionals (and how to get them) as well as the creation of a coding skills portfolio to share with prospective employers. It is the combination of Herzing’s quality education, Student Support and Career Services that allow Herzing Online to boast that 96% of our available graduates started careers in the field they studied in 2007 and 2006, and 95% in 2005.

Courses Required for all MBIC Programs

Medical Office Administration

All courses, 13 semester credit hours, are required.

MO 110 Keyboarding

This course includes the development of keyboarding skills through touch, mastery of the keyboard, speed building, and preparation of office documents.
1.0 credit hour.
Prerequisite: None.

MO 113 Medical Business Operations

This course introduces the student to the administrative portion of the health care environment as well as important legal and ethical guidelines. Students will become familiar with health information systems including interpersonal communication and customer service techniques, and appointment scheduling.
3.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: None.

MO 129 Medical Office Procedures

This course provides an overview of administrative tasks performed in a medical office. Students will learn about office financial management including accounting concepts, about the types of medical record keeping, accepting and entering payments, and human resource management.
3.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: None.

MO 144 Medical Terminology

This course introduces the foundations of the language of medicine and develops medical vocabulary through the study of the structures, functions, diagnostic procedures, pathology, and treatment procedures of the body systems.
1 credit hour.
Prerequisite: None.

MO 146 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology

This course provides instruction in the study of human diseases with focus on the symptoms, signs, causes, and diagnosis of disease. Additionally, students will learn about pharmacology, drug categories, and pharmacological treatment related to human diseases.
2.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: None.

MO 161 Medical Billing and Insurance Procedures

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic types of medical insurance programs available in today’s health care system. It also acquaints students with billing formats using the universal claim form and provides the skills necessary to master the basic aspects of medical insurance billing. Current reimbursement methodologies (i.e., RBRVS, APC’s) and compliance will also be covered.
3.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: None.

Medical Coding

All courses are required for all MBIC programs, excepted where noted.

MC 171 Basic Diagnosis Coding

Basic Diagnosis Coding is an introduction to the ICD-9-CM data set used for reporting diagnoses. This course will also include instruction on how to classify and index diagnosis in the health care setting. The various uses for diagnosis codes will be discussed, as well.
3.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: SC 245 Anatomy and Physiology II, MS 144 Medical Terminology, and MS 146 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology.

MC 172 Basic Procedure Coding

Basic Procedure Coding helps students describe all types of health care services, treatments, and procedures provided to patients in both inpatient and outpatient facilities, as well as ancillary departments such as imaging centers and pathology/laboratories.
3.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: SC 245 Anatomy and Physiology II, MS 144 Medical Terminology, and MS 146 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology.

MC 173 Intermediate Diagnosis Coding

Intermediate Diagnosis Coding is a continuation of Basic Diagnosis Coding with advanced instruction on ICD-9-CM chapter-specific guidelines (specialty coding). Abstracting skills will continue to be reinforced. An overview of ICD-10-CM will be included to provide an introduction to this new code set.
3.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: MC 171 Basic Diagnosis Coding.

MC 174 Intermediate Procedure Coding

Intermediate Procedure Coding continues to teach students how to identify all types of health care services, treatments, and procedures provided to patients in both inpatient and outpatient facilities, as well as ancillary departments such as imaging centers and pathology/laboratories. In addition, how to properly apply HCPCS level II codes, as well as ICD-9-CM volume 3 procedure codes will be covered. An introduction to ICD-10-PCS will be provided.
3.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: MC 172 Basic Procedure Coding.

MC 207 Program Review

(Not required for Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management)
The directed practice seminar is a class in which the student will participate in seminars to prepare for certification examinations. The certified coding specialist certification is a nationally recognized credential that enables employers to have confidence in a potential employee’s ability. Students will also attend meetings to discuss their experience in the seminar. Students will be required to complete cover letters, resumes, and reference lists to use in job placement. This course aids the student in combining their didactic training with the seminar experience. Prerequisites for this class include successful completion of all didactic training.
2.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: All didactic course work with a GPA of 2.0

MC 294 Internship

(Not required for Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management)
During the internship phase of training, the student will experience various aspects of working in the coding field. The internship will provide the student with the opportunity to experience and participate in the duties of a medical coder in a working environment. Areas such as abstracting from medical records, CPT-4, and ICD-9-CM coding schemes will also be used. Other aspects of medical coding and billing will be experienced. Experienced coding personnel provide the instruction.
4.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: All didactic course work with a GPA of 2.0.

Natural Sciences

All courses, 8 semester credit hours, are required.

SC 145 Anatomy and Physiology I

This course will provide students with information about Anatomy and Physiology relating to each of the following body systems: Integumentary, Skeletal, Muscular/joints, Nervous, and Blood and Lymphatic systems.
3.0 credit hours.
Co-requisite: SC 145L Anatomy and Physiology I Lab.

SC 145L Anatomy and Physiology I Lab

This is the lab portion of SC 145.
1.0 credit hour.
Co-requisite: SC 145 Anatomy and Physiology I.

SC 245 Anatomy and Physiology II

This course will provide students with information about Anatomy and Physiology relating to each of the following body systems: Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Digestive, Endocrine, Special Senses, Urinary, and the Male and Female Reproductive systems.
3.0 credit hours. Prerequisite: SC 145 Anatomy and Physiology I.
Co-requisite: SC 245L Anatomy and Physiology II Lab.

SC 245L Anatomy and Physiology II Lab

This is the lab portion of SC 245.
1.0 credit hour.
Co-requisite: SC 245 Anatomy and Physiology II.

Personal and Professional Development

All courses, 6 semester credit hours, are required.

IS 102 Computers and Application Software

This course provides an introduction to operating systems, browsers, and email as well as word processing, presentation, spreadsheets, and database applications.
4.0 credit hours.
Prerequisite: None.

PD 100 Student Success Skills

This course provides instruction in the both theory and practice of personal growth that lead to successful life experience. Topics include research in critical self-analysis of student habits and attitudes; and psychological impediments to successfully setting and achieving personal goals.
1.0 credit hour.
Prerequisite: None.

PD 200 Career Development Seminar

This seminar provides an opportunity for the student to apply critical self-examination techniques and processes for developing a career path and an awareness of the need to embed life-long learning into career management. Topics include career planning research, job searching, developing career search documents, and refining interview and communication skills within an awareness of psychological boundaries implicit in this process. Successful completion of this course requires the creation of a professional resume suitable for email.
1.0 credit hour.
Prerequisite: None.

Additional Course Required for the Associate Degree

Elective Courses

A minimum of 3 semester credit hours of open electives is required

General Education Requirements

Students enrolled in Associate degrees must complete a minimum of 21 semester credit hours in general education distributed among the following disciplines. Refer to the General Education section of the course catalog for Herzing University courses that would satisfy these requirements.

• 1 Semester Credit Hour in Information Literacy and Research Writing
• 3 Semester Credit Hours in English Composition
• 3 Semester Credit Hours in Speech
• 4 Semester Credit Hours in Computer Applications
• 4 Semester Credit Hours in Mathematics (College Algebra or Above)
• 3 Semester Credit Hours in Social or Behavioral Science
• 3 Semester Credit Hours in Science or Humanities with a Critical Thinking Focus