Author Topic: Certification...Is it worth it?  (Read 2173 times)

williamportor

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 243
Certification...Is it worth it?
« on: July 31, 2013, 05:06:20 AM »
Just collecting opinions here, but is it worth obtaining a certification such as Certified Medical Reimbursment Specialist (CMRS) or Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS)? Would this aid one's marketing efforts, or provide enough technical information to make them helpful to an independent medical biller? Most of my medical billing education comes from books such as Medical Billing 101 by Michelle Rimmer, Medical Billing Coding and Reimbursement by Loretta Sinclair and the home medical billing course from the nice ladies here at Medical Billing Live. (Alice Scott and Michele Redmond) My 2 clients are pretty happy with my work for them, but I wonder if I'm missing something by not having a certification of some kind. Any thoughts?  :)

PMRNC

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4562
    • One Stop Resources & Networking for Medical Billers
Re: Certification...Is it worth it?
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2013, 08:58:53 AM »
I don't think there's a clear cut answer to that. My own personal feelings on certifications is that they are ONLY as good as the education behind them. I myself really had NO medical billing training but had experience from the other side working with insurance carriers. Some people will look at having the extra letters beside their name as a good thing, or maybe it's a recognized certification, but bottom line it's only going to be as good as the education behind them. Some might also say it can be a good marketing tool by carrying the certifications with you in a portfolio and listing them on a resume. You also make good points that you have two clients you are doing a good job with. Ask yourself if a certification will add to the value of your services and will they make you better?   
Linda Walker
Practice Managers Resource & Networking Community
One Stop Resources, Education and Networking for Medical Billers
www.billerswebsite.com

Medical Billing Forum

Re: Certification...Is it worth it?
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2013, 08:58:53 AM »