As Vice President of the PMBA, I have the opportunity to assist in the development of individuals seeking to start their own medical billing service. Many have years of experience, and will become certified by one or more associations. Industry members often disagree on the need for certification, but once obtained the question is often asked "Why do I need CEUs?"
CEU stands for Continuing Educational Unit, and is used in many continuing educational programs. They are required in some instances to maintain your license. The Medical Billing career offers individuals diversity in the field. Each specialty offers its own complexities and challenges. One of the similarities within each specialty is the constant changes in insurance, reimbursements & coding practices. With these constant changes, the experienced biller must stay knowledgeable in order to perform his or her job including securing appropriate reimbursements for their provider. CEUs are often a means for medical billing personnel to keep aware of the constant changes and updates in this industry.
CEUs can be obtained in various ways. For those who become certified billers though an association, you can generally obtain CEUs through that organization. Associations will offer members educational materials pertaining to medical billing, and or coding. Each course or webinar will allow you to obtain a certain number of CEUs. Within the association, you can also attend seminars, meetings, or even conferences in order to acquire CEU credit.
CMS-Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, offers free online training classes in which you can obtain CEUs. . If your organization is registered with CMS, documentation of your completed webinars may be sent directly to your association. You have the ability to print out your courses and obtained credits for those associations that are not linked to CMS.
Individuals who belong to multiple associations should check with their administrative board in regards to acceptance of CEUs outside of their organization; there are some associations that offer reciprocation of CEUs.
When approached about how I feel about CEUs, I encourage billers of all experience levels to continually strive for excellence. In this ever-changing field, we must be the eternal scholar. Our expertise in this field depends on our ability to keep up with those changes. Currently, medical billers are faced with ICD-10, HITECH, and meaningful use. As a medical billing business owner, maintaining my CEUs are of utmost importance, both personally and professionally.
Charlene Hargrove, CPMB is the Owner of TriMed Billing Solutions based in North Carolina and is also the Vice-President of the Professional Medical Billing Association (PMBA). You can contact her at chargrove@trimedbillingsolutions.com
