Introduction 1 Part 1 Getting to Know Medical Billing and Coding 5 Chapter 1 Dipping Your Toes into Medical Billing and Coding 7 Chapter 2 Exploring the Billing and Coding Professions 17 Chapter 3 Weighing Your Employment Options 31 Part 2 Boning Up on the Need-to-Knows of Your Profession 43 Chapter 4 Compliance Understanding the Rules 45 Chapter 5 Not-So-Strange Bedfellows Medical Terminology and Medical Necessity 61 Chapter 6 Getting to Know the Payers 87 Part 3 Becoming a Professional Getting Certified 105 Chapter 7 Your Basic Certification Options, Courtesy of the AAPC and AHIMA 107 Chapter 8 The Path to Certification Finding a Study Program 121 Chapter 9 Signing Up and Preparing for the Certification Exam 141 Chapter 10 Adding Street Cred Specialty Certifications and Continuing Ed 161 Part 4 Dealing and Succeeding with Nitty-Gritty On-the-Job Details 173 Chapter 11 Processing a Run-of-the-Mill Claim An Overview 175 Chapter 12 Homing In on How to Prepare an Error-Free Claim 193 Chapter 13 From Clearinghouse to Accounts Receivable to Money in the Pocket 211 Chapter 14 Handling Disputes and Appeals 223 Chapter 15 Keeping Up with the Rest of the World 245 Part 5 Working with Stakeholders 253 Chapter 16 Dealing with Commercial Insurance Claims 255 Chapter 17 Caring about Medicare and Medicaid 267 Chapter 18 Coding Ethics Being an Advocate for Your Employer 281 Part 6 The Part of Tens 297 Chapter 19 Ten Billing and Coding Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 299 Chapter 20 Ten Acronyms to Burn into Your Brain 305 Chapter 21 Ten (Plus One) Tips from Billing and Coding Pros 311 Glossary 317 Index 325.