Does medical billing experience count towards clinical experience?

[LL562]

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Hey guys I was wondering if medical billing experience would count as clinical experience? I was considering applying for a job as a ER-Scribe and was reading the details but started to think that I've done similar duties before as a biller. I got to see every patient's chart, including their history and every procedure done, and communicated directly with doctors usually regarding tests and procedures. I learned a lot of medical terminology, which procedures required tests and other follow-up procedures. Also, I was able read test results to determine what procedures the doctors performed because a lot of times they would see patients and not chart what they did. I hope this would count, sounds a lot like what a ER-Scribe does but on the back-end. Thanks!

 

[StarStup]

I think clinical experience is just when you have contact with patients...which unfortunately, doesn't sound like something you did.

Clinical experience isn't too hard to get...volunteer at a hospital, hospice, etc...

 

[MightyMoose]

I think clinical experience is just when you have contact with patients...which unfortunately, doesn't sound like something you did.

Clinical experience isn't too hard to get...volunteer at a hospital, hospice, etc...

I don't completely agree with this, but I don't completely disagree either.

My first instinct was to say no, but this would really depend on the way you phrased/described the experience and how you could relate it to your OTHER clinical experience. If that is all you have, it won't cut it, but if you can say, "while volunteering at "x" hospital (or whatever), I really relied on my medical billing experience to decipher what was was going on, what was being ordered, and why. It really offered me a complete perspective of how the doctor patient experience works and how interrelated all departments in medicine really are... blah blah." (you get the point), then you can relate the experience back to medical billing and describe some of the things you did and coded, etc..

This is what I call verbal trickery. You didn't really have an amazing stand out set of volunteer experiences, because you just worked in a hospital (almost every pre-med will have that), BUT you did tie them into a two year job that now comes off as clinical. Maybe not consciously, but you have just embedded the idea in the mind of your interviewer that it was clinical experience and you have lots of it. Not to mention that you have formed a well-rounded understanding of medicine and interdepartmental relationships, etc..

That's my take anyway.

 

[ShyRem]

billing is not clinical experience. But there is a lot of value in knowing how to do it.

 

[toastedcheese]

If you can't smell the patient, it's not clinical experience. But it does sound like you learned a lot and I would put it in you application.

 

[LL562]

Cool... thanks for the reply guys... I don't really see how this is any different from volunteering at a hospital, all they have the volunteers do is either answer phone calls or help transport patients, when I did billing I was in the hospital and got to see all the same things other volunteers would see except I had a better understanding of what was going on cause I got to read all the patient charts. Anyways, would applying for an ER-Scribe position be a better idea? I'm trying to get some clinical experience but need to pay the bills too. Thanks again everyone.

 

[MightyMoose]

Cool... thanks for the reply guys... I don't really see how this is any different from volunteering at a hospital, all they have the volunteers do is either answer phone calls or help transport patients, when I did billing I was in the hospital and got to see all the same things other volunteers would see except I had a better understanding of what was going on cause I got to read all the patient charts. Anyways, would applying for an ER-Scribe position be a better idea? I'm trying to get some clinical experience but need to pay the bills too. Thanks again everyone.

I think you underestimate hospital volunteers. I did a lot more than that when I volunteered at a hospital and never once answered the phone.

I think you should just get a job in whatever you want, then volunteer at a hospital for 3-6 hours a week. You can certainly spare 3 hours/week.

 

[LL562]

yeah thats what ill probably end up doing. Thanks.

 

[MusicIsLife]

I've worked in 2 hospitals (different settings; 1 IP psych unit & 1 post-op unit) as a unit coordinator (unit clerk). I'm wondering if that is also not considered clinical experience?
Also, what kinds of jobs would qualify as clinical exp? MA? Phlebotomy?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[MightyMoose]

I've worked in 2 hospitals (different settings; 1 IP psych unit & 1 post-op unit) as a unit coordinator (unit clerk). I'm wondering if that is also not considered clinical experience?
Also, what kinds of jobs would qualify as clinical exp? MA? Phlebotomy?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Those definitely sound like clinical experience.

 

[PED05]

I've worked in 2 hospitals (different settings; 1 IP psych unit & 1 post-op unit) as a unit coordinator (unit clerk). I'm wondering if that is also not considered clinical experience?
Also, what kinds of jobs would qualify as clinical exp? MA? Phlebotomy?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

MA and Phlebotomy most definately are clinical experiences. Also with the medical billing.....have you had conversations with patients over their profile/finances? If you have then there is a clinical aspect to it then.