Hiring Medical Coders and Billers: How to Find the Right Fit for Your Maryland Team

Two candidates apply for your medical billing opening. Both have relevant experience, recognize your software, and interview well. But one has spent years following up on denied claims, while the other primarily handles payment posting.

Which person is the stronger hire?

The answer depends on the work your team needs done. Yet a job description that simply asks for “medical billing experience” may treat these candidates as equally qualified.

For Maryland healthcare employers, effective medical coding and billing recruitment starts with a clear understanding of the role. Credentials, resumes, and interviews each provide useful information. A stronger hiring process connects that information to the tasks, systems, and expectations of your operation.

Why a Resume Match Is Only the Starting Point

Resume screening helps identify relevant qualifications. It can also overlook important differences between candidates.

Someone with extensive hospital experience may need time to adjust to a physician practice. A candidate familiar with one specialty may have limited experience with another. A strong biller may have excellent payer follow-up skills but less experience with the specific work creating your backlog.

Credentials provide evidence of professional knowledge. They should be evaluated alongside current experience, the work setting, and the responsibilities of the position.

Before advancing a candidate, ask:

• Does their experience match the tasks we need covered?

• Have they worked in a comparable healthcare setting?

• Which systems and workflows have they used?

• How do they approach incomplete information or discrepancies?

• What training would they need to succeed here?

These questions help you distinguish general familiarity from experience that fits your opening.

Define Coding, Billing, and Auditing Responsibilities Clearly

Coding, billing, and auditing contribute to revenue cycle operations, but each requires a different emphasis.

Medical coding: interpreting documentation accurately

Medical coders review clinical documentation and assign standardized codes according to applicable guidelines.

When defining a coding role, identify the setting, specialty, types of records, and coding responsibilities involved. Evaluate how candidates approach unclear documentation, use appropriate resources, and recognize when an issue needs clarification.

Set productivity expectations that account for the complexity of the work and the required quality standards.

Medical billing: keeping claims and follow-up moving

Medical billing responsibilities may include claim submission, payment posting, payer follow-up, denial resolution, and patient account communication.

Be specific about which tasks dominate the position. A team with aging unpaid claims may need different experience than one struggling to keep up with payment posting.

Look for an organized approach to outstanding items, clear documentation, and communication suited to the people the employee will work with.

Medical auditing: reviewing work and explaining findings

Medical coding auditors evaluate coding and documentation against applicable standards and communicate their findings.

Relevant coding experience matters, but the role also requires an ability to recognize patterns, explain the basis for a finding, and recommend corrections clearly.

Define the scope of the audit work and the level of independence expected before recruiting.

A combined coder/biller role can make sense in some organizations. When responsibilities overlap, spell out the balance of duties and evaluate candidates against each essential part of the job.

Build Screening Around the Actual Work

Once the role is defined, use a consistent screening process that gives candidates an opportunity to demonstrate relevant capabilities.

Ask for specific examples

Replace broad questions such as “Are you detail-oriented?” with questions about situations the employee may encounter:

• Tell us about a discrepancy you identified and how you handled it.

• How do you prioritize outstanding claims with different follow-up needs?

• What do you do when documentation does not support a clear answer?

• How have you responded to feedback about an error?

Listen for the candidate’s reasoning, communication, and willingness to seek clarification.

Include an appropriate practical evaluation

For specialized positions, consider a role-specific exercise reviewed by someone qualified to evaluate the work. Use fictional or properly de-identified materials.

A coding exercise might explore how a candidate interprets documentation and explains a coding choice. A billing exercise could focus on prioritizing follow-up or identifying the next step for an unresolved claim.

Use consistent criteria and explain what the exercise measures. The goal is to understand relevant skills, not to create an unnecessarily lengthy hiring process.

Distinguish administrative proficiency from technical expertise

Typing, data entry, and office software assessments can provide useful information about supporting skills. They do not, by themselves, establish medical coding proficiency, payer-specific knowledge, or auditing expertise.

Evaluate those specialized capabilities separately, alongside appropriate credentials and experience.

How Priority One Supports Healthcare Support Hiring

Priority One Staffing Services works with Maryland employers recruiting for non-clinical healthcare support, including medical coding, billing, and auditing roles.

Our consultative approach begins with understanding your responsibilities, work environment, and hiring goals. That helps us identify relevant experience and align candidate screening with the assignment.

Priority One’s published administrative screening approach includes SHL assessments for skills such as office software proficiency, typing, and data entry. These assessments can inform candidate selection alongside interviews, experience verification, and any specialized evaluation the position requires.

With owners directly involved in client accounts, we also emphasize clear communication about the role and the support your team needs.

Learn more about our approach to administrative skills screening.

Choose a Staffing Model That Fits the Need

The right arrangement depends on whether you are covering a temporary gap, addressing a defined backlog, or building a permanent team.

Contract staffing may support an absence, workload increase, or time-limited project.

Contract-to-hire can give both the employer and employee an opportunity to evaluate the working relationship before considering permanent employment.

Direct hire may fit a sustained need when your organization is ready to recruit directly for a permanent position.

For contract-to-hire assignments, establish expectations early. Review work quality, progress toward appropriate productivity goals, documentation, communication, and response to feedback. Allow time for training and system access before drawing conclusions about performance.

Priority One’s published contract-to-hire model includes conversion without an additional conversion fee after the applicable 16-week/640-hour period. Earlier conversion may involve a prorated fee.

Explore the contract-to-hire model and confirm the terms for your assignment.

Give the New Hire a Clear Start

Candidate selection is only part of a successful placement. Even experienced professionals need to understand your procedures, systems, and expectations.

Before the start date:

• Arrange appropriate system access.

• Document the employee’s responsibilities and escalation points.

• Identify who will answer questions and review early work.

• Explain quality standards and workload priorities.

• Schedule feedback during the initial weeks.

If errors or delays emerge, examine the work environment alongside individual performance. Unclear instructions, incomplete documentation, and training gaps may also contribute.

Find the Right Support for Your Revenue Cycle Team

A stronger hiring process connects the candidate’s qualifications to the work your team needs done. Start with a precise role, evaluate relevant capabilities, and provide the guidance needed for a successful transition.

If you need medical coding, billing, or other healthcare administrative support in Maryland, Priority One Staffing Services can help you explore your hiring options.