Top Medical Billing Jobs in Chicago: Your Guide to Top Opportunities in Healthcare Finance
For job seekers in Chicago, healthcare finance is a stable, growing field. This guide covers in-demand medical billing roles, typical salaries, essential skills, certifications, adn practical tips to land top opportunities in Chicago’s robust health system.
Introduction: Why Chicago is a prime market for Medical Billing Careers
Chicago is home to renowned hospitals, academic medical centers, community clinics, and a thriving network of private practices. The city’s healthcare
ecosystem creates a steady demand for skilled medical billing professionals who can navigate payer rules, code accurately, and manage the revenue cycle.Whether you’re launching a career in medical billing or seeking to advance to higher roles in healthcare finance, Chicago offers both on-site and flexible remote
opportunities.In addition to strong in-person roles, many employers are embracing remote or hybrid billing teams, opening doors to talent across suburbs and the broader Midwest.
Top Medical Billing Jobs in Chicago
Below are common roles you’ll find in Chicago’s healthcare finance landscape. Each position includes a brief overview, typical responsibilities, key requirements,
and注意 salary expectations.Use this as a starting point to tailor your resume and interviews for the Chicago market.
1) Medical Billing Specialist (Chicago)
Role focus: Submit claims, manage payer denials, and follow up on accounts receivable. This is a core billing position found in hospitals, clinics, and health systems.
- Key responsibilities: Verify patient data, code using CPT/ICD-10-CM, submit electronic claims, track payment statuses, and resolve denials.
- Typical employers: Hospitals (adult or children’s), multispecialty clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, private practices.
- Chicago-specific notes: Large hospital systems and health networks frequently have dedicated billing departments; suburban chicago employers also offer on-site and hybrid roles.
2) Medical Billing Clerk / AR Clerk
Role focus: Entry-level or junior billing roles that handle data entry, posting payments, and basic claim follow-up.
- Key responsibilities: Data entry, payment posting, patient statements, and reconciling accounts receivable with minimal auditing.
- Typical employers: Small clinics, private practices, and medical billing services.
3) Medical Coder with Billing Focus
Role focus: Combine coding expertise with billing workflow to ensure clean claims and faster reimbursements.
- Key responsibilities: Coding with ICD-10-CM/PCS and CPT, upcoding/downcoding decisions, collaborating with billing staff to reduce denials.
- Certifications often preferred: CPC (coding), CCS (clinical coding), or CPB (professional billing certification).
4) Revenue Cycle Analyst / Revenue Integrity Specialist
Role focus: analyze the entire revenue cycle to optimize cash flow and reduce leakage.
- Key responsibilities: Data analysis, trend reporting, payer contract compliance, denial root-cause analysis, and process improvements.
- Ideal for those with strong analytical skills and experience with reporting tools and EHR/PM software.
5) Insurance Verifier / Pre-Authorization Specialist
Role focus: Verify benefits, obtain authorizations, and validate coverage before services are rendered.
- Key responsibilities: Confirm patient eligibility, check benefits, obtain prior authorizations, coordinate payer requirements.
- Why it matters in Chicago: Efficient pre-auth processing reduces denied services and speeds up revenue cycle.
6) Billing Office Manager / Practice Administrator (billing Focus)
Role focus: Oversee the entire billing function within a medical practice or department.
- Key responsibilities: Staff management, process optimization, compliance, reporting, and liaison with executives and clinicians.
- This is a more senior path for those with leadership experience in healthcare finance.
7) Remote Medical Billing Specialist (Chicago or Remote from Illinois)
role focus: Handle billing tasks for Chicago-area practices or national clients remotely.
- Key responsibilities: End-to-end billing tasks, denial management, remote collaboration with on-site teams, secure handling of PHI.
- Remote viability: Many Chicago employers and national billing services offer remote roles, especially for experienced billers.
Essential Skills and Certifications for Chicago Medical Billing Jobs
Success in Chicago’s medical billing roles hinges on both technical proficiency and the ability to navigate payer rules. The following skills and certifications help
candidates stand out in a competitive market.
- Billing and coding knowledge: CPT, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS, and payer-specific guidelines.
- Certification landscape: CPC (AAPC) or CCS/CPC (AHIMA) for coding; CPB (Certified Professional Biller) or similar credentials are valuable for billing-specific roles; HIPAA familiarity is essential.
- Revenue cycle management (RCM) expertise: Claim submission, denial management, AR aging, and cash posting.
- EHR/PM software proficiency: Epic, Allscripts, Medisoft, kareo, Athenahealth, NextGen, or AdvancedMD.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills: Ability to interpret payer explanations and root-cause analysis for denials.
- Attention to detail and compliance: HIPAA compliance, consent management, and privacy protections.
- Interaction: Clear, professional communication with patients, clinicians, and payers to resolve issues.
Certifications to Consider
- CPC - Certified Professional Coder (coding focus; offered by AAPC)
- CPB – Certified Professional Biller (billing focus; offered by AAPC)
- CCS – Certified Coding Specialist (AHIMA; for coding depth)
- RHIA or RHIT – Health Information Management credentials (AHIMA; broader scope in information governance)
- CPHR – Not typically required for Chicago billing roles, but relevant for health information management leadership
Salary Insights and Career Growth in Chicago
Chicago’s robust healthcare system translates into competitive compensation for medical billing roles. Salaries vary by position, experience, and the type of employer. Here are typical ranges you might encounter in 2024-2025 for the Chicago market:
- Medical Billing Specialist: Approximately $45,000-$65,000 per year.
- Medical Billing Clerk/AR Clerk: Approximately $38,000-$52,000 per year.
- Medical Coder with Billing Focus: Approximately $60,000-$85,000 per year,depending on certification level.
- Revenue Cycle Analyst: Approximately $70,000-$100,000 per year, with senior roles exceeding six figures.
- Insurance Verifier/Pre-Auth Specialist: approximately $40,000-$60,000 per year.
- billing Office Manager: Approximately $70,000-$110,000+ per year, depending on practice size and leadership responsibilities.
In addition to base pay, many Chicago employers offer complete benefits, tuition reimbursement for certifications, and opportunities for remote work or hybrid schedules.
Growth opportunities often include moving into revenue cycle leadership, data analytics roles within healthcare finance, or transitioning into health information management leadership.
Career Pathways in Chicago
- Entry-level billing clerk → Medical Billing Specialist → senior Billing Specialist → Billing Supervisor
- Billing Specialist → Revenue Cycle Analyst → Finance Analyst → Billing Manager
- Coder-focused track: Billing → Coding Specialist → Certified Coder → Coding Supervisor
Where to Find Top Opportunities in Chicago
Chicago offers a wide array of employers for medical billing professionals. The strongest opportunities often arise in:
- Large academic medical centers (e.g.,major Chicago hospitals) with expansive billing departments.
- Community hospitals and health systems focused on accessible patient care.
- Private physician practices across specialties (cardiology, orthopedics, dermatology, pediatrics, etc.).
- Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and outpatient clinics.
- Third-party medical billing services and revenue cycle management (RCM) outsourcing firms.
- Government-affiliated health programs and managed care organizations with complex billing requirements.
- remote or hybrid roles offered by Chicago-based employers and national clients.
Job search tips for Chicago:
- Leverage local professional associations (e.g., Chicago chapters of AAPC or AHIMA) for networking and job boards.
- Highlight familiarity with Chicago-based payer policies (Medicaid, Medicare, private insurers common in Illinois).
- Showcase experience with the major PM/EHR systems used in Chicago facilities (Epic, kareo, NextGen, AdvancedMD).
- Tailor your resume to emphasize AR management, denial resolution, and revenue cycle metrics relevant to Chicago employers.
Practical Tips for Landing a Chicago Medical Billing Job
- Optimize your resume for keyword-rich scans by including terms like ”medical billing,” “ICD-10,” “CPT coding,” “denials,” “ARP aging,” and the names of software you no (e.g., Epic, Kareo, Athenahealth).
- Prepare a concise cover letter that references Chicago’s healthcare landscape and your familiarity with local payer practices.
- Gather evidence of denials resolution success (percent denials reduced, days to payment improved) to quantify impact in interviews.
- Invest in a relevant certification if you don’t already have one (e.g., CPC, CPB) to demonstrate commitment to the Chicago market.
- Practice scenario-based interview questions: resolving an ICD-10/ CPT mismatch, correcting a payer’s erroneous denial, or trimming AR days by a specified percentage.
First-Hand Experience: A Chicago Biller’s Path to Remote Success
Meet Maya, who began as a front-desk administrator in a Chicago pediatrics practice and earned a Medical Billing Specialist role within six months.
Key steps Maya took:
- Completed a reputable billing certification and learned CPT/ICD coding basics aligned with pediatric care.
- Gained hands-on experience by volunteering for denials follow-up and AR cleanup tasks within the practice.
- Networking with a Chicago-area AAPC chapter led to a referral to a remote medical billing service that valued local market knowledge.
- Demonstrated measurable impact: reduced denial rate by 18% and cut claim cycle time by 2 days in her first 90 days.
Today, Maya works remotely for a Chicago-based billing partner, enjoying flexible schedules and continued opportunities to advance into revenue cycle leadership.
quick Reference: Chicago Medical Billing Roles and Highlights
| Job Title | Typical Employers | Salary Range (chicago) | Key Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical billing Specialist | Hospitals, clinics, private practices | $45k-$65k | Billing, AR follow-up, CPT/ICD-10 coding basics, payer communication |
| Billing Clerk / AR Clerk | Small practices, clinics, billing services | $38k-$52k | Data entry, payments posting, basic claim management |
| Medical Coder with Billing Focus | Hospitals, multi-specialty clinics | $60k-$85k | ICD-10-CM/ CPT coding, denial prevention, documentation review |
| Revenue Cycle Analyst | Large health systems, RCM firms | $70k-$100k+ | Data analysis, performance metrics, denial root cause analysis |
| Insurance Verifier / Pre-Authorization Specialist | Hospitals, clinics, ASC facilities | $40k-$60k | Eligibility checks, prior authorizations, payer communication |
Conclusion: Navigating Top Medical billing Opportunities in Chicago
Chicago’s healthcare landscape offers robust opportunities for medical billing professionals across on-site, hybrid, and remote roles. Whether you’re aiming to begin a
career in medical billing,seeking to advance to a senior analyst or management role,or exploring remote work that leverages the Chicago market’s payer
complexity,the path is clear: build strong billing and coding fundamentals,earn relevant certifications,and demonstrate measurable impact on the revenue cycle.
By embracing Chicago’s payer nuances, leveraging local networking channels, and continuing education, you can position yourself as a top candidate in healthcare finance.
Start with a targeted resume, highlight your proficiency with major EHR/PM systems, and consider earning a billing-focused credential to accelerate your Chicago job search.
https://medicalcodingandbillingclasses.net/top-medical-billing-jobs-in-chicago-your-guide-to-top-opportunities-in-healthcare-finance/
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