Medical Billing and Office Administration

The objective of the Medical Billing and Office Administration (MBOA) program is to prepare students with the knowledge, technical skills and work habits required for an entry-level position in a medical office setting with the potential to advance. Instruction covers general medical office procedures, including scheduling appointments, patient records and filing, as well as coding procedures and the management and execution of various medical insurance plans and programs.

Students also receive a basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology, a strong foundation of medical and pharmaceutical terminology, instruction in medical billing and collections, and the study of medical ethics, HIPAA and public relations. They are introduced to Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and office applications, and practice keyboarding, 10-key calculator and transcription. Graduates receive a diploma.

IOT incorporates a 5-week externship into the MBOA curriculum so that training immerses students in the real world of the specialty from day one. The curriculum is designed to teach the skills employers look for in a medical receptionist: recording and filing patient histories, scheduling appointments, managing medical insurance plans, coding medical procedures and performing a variety of administrative duties.

Medical billing training bridges the classroom with a real-world administrative role through hands-on career education, experienced instructors and a supportive peer network, in a hybrid format offered in Clovis, Modesto and Redding.

All students interested in applying must first meet with an Admissions Representative and successfully pass a 12-minute assessment test. Students must be a minimum of 18 years of age, or 17 years of age with the written consent of a parent or guardian, and possess a high school diploma or equivalent, a valid government or state issued GED, or proof of completing an officially recognized and accredited home schooling program (home-school applicants must also pass an entrance examination). Foreign education documents that cannot be confirmed must be evaluated by a third-party agency at the applicant’s expense.

Non-ATB applicants take the Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam; diploma programs require a minimum score of 10. Students with delinquent student loans must resolve them before being considered, and students who have defaulted on a student loan will not be considered for admission.

Hybrid (IDL) programs. Applicants must attest to their ability to succeed in a distance learning environment and pass the online “Computer Literacy and Internet Knowledge” (CLIK) pre-assessment with a score of 14 or higher. Minimum technology: a PC, laptop and/or tablet able to create documents in Microsoft or Google Docs, the ability to join Zoom or Microsoft Teams calls (speakers and microphone required), and continuous, reliable internet access.

No diploma or GED? Through a partnership with C4L Academy, students in an eligible career pathway program (ECPP) can earn a high school diploma while concurrently enrolled; ability-to-benefit applicants must pass the ACCUPLACER test (Reading 233, Writing 235, Arithmetic 230).

The program is 860 hours / 47.5 quarter credit hours. It is a hybrid or interactive distance learning (IDL) program: classes are a combination of on campus and online for 40 weeks, with on-campus classes two days per week.

Daily schedule. In a hybrid program, classes are conducted on campus and online; on-campus attendance is required two days per week, and online attendance events (a quiz, test, final exam or Discussion Board post) are monitored weekly. Each five-week module runs Monday through Sunday for four weeks and Monday through Thursday in week five. At the Clovis campus, Professional Development, CERM, HVAC, MBOA and PMA on-campus sessions are held Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., or 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; the Modesto campus also publishes a Monday/Wednesday hybrid schedule.

Redding hybrid starts in 2026–2027 include October 12, 2026 and November 16, 2026, among monthly start dates.

Graduates will be prepared to find an entry-level position in a medical office setting. As a graduate of IOT, you can pursue certification in this field and an entry point into the industry in job roles such as benefits program clerk, billing coder, dental billing assistant and medical insurance collector.

In all classes, students practice keyboarding, 10-key calculator and transcription for increased accuracy and speed, and learn medical terminology through prefixes, suffixes, word roots, abbreviations and pronunciations. Uniforms are required and are available for purchase; textbooks are provided as classroom resources or purchased by the student.

The program ends with a 160-hour medical office externship. A medical student dress code applies.