Medical Coding as a Second Income

I work for doctors and none of our coders have anything but a high school diploma. There is no way any class can teach the ins and outs of coding. It is all I before E except after C. Medicade will reject this code on that procedure but will accept the same code on a different procedure. Then you can use a different code that means the same thing and pays the same thing for the first procedure and it goes through just fine.

Save your money, first apply at doctors offices for the job. In the past year we have hired four coders so there are jobs out there. Especially now since the insurance companies are kicking claims just to hold on to the money a bit longer. We have some coders that only work with one company, some two, I don't think any of them work more than two companies.

J.P.,

Just a couple of things, 1) there is a difference in being a Certified Coder (pays More $), and doing the billing for Dr's which involves Coding, but, doesn't necessarily require Certification. You can learn the Basics in a class , but, you might be better off going to work for a hospital or Doctor, that would be willing to pay for your class/certification if you work for them afterwards. There is also a difference in Hospital Coding versus Physician Coding. Both use the same Diagnosis Codes (ICD-9 Codes) but, the (CPT-4) or Procedure Codes can be different . Just keep in mind ,you can learn the basics , but, things change ALL the time in this field ,so you really have to keep up with the changes as well as what changes with the Insurance industry and they can all have different rules.
Best of Luck to you with Future Endeavors ! C. S.

call around to hospitals, physician practice managers and find out what they would want in your area, this way you will know what they want before you are hired. Some areas you will find cert only positions and others will be okay with on the job training. Even a few towns away can make a difference of what their standard is. So I would probably call the coding team lead at Good Sam, Edwards, and possibly a few offices practice managers it will give you an idea. Also find out if you will be able to do this at home or if they require you to be present at their facility.

I have a friend who has 2 coding jobs & works in her home. She teaches it online and also works for a doctor in Florida via the internet. How sweet is that? So I decided to give it a try. She recommend taking the classes online through AAPC. I just didn't have the discipline. I need to sit in a class. Their program is the least expensive. You can go to their site.

no, its not worth it. my cousin did this and then couldn't find anyone to hire her. there are TONS of people out there and not that many jobs. Unless you have a direct contact with someone you KNOW will hire you before you take the class, it doesn't seem to be worth it. good luck.

Not worth it...my husband got his degree about 2.5 years ago from an accredited university (not an internet one) - the actual coding and billing degree - and cannot find a job. And he has even worked in hospitals for the last 12 years. Any open position requires experience, and hospitals are laying of people constantly. And most doctor offices don't want to pay people with a degree when they can pay minimum wage to someone else.