Medical Billing/Coding?

[GJM]

Just wondering if anyone does this. At the end of Dec. I won't have a job, our company closed. Me & my boss were talking about this. Do you need to go to school and for how long, and can you do this on your own or do you work for someone? Do you like this as a job?

I have been in my job for 25 years doing AP, AR & Payroll and I'm not sure what I want to do next.

If anyone has any good websites to look at I would appreciate it.

Thanks for any info.

 

[raammartin]

Just wondering if anyone does this. At the end of Dec. I won't have a job, our company closed. Me & my boss were talking about this. Do you need to go to school and for how long, and can you do this on your own or do you work for someone? Do you like this as a job?

I have been in my job for 25 years doing AP, AR & Payroll and I'm not sure what I want to do next.

If anyone has any good websites to look at I would appreciate it.

Thanks for any info.

Actually, I've been a medical coder for 6+ years now. I went to a local university for a degree in Health Information Management and coding is one of the things you can do with the degree. They have a 4 year program and a 2 year program. There are also programs for just coding at junior colleges. I chose this because I like the medical field and I also like the business field and this is a great blend of both. I could never see myself having direct patient care (I'd either be puking or crying all the time ) so it works for me. You do have a to know a lot about disease processes and interact a lot with the doctors, HIPAA office, compliance offices, Utilization Review department, and many other departments. I enjoy it a lot. The money isn't bad either. Recently I also signed on for some contract work at a larger hospital. Contract jobs really pay well. If you have any questions just ask, maybe I can answer them for you.

 

[Coloradomom]

My DH has been a Clinical Information Specialist (that is what they call coders now) for 20 years. He had a bachelor's degree in French and decided he wanted a career in the Health field but not patient care. He went to the local junior college for 2 years and got his AA in Health Info Mgmt. You have to take the accreditation exam as well.
There are now online courses to learn the field as well. He suggests you go to AHIMA.ORG to find out more.
He loves the field, has really enjoyed the flexibility it offers (when we moved 17 years ago he had no problem finding a new position). There are lots of options where to work...hospitals, consulting, doctor's offices, etc. He feels like it was the perfect career choice for him and so do I.

 

[GJM]

Thanks for the replies. I will check out that website.

I agree, I couldn't have contact either with the patients, I'm sure I would be crying & getting sick also!

 

[raammartin]

My DH has been a Clinical Information Specialist (that is what they call coders now) for 20 years. He had a bachelor's degree in French and decided he wanted a career in the Health field but not patient care. He went to the local junior college for 2 years and got his AA in Health Info Mgmt. You have to take the accreditation exam as well.
There are now online courses to learn the field as well. He suggests you go to AHIMA.ORG to find out more.
He loves the field, has really enjoyed the flexibility it offers (when we moved 17 years ago he had no problem finding a new position). There are lots of options where to work...hospitals, consulting, doctor's offices, etc. He feels like it was the perfect career choice for him and so do I.

That's funny, our actual title where I work is Clinical Data Analyst. We just call ourselves coders, but it doesn't matter because still no one has a clue what we do. And it's too hard to explain so I just don't. OP, it really is a great field to be in if you want to be in the medical field without direct patient care. I've got my RHIT credentials, but not my CCS credentials. I still don't feel ready to take those after 6+ years. And you really can get jobs almost anywhere. I think I saw on MSN a while ago where it was one of the top ten most growing careers.

 

[raammartin]

Thanks for the replies. I will check out that website.

I agree, I couldn't have contact either with the patients, I'm sure I would be crying & getting sick also!

GJM, also a coworker who coded before now does more documentation work instead of coding. She does all sorts of reviews: death, blood, c-section, timeliness, etc. reviews. You can do a lot of different things with a coding education. Earlier I mentioned the different areas of the hospital we work closely with. Our HIPAA Officer used to be a coder and our Utilization Department has RN/coders in their department.

Good luck to you and your decision!