Medical coders

[wifey1220]

Are there any medical coders out there????
I am a stay home mom looking for some real online programs in the medical coding field. My local community college has been no help. I am no sure what online schools are scams or legit. I am also not sure what certications I need in pa. Schools either don't know or just try to sell me on themselfs. Can anyone help???

 

[Sadie22]

It is my understanding that medical coders have to work on site for a couple of years before possibly being allowed to work from home, so that may not work out for you as a SAHM. workplacelikehome and WAHM are a couple of sites with forums that have information about working at home.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

You might have better luck looking for a medical office administration program that has coding in it. I am starting an associate's degree program at our local community college that is online in May that is in medical office administration. I'm hoping to find a job after that, then go back to our state college while I work and get a bachelor's.

 

[Tree]

I would be careful with those schools -they make promises most folks need to work in an office before they can actually start to work at home. I would try some of your local community colleges for classes if you want to go into that field.

 

[cookingqueen123]

My sister finished a 2 year, online accredited program last year and has been unable to find a job anywhere!!!!
Nobody hires unless you have experience and you can't get experience unless you get a job.
Her program was the best one. Total waste of money.
She has given up finding a coding job and works at Walmart now.

 

[kpadalik]

I am a medical coder and I work at home. I took 2 semesters of coding classes at our community college and then took a national certification exam. However, I worked at a hospital for 6 years before I started working here at home. The online certification courses do not give you the training that you need. They make it sound like you will be able to work from home immediately. Not true. When I was applying for at home positions, I didn't find any company that didn't want at least 2-3 years experience. I suggest if this is something that you are really interested in, apply for a job in the medical records department at your hospital and then work your way in to coding. A lot of people I know started that way. It's not as easy as it sounds and the hands on/on site experience will help tremendously. Also, a lot of hospitals are transitioning to an electronic health record, therefore allowing the coders to be sent home to work. Something to think about.

 

[wiigirl]

It is my understanding that medical coders have to work on site for a couple of years before possibly being allowed to work from home, so that may not work out for you as a SAHM. workplacelikehome and WAHM are a couple of sites with forums that have information about working at home.

My sister-in-law does this. She had to work on site and then apply to go home.

If you want to work from home right away you might think about transcription services. From what I understand its mainly done by computers now and they need humans to spot check and verify things.

 

[Sadie22]

My sister-in-law does this. She had to work on site and then apply to go home.

If you want to work from home right away you might think about transcription services. From what I understand its mainly done by computers now and they need humans to spot check and verify things.

Medical transcription/speech recognition editing is as difficult as coding. It's not just spot checking but editing the entire record. There is indeed less straight transcription left, compared to what there was. However, editing a SR transcript can be as time-consuming as straight transcription but tends to pay even less.

You can learn more about either one on the forums I mentioned above.

 

[tink68]

Think long and hard before you do this. Research the requirements for jobs etc. I did this over 2 years ago and because I have no medical experience no one will even talk to me. Feel like I wasted my time and money, and to keep up certifications it will cost you even more. If you get a job it will usually be entry level front office and then later they may allow you to code. It could take you years before you find one that will allow you to work from home. But you may get lucky. I know of 1 person out of my class of about 30 who is working. They got lucky.

 

[MeggerasMa]

try official coding groups for info. AHIMA or AAPC would be a good place to start. ICD-10 programs would be a great place for a new coder to focus their attention on as it is new for all coders and supposed to be implemented in 2014. Everyone will be new so it should level the playing field somewhat. Coding is be no means "simple." If you sincerely want a challenging career, go for it! You should be detail oriented by nature. The possibilities for a coder with good skills and work ethic are virtually limitless. You should have strong skills in medical terminology, anatomy, disease process... Obviously, I could go on and on. Check it out. It is a wonderful field for those suited to that type of work. Good luck.

 

[LaurLaur04]

I'm working on a degree in medical office administration so I can code as well. But I already have a degree in radiology so my situation is a bit different. Most community colleges should offer degrees and certificates. You actually don't have to have any degree to take the certification exam.

 

[wifey1220]

Thank you everyone for helping me. Of course I would love to work from home. But right now I am looking for online training. My youngest starts preschool in the fall so I wanted some schooling so maybe I could start working part time by the time he gets in k or 1 st grade. Choosing a career is so hard. I am 33 and just trying to go to college for first time. I am not in any rush I still want to be flexible for my boys but would like an education and job by the time I am 40. And I want to get an education in a field where jobs are available. Stress!!!