A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Coders-is there a way - anon

Posted: Jan 22, 2012

to check out coding and what it is all about before going through a course. I am interested in doing coding but am unsure if it is right for me. Thank you for your thoughts and input.

Good question - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
And I highly recommend you check it out some how before doing it. I wish I would have researched it more before I started my training for it. I realize now that coding isn't for me. I just finished my program and passed the CCS, but it's not what I want to do. So, research, research and then research the research!

Thanks - for

[ In Reply To ..]
sharing that! Interesting that you got as far as passing the CCS! Can you share with us why you don't like it? Is it different than what you thought it would be? Did you work for a while and find out it was different than school? If you can share, it will also help those wondering if it is right for them. Thanks.

I saw some books on coding on amazon.com - Maria

[ In Reply To ..]
I plan on getting one myself. So maybe if we read it we can get an idea of exactly what coding entails. Another idea is to look up medical coding on youtube, there's tons of videos there that explain what coding is all about.

I was thinking of... (sm) - CMTx2

[ In Reply To ..]
I was thinking of joining AHIMA as a student and attending some local meetings to see what's what. Unlike AHDI, AHIMA is very active, SUPPORTIVE, and has lots of educational opportunities going. I am also thinking of asking our coding manager if I could sit in on a couple of their ongoing classes in the department (on my own time, of course). All our coders work from home, so shadowing one for a few hours is a bit sticky.

Before I got into transcription, I was a cancer registrar. I really enjoyed getting my geek on, looking up codes while surrounded in pathology reports and anatomy charts.

Another idea: YouTube - CMTx2

[ In Reply To ..]
I look up everything on YouTube. I've done a quickie check, and there are videos there by coders about exactly what their job entails.

I also noted several vids about the coming of ICD-10 and what that will mean exactly.

If we start school now, timing will actually be on our side (for a change!!) as we'll be finishing up in and around the time ICD-10 will be rolling out.

My hospital's coding manager said once -- only half joking -- that a lot of coders, including herself, were just going to retire rather than deal with the beast that is ICD-10. Hellooo, opportunity!

Good idea - jm

[ In Reply To ..]
I am surprised you are the first person to ask this! I wonder when so many are jumping into coding if they know what they are getting into. I really didnâ��t understand the depth of coding until I was in it for a few years. I think everyone should check it out further before jumping in, but I donâ��t know exactly how one would go about it. I had a coder that I talked to before I went into it which helped some.

Suggestions - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
There are provider training materials on the CMS website. Medicare Learning Network. www dot cms dot gov That will give you insight into one aspect of it.

Look at DecisionHealth's website for resources coders use. They offer training bootcamps in several areas. These might not be right for you now, but you can see how we obtain new skills. The cost might shock you, but we pay it because the opportunities pay well.

Look at www dot zhealth dot com for interventional radiology resources. Note that Dr Z is a coder. This shows you that the work is not clerical. All his stuff is superb, by the way.

Go to www dot aapc dot com and see what is there. Find the listing of local chapters and call them. The phone number is right there. Attend a few of their monthly meetings. Arrive early and talk to some coders. They will all do different kinds of work. Note that the local chapter may offer training that may or may not be right for you.

AHIMA locals are active in some areas and not so good in others. Lots of stuff on their website.

Look at pages in several books on Amazon. You can see them online in many cases.

See if you can arrange to shadow a coder for a few hours. The AAPC chapter is one way. Also call the Health Information Management department at medical centers until you find someone who will talk to you. Be aware that we get calls like that quite often and they often try to talk us into jobs. We are wary of that. A lot of callers sound crazy, too. We also have serious HIPAA restrictions which prevent visitors, etc., but if you sound professional and have good questions about the work it helps.

One question you should not ask is what school they recommend for trainng. They do not know what is out there and may go with a local name whether it is good or not. One organization's members will feel obligated to recommend their programs. Because of where I work, I could say only something neutral, like "We have successful coders who trained in a variety of situations."

Warning! - Do not believe everything you hear

[ In Reply To ..]
I looked around and found that a scam school has one of these "Here's what coding is all about" ambush traps. What you read sounds very nice. It's probably copied from a code book.

It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to go to someplace like Amazon and search for ICD-9 and/or CPT to find some of the books that allow you to 'look inside'. You aren't going to find much except a dictionary-like book. The fun in coding is being a researcher to find the one and only right code for that situation, or maybe more than one. You learn how to know the difference. Many coders don't know how to code, and that means their employers are often not paid for the work they do. I don't think you can find out much about the spirit of coding from looking at a book that is more like a dictionary. You don't learn English or Spanish, for example, by looking at a dictionary. It's what you do with it that makes the difference. That's why there are courses that teach you nothing but using the book like a dictionary and other courses that teach you to be a medical coder with credentials that tell everyone that you know what you're doing with those numbers that look so strange to lay people.

I wish I could/would have done that - tryingtohurryandfinishschool

[ In Reply To ..]
I sure wish I would have done that before jumping into coding. I knew it would be time consuming and complicated, but I am finding I am not going to have the patience to do it. I am only almost half way through with the coding program at Andrews, and while I don't blame Andrews' program at all, I just don't think I have the concentration level to do it, especially since ICD 10 will be out in a year and a half. It definitely takes a special kind of person to do coding and I sure do commend the ones who are. But, as soon as I finish with my course, I'm getting into something else. Sadly, it will require more schooling. Good luck in whatever you decide. :)

Suggestion - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
You might be jumping the gun a little, in my opinion. You have a slightly off-kilter expectation about coding, and making an assumption about ICD-10's effect on it when it is still far away might not be sensible. Making a decision halfway through a course isn't sensible, either.

First, if you are rushing to get finished, the RUSHING might be the problem. It might not be that too much concentration is required, but that you cannot concentrate at all because you are too busy trying to hurry. And you wouldn't be able to concentrate in any field if you were rushing that much.

Second, SCHOOL is not the actual WORK. The two are never the same. Lots of people don't like doing the schoolwork, but they realize that the actual job isn't quite like that.

Third, like most things, coding gets a lot easier once you gain experience and use it. It isn't going to require that kind of "concetration level" forever, and some coding jobs require a lot less than others.

Fourth, I do not know what kind of job you can get non-thinking schooling in. You will find that nearly everything requires concentration and attention. If you can't pay attention for coding, then you might be sorely disappointed in education for just about everything else. You will be unsuited for nearly everything in medicine, since nearly everything medical requires licensure. You can't get that licensure by being mentally absent throughout the courses. Further, fully half of what you are learning now pertains to nearly everything you can do in the medical field. If you don't like it now, you aren't going to like it there.

I don't know how you learned to keyboard, but most people do not find typing classes particularly enjoyable. They find they have to concentrate and make an effort. However, they rarely drop out saying that they aren't cut out to keyboard because it requires too much concentration. They realize that it won't require that kind of concentration forever. Once they get out of class and start using a keyboard with computers, they forget how annoying the class was. They just start typing. It gets easier.

Can you think back on that? Or on learning to drive a car? Did you keep wanting to quit because it required too much concentration?

Coding gets easier. You won't have to concentrate that hard forever.

Something else . . . if you do have concentration problems, you might want to see a doctor. There can be many reasons behind a difficulty with concentration. Vitamin deficiencies, low blood sugar, medications, and even depression.

Now, if your problem is that your attention to detail is poor, that would be a very good reason to stay away from coding, because that is something that usually cannot be cured. Some people just see things on a more global basis. That's fine, and there are lots of jobs for those folks -- many of which would drive coders over the edge. If you are currently an MT, though, I would doubt that attention to detail is a problem.

Thank you for your suggestions - tryingtohurry

[ In Reply To ..]
I just wanted to say thank you for your suggestions and input. Yes, I do have concentration problems and was recently diagnosed with ADHD (had it since I was a child apparently), and now I am on medication for it. I've been making good grades in my coding classes, but I just don't think coding will be for me. I know I still have a while to go until I'm finished and maybe by then I might change my mind, but as of this point, I don't think I'm that "special" person. Don't get me wrong, what I do like about coding is the constant learning, but I do wish I would have really delved deeper in my research on it before jumping in and paying for the whole tuition.

But, again, I do appreciate your suggestions and input.

:)

Another suggestion - Been there, done that

[ In Reply To ..]
This is just a suggestion, but it worked for me and it has worked for other people.

Try a gluten-free diet. Actually, I did a gluten-free, casein-free diet, which worked so well within just a week or two that other people noticed before I did. Then this fog just lifted and I came out into the mental sunlight. Now I'm not a flit-brain anymore.

This is really easy to do if you want to do it. You can find tons of instructions on the net, including on Wikipedia. Good websites are Gluten-free Girl and Alana's Pantry. You don't have to be as obsessive at first as someone who is celiac, but my guess is that your results will be so excellent that you will become the Carrie Nation of demon gluten. Just like me.

If you do it right, you will save a fortune on processed foods. You will likely lose weight, bloat up less, and have better lab work next time you visit your doctor. You may notice that your joints don't ache, your nose isn't as stuffy, and . . . most remarkably . . . you may realize that you itched all the time before, had vague abdominal discomfort, and apparently had diarrhea, too, but now you don't.

Paleo all the way! - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I can concur with everything you said. I went Paleo (no grains, no dairy, no sugar, no corn) basically no processed food. I feel like a new person. I sleep very well, allergies are much better, plus my concentration is better too! I am in Andrews also learning coding. Many good websites on the Paleo diet. My favorites are The Clothes Make The Girl, Nom Nom Paleo, Everyday Paleo, Mark's daily apple and Dr. Jack Kruse's blog. The first 3 have amazing recipes and MDA is about the Paleo lifestyle in general, and Dr. Kruse talks about Paleo from the medical standpoint, amazing inspiring stuff. Also Whole9life.com, to do a 30-day challenge. It's only 30 days, what have you got to lose?

Thank you been there, done that! - tryingtohurry

[ In Reply To ..]
I just wanted to thank you so much for your idea. I will start researching all of this and see if I can try that. My son also has ADHD, (unmedicated) I would like to try this on him as well and see if it helps him too. I am willing to do anything to get rid of the fog and be able to concentrate. :)

Thank you!

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