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Coding School - Fate of coding due to EMR - Ninner

Posted: Apr 10, 2012

Wondering if there are any coders out there who can give me an idea of the fate of coding due to the EMR. Are there still coding jobs out there? Would it be wise to attend school for coding at this point or do you think it will be lost to the EMR eventually? I live in a rural area and there are advertisements for registered/accredited coders at medical facilities, but I'm afraid of spending all that time and money on schooling only to not be able to find a job. Any information/insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

Suggestion - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
The answers to your questions have been discussed here several times. Would you be ok with looking in the past few months of posts to find those discussions?

The answer is basically "no," but it is more complex than that.

You might want to do some research into what coding is. Your concern about EHRs taking over, along with your misunderstanding of oding credentials, is an indication that you are not really sure what coding is.

For the record, coders are neither registered nor accredited. They are not licensed. They are credentialed and the credentials are called certifications. AHIMA and the AAPC handle that. You should visit their websites for further information.

I DO know what coding is - Ninner

[ In Reply To ..]
as I did outpatient coding as well as some inpatient coding at our local medical facility. I read a response on here from someone else who indicated they had lost their coding job to the EMR, and another stating insurance companies were "tossing around" the idea of paying on a flat rate basis instead of a code basis, which is why I was concerned about the future of coding. I apologize for my "misuse" of the terms registered and accredited. Around "these here parts" whenever a coding job is advertised, they specifically ask for REGISTERED coders. I have checked out a few past discussions regarding coding but I certainly DO appreciate your suggestion.

If you DID coding . . . - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Especially both inpatient and outpatient, then why would you be looking for a school?

If you read the responses to "lost job to EHR," you will see responses pointing out that the post appeared to be faked or at least that there was more to the story. It also did not appear that the prson lost their job...they were offered jobs in other areas but did not seem to want them or to engage in any further education.

The "flat rate" for services has nothing to do with coding being unnecessary. Nothing in that article online would have led to that conclusion. Inpatient stays are already paid on a flat rate system, yet still require coding AND clinical documentation improvement assistance services. We have already discussed outpatient coding in physician offices.

Regardless of what you may see in job ads, there is no such thing as a registered coder. I have no idea what that might mean.

If those things had been your concern, you should have been more clear about them to begin with. We are not mindreaders.

Someone took their time to explain and point you in the right direction. If you would read the posts you would see that your questions WERE answered. If you went to the websites mentioned you would see other information you need. No one is trying to be rude, but it really is not reasonable to expect all of this to be written out fresh just for you. A pointer to what you need should be enough.

Ninner - ???

[ In Reply To ..]
Not sure why you reacted with hostility to someone who tried to help you.

I might also point out that the post about the flat rate payment idea is AFTER yours. It was posted about 8 hours after it. You could not have seen it when you asked your question, so it was not what caused you to question this.

If you truly understood what coding is, you would not have asked about either the EHR or the flat rate. The person who answered recognized that and was trying to point you in the right direction.

If you react with anger when given direction, coding is not going to be a good field for you. There is constant oversight from many levels, endless audits, and constant direction that changes and conflicts. You will fnd yourself just as aggravated as that doctor who has trouble dealing with it.

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