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

Future in Medical Coding / Billing - JMTM

Posted: Feb 08, 2012

I have a question about coding and billing. For three years in the '90s, I coded and transcribed for a small, rural, hospital. I was responsible for outpatient, ER, inpatient, surgical etc. coding and transcription. It was mostly ICD-9, and HCPC coding. If I want to code from home in the future, what would you suggest I do, an online program? Do you think coding from home would be an opportunity or do most hospitals/clinics/physicians require experience at a facility first, and would my experience be enough? On the question of billing, I billed at this facility for over 15 years and would like to know if this is something you can take online today and what the future in billing holds. Can you bill from home? I know this is alot of questions and I appreciate any information or experiences that you may have. Billing or coding??

Back in the 90s... - See Message

[ In Reply To ..]
I remember back in the 90s when there was what I think of as a 'fad' or trend. We were told that MTs were going to be doing the coding. That lasted about a minute and a half and ended up being a disaster for those hospitals that tried it. It was the idea-of-the-moment though, and the MTs who did it got to GUESS at a lot of codes as they transcribed reports. It was just another case of employers taking shortcuts to save money and ending up costing themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars. I was there. I know.

Now to try to answer your questions. You got an introduction to coding. That may be enough to make coding easier for you, or it may end up being a hindrance to you if you don't start from scratch. Most employers are going to want you to work on-site for some time before letting you go home to code, after they know you know what you're doing. You can speed that up by not only having the required CCS, but also a CPC, to demonstrate just how serious you are about doing professional coding. Shortcuts aren't allowed these days, although the same rumors still remain about how WONDERFUL it would be if MTs could just toss the codes in while they transcribe. I don't want to say that people who promote that are IGNORANT, because that would be rude. I would say that they are just uninformed. They are also just naively falling for each new hoax put out there by people who make money for promoting these ideas.

Billing is something different entirely. If you enjoy being on the phone with insurance companies and patients, wrangling with the insurance companies to get them to pay what they owe, arguing with the patients about the fact that they are responsible for paying their part, etc., you may want to go into billing. While codes are on the billing form, a person doing billing is not a coder. People can do billing with absolutely no education or skills at all. Get a job in it and they will have you trained in half an hour. There's nothing wrong with it. I've done it. I never ever would want to do it again, but it served a purpose for me during a time in my life when I needed a job. All work is honorable. I prefer not to ever do it again, but I would if it came down to working or not working. I hope I've helped a little in answering some of your questions. Good luck making the decisions about what is right for your own career. We're all different. What is a perfect career for one person is pure misery for another.

Billing or coding - JMTM

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you for the information. I really did enjoy the diagnostic coding; billing was, at times, a nightmare; and I have been away from medical transcription for almost 20 years, so that would be difficult to get the speed, etc. needed for most companies.
What I am looking for is part-time work (at home) when I retire, and I am not opposed to taking an online course. Anyway, thanks again for the info :)

Coding vs Billing - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Billing is rote clerical work that pays accordingly. EHRs are now doing a lot of the bill preparation, so there is less of a market for that. The jobs tht will remain will be more in oversight and denials management, and that becomes coding.

If you truly did actual coding and did not just copy numbers from charge tickets to bills, and if you are reasonably bright, there should be no reason you cannot review the material and take a certification test.

You should have a clear understanding of the nature of the work and how to do it. All you need to do is refresh your memory and catch up.

The bulk of coding training is learning how to do the job. It is not spent memorizing each imdividual code for specific situations. That information is contained in code books and references. We read it as we go. If I have not coded a cardiac cath in 5 years, I do not have to go take a course to find out how to do it. I just read and figure it out. If I am coding an inpatient stay and encounter a disease situation or surgery I have never coded before, I do not find someone and say "Tell me how to code this. I'll write it down for next time." I read the code book and guidelines, review appropriate references, and make a decision.

School does not impart how everything is coded. It imparts how we code. How to use the code sets. What code sets we use. How to read medical records.

You know that from before,so just get a book and review. Following that, a bootcamp might be appropriate for you.

A couple of books is a lot more reasonable than a course costing 3 to 4K or more and taking 1 to 2 years.

I think you can do this on your own and recommend that you just get a copy of Faye Brown and the CPT training books from the AMA. You can take a CPC exam review offered by a local AAPC chapter or a DecisionHealth bootcamp.

Thank You Coder!! - JMTM

[ In Reply To ..]
I did actual coding and I enjoyed it; I found it interesting. I would need a refresher on code sets, etc. I definitely know how to read medical records because I typed them for many years. I am thinking of ordering the books and a boot camp. I went online to see where my local AAPC Chapter is and the closest is 150 miles away, but that doesn't matter. I certainly have a lot of reading from the information you gave me. Thanks again.

Similar Messages:

Feb 13, 2015

Does any one know of any good medical billing and coding schools online? ...

Oct 09, 2011

Does anyone have good input on whether medical scribes are the new medical transcriptionists only being filled my medical students, medical assistants or a part-time or piecemeal clerk at a lower rate (hourly or by piece) than medical transcriptionists -- if lower pay is even possible? Also, what are any inputs on RHIT and the medical coding future? I already have a bachelor's degree but thought about another associate degree in RHIT in a CAHIIM accredited program. From your viewpoint, wou ...

Nov 16, 2009

I was wondering if anyone who is a transcriptionist also does medical coding/billing. I wonder if we are any safer with this field and what the pay is like. It looks to be about the same from what I have found on line. I have been doing transcription for 10 years and am getting tired of what is happening in the industry. It is tedious, hard work to sit on your butt all day and only get paid when your fingers are on the keys. I am thinking of working in an office or hospital for a chang ...

Sep 08, 2010

I am interested in obtaining some information on the medical billing/coding certifications. If anyone has class or school informaiton that is realiable I would greatly appreciate it. I am looking for online certificated classes. Thanks ...

May 05, 2012

How plentiful are the jobs for coders and medical billers? Currently I am an MT but looking into other career options. Thanks! ...

Aug 03, 2013

gotta be honest, i despise medical transcription - booorrrrring - BUT i still want to work at home. i know coding/billing probably isn't any more interesting, but because i still want to work at home, i'm considering learning it. does anyone have any knowledge and/or experience with it? if so, is it, too, also going overseas? are there any work at home jobs that are not going overseas? ...

Oct 07, 2013

Hello out there. Are there any medical coding and billing sites like this one. Any information on websites or where to look would be greatly appreciated. ...

Feb 25, 2014

I need to make a switch if I should lose my transcription job. Which would you recommend to get into first? Wondering if I should take a medical billing course first which would help me get hired somewhere else and does have a billing background help with coding?? I have a local vocational school that offers a medical billing course but nothing nearby that offers coding. Also I would prefer to do an online course and not sure which one would be the best. I don't want to spend money if ...

Jan 18, 2010

Does anyone have an idea which career might pay best, medical transcription or medical billing/coding? I am curious about which pays best. ...

Nov 09, 2011

After seeing the writing on the fall for MTs, I started school 1 year ago. I am currently in an online associates degree program. I am an on-the-job trained MT. I also earned my CMT through a lot of self study and I work hard to keep that CMT credential (no bashing. Needed it at the time for the job I had). My college program is currently business administration with a completion in medical billing and coding. I already know that to get a coding certifica ...

Sep 25, 2012

and the reason she's driving a bus is because she hasn't been able to find a job as a coder since graduation. I asked her if she took her certification exam yet, and she said no. I didn't say anything but maybe this is the reason why she hasn't gotten hired yet. ...

Jan 29, 2015

Hello, Just wanting opinions/experiences with Penn Foster's Training Program Coding and Medical Billing. Thanks in advance. ...

Jun 29, 2012

The people I know who will now be getting medical insurance will obviously now go to the doctor when they get sick. It makes sense to me that there will be more coding and more billing, right? That's a good thing for us I think. ...

Aug 03, 2010

What are some of the best online college/university that offers certified medical coding/billing? ...

Dec 29, 2014

It was recently suggested to me that I get Dragon Medical practice Edition, Version 2 for use on transcription, coding, billing and editing. As someone who works from home, I am hoping to investigate the pros and cons of investing in this program and whether its worth it ($1,399.00!!) Does anyone have any experience using this program for transcription, etc who would like to comment? Is it worth the time investment and the money investment? Is the program fairly easy to set up and use ie: l ...

Aug 13, 2013

Accepted a job, gave 2 weeks notice, and yesterday was my first day. I was to be helping out transcription (1000 jobs behind), and then sitting with billing and training with coding as their coder will be out on maternity leave in December. The office is adding another surgeon, and they are rapidly expanding. So I gave a proper 2 weeks' notice to my former employer (2 hours on the road there and back, low salary - now less than half distance and $3 more an hour) and starte ...

Aug 13, 2011

I am currently taking a program taught by a coder in my city. It is very in depth and I will be able to sit for the CPC when I finish, but I am worried about the future of coding. I read an article (I can't remember where but was in a health journal of some kind) that in 5 years coding will be mostly computer-assisted, documentation for coding will be 3/4 electronic, and coding staffing levels will be starting to decrease due to technology. Who agrees with this? Am I ...

Jul 11, 2013

I am thinking about going back to school to get into another profession. Coding is popular with MTs. I am really afraid that coding will be going down the same road transcription has. I am hearing things now with coding as I heard less than 10 years ago with transcription, i.e. off shoring, technology etc. Does anyone have any helpful info about the coding field and what the future outlook is? I have gone to websites to try to find this info and nothing seems helpfu ...

Mar 31, 2015

So I am currently an MT with 10+ years under my belt. I decided to go to school for coding and switch careers while I still had the chance. I am currently saving up for school, and my tax refund is going to put me over the top so I can start next month. But now I am reading (on this board) about the possibility that coding is going to start going the way of transcription (i.e., automation, computerized coding, etc.) and that coding jobs are going to start losing value just as MT jobs have lost t ...

Apr 20, 2010

has anyone thought about or actually made the swith from mt to billing/coding? ...

Jan 11, 2011

Anyone know if MedQuist has coding/billing jobs and would hire a new grad from CareerStep? Thanks! ...

Apr 05, 2011

Quick question - medical billing and medical coding are two totally separate entities, right? Meaning, you have schools for billing and schools for coding or schools that teach coding OR billing.. Just had a discussion with someone regarding this and I would like to have my facts straight ... thanks everyone!!! There are billing jobs and coding jobs, but the two shall never "meet", right? ...

Apr 11, 2011

I have a stupid question. When I finished my MT course with Allied Medical School, I then found out they are NOT (federally) accredited, they do not assist you in finding positions, and they do not assist in helping you become certified. In other words, I felt that I wasted all of that money. As a newbe I was unable to find a job. I started apprenticing with a company, paid their $500 fee for software, and after 8-9 months, found they had changed their name. Apparently, they were getti ...

Sep 30, 2011

I have been an MT for 20+ years and now looking into coding and billing... Would you recommend it? I am considering this, but looking for some words of wisdom prior to making a decision. I see Career Step offers the program, but not familiar enough with Career Step to know if they are a reputable. I have been told that coding is on its way out like transcription and not to waste my time, but only heard that from one person so far. Anything you can share with me would be great! Thanks :) ...

Oct 30, 2014

It has been almost 8 months since I passed my CPC on first try. I have been in MT field for more than 14 years, and yet nobody is ready to give me a job based on that. Everyone says u dont have a coing xperience. Is anybody else suffering like me out there? I am slowly losing hope that I will ever be able to leave this field. ...

Apr 14, 2010

Can anyone explain the difference between coding and billing? Do coding credentials apply to billing too? ...

Jun 15, 2010

I have a background in medical transcription however I am unable to sit in the same position (foot pedal - headset - typing) for any length of time. I broke my neck many years ago and didn't know when I was in school that this was going to prevent me from doing this career on even a part time basis and after graduating with high honors and having great employee/employer relationships. I am wondering if it is feasible to do billing and coding with medical transcription in a home offic ...

Aug 30, 2010

I had a friend suggest I access this webiste for possible information on Medical Billing/Coding training. Do you have any suggestions on where to obtain training and certification for Medical Billing/Coding. There are 2 of us that would be interested in this and then to move onto the Medical Transcriptions. We would both like to work from home and spend time with our children. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your assistance. ...

Jul 11, 2011

I am looking at options/alternatives. Currently an MT with 15+ years. Can someone tell me what a coding job and/or billing job exactly is (job description)? What is required of a coder/biller? Is it a WAH job? Thanks! ...

Sep 16, 2011

Just lost my part-time transcripton job and starting to hear that this field is becoming extinct. Thinking about going to school online for billing and coding. Anybody know of a oustanding accredited school? Do not want to waste time and money barking up the wrong tree. Is it costly? ...