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

MT to Coding - contemplating

Posted: Sep 27, 2010

I've been an MT for going on 8 years now, and I've been throwing around the idea of taking a coding class. I would really like to have something else to fall back on, as it seems that MT'ing is going more and more to VR. There's a local coding class that begins in January for $1700, but I wanted to get some feedback of current coders before signing up. Is the demand for coders still fairly high? Is it hard to find a job as a newbie, even with already having experience in the medical field. Are there opportunities out there to work from home? This class offers an opportunity to take the CPC exam at the end, which I will plan to do. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

MT to coding - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
There is a demand for coders. As with anything new, a person has to work their way up the ladder. Coding is changing too, with more of the jobs becoming computer-assisted and ICD-10 being implemented in 2013, it is a process of constant learning. Employers want people with experience, but with certification I do not think it is impossible to find a job. Once you learn more about coding, you will understand why experience is important. There are remote (work from home) positions available for experienced coders. My suggestion is to take the class. The more you know, the more valuable you become in the job market. I'm a student and I am doing it for the reason you describe. I hope to find a spot with my current employer when I finish school but would still like to continue MT in some capacity if possible.

Moving from MT to Coding - Redpen

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, there is still a high demand for coders. Coding is fundamental to the revenue cycle, so that demand will continue. It is anticipated that the need will increase as time comes for the national switch to ICD-10, when coders will need to know both ICD-9-CM and ICD-10, and a lot of long-time coders are expected to leave the profession.

Finding a job as a newbie in ANY field is difficult. You'll have to market yourself as a trustworthy person and present evidence of a good education and some achievement in the field--the same as you would need to do if you were applying for a job as an accountant or other professional. In coding, obtaining a recognized certification helps enormously because it enables employers to see that you know the body of knowledge and have learned to apply it at a reasonable rate of speed. While you might not have experience, there is more of an inclination to give you a chance. You may have to take a small job at first, but the minute you do, you should find that your market appeal increases dramatically.

If you are focusing on the CPC exam and outpatient coding, go to the AAPC website and see the salary surveys, the requirements and content of the exam, and find the local member chapters in your area. Attend a few local meetings so that you can meet local coders and find out about the job market in your area. Outpatient coding jobs are often announced through email to members rather than in newspapers (like hospital jobs often are).

The number of at-home jobs is increasing dramatically. Many facilities allow coders to work from home. Contract companies are generally very good to work for. You should expect to put in at least several months in an on-site job, though. This time is often very necessary for a new coder to learn the ropes.

Your MT experience will help you make the switch to coding. You will find that you use your knowledge of medicine and medical documentation, and if you are an experienced surgical procedure MT, that experience will make all the difference in learning to use the CPT code set. It will be much easier for you than for your classmates.

I think there is a huge role in coding and, by extension, in documentation improvement, for MTs. There is a lot of room for personal growth, job satisfaction, and advancement.

Good luck and please come back to let us know how you are doing!

Thank you...sm - contemplating

[ In Reply To ..]
I really appreciate your comments and advice! I think I will check into that class more. I guess it can't hurt, huh?

Thanks again! :)

Who can afford school? - BrokeMT

[ In Reply To ..]
With the amount that some of these schools are charging for the course, who can afford it? I know I can't. I've been an MT for 23 years and I would love to cross over to coding, but I don't have $2,000 or more to fork out for school. With the future not so bright for transcription, I need to do something though. :(

I hear ya... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I am an MT, so I am broke! I want to go into coding but I don't have thousands of dollars lying around. I HAVE to do something. It's not a choice anymore, it's a must!

mt to coding - viva

[ In Reply To ..]
I am taking coding at an adult ed school from a woman who has worked in coding for 10 years. The class is 3 semesters and $35 per semester. The books cost more but she gets us a discount.
You don't have to pay thousands to take an online course.

$35 per semester coding class - ame

[ In Reply To ..]
That is extremely rare to find I believe. The coding classes given through AHIMA and AAPC (which I would prefer to take) are very expensive in the thousands. The coding certificates given at online colleges or campus community colleges are paid for by financial aid (in my situation) but after reading the catalog classes I do not think they are intensive enough in coding to prepare me to pass the test. Anyone know of a good school either online or campus in (Portland, OR) that is accredited by AHIMA and AACP that would be an option?

Viva - see message - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
The on line courses also include modules in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, health care reimbursement and HIPAA/government regulations. The coding training covers inpatient and outpatient coding, ICD-9 and CPT/HCPCS. Some offer practice with computer-assisted coding and access to advanced coding clinics. Some of the programs include most of the books. If the classes you take offer all that then you are getting a lot for $35 per semester. Of course cost needs to be considered but curriculum is important too.

The most important question to ask - is about certification

[ In Reply To ..]
Do graduates of a particular course have the skills required to be certified? That is how I judge a coding course.

Affording School - ame

[ In Reply To ..]
I am having the same issue - MONEY! Well, I have found a community college in my area that offers an associates degree in Health Information Technology. I also have found two trade schools that are accredited by AHIMA and the one that has the test for CCP. They are Heald College and Concordo College, also Carrington College which used to be Apollo. These colleges have intensive programs in coding and prepare you for the CCS or the CPC-H tests and they accept federal financial aid grants and loans.

Colleges don't "have" credential tests and anyone has access to taking them - Caution

[ In Reply To ..]
Are you saying that the community college you found claims that they "have' the test for CCP, (I assume you mean the CPC) that they have some kind of an 'in' with any of the credentialing organizations and/or that they give you that test and others don't? That sounds like they don't know what they are talking about or they are misleading potential students.

We all 'have' that CPC test available to us. Schools don't control that and they don't 'offer' those tests. We can all take it. Not all of us can pass it, but we can all take it.

The fact that they would say that they give the exam is very worrisome.

they accept federal financial aid grants & loans. THAT is their - job, probably not so much teaching. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

I'm glad you said that. I've been thinking the same thing about schools for years - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
It seems like their whole reason for being is to get that federal money.

coding school - Viva

[ In Reply To ..]
The coding course has medical terminology and anat/phys as prerequisites. They are offered on the same campus or you can take them elsewhere. We have the teacher, the books, the homework, etc. and we are studying in-depth, as we will be well into next year.

coding school addendum - Viva

[ In Reply To ..]
The teacher works for Kaiser and seems quite knowledgeable about the exam as well.
Former students have passed the CCS, which I hope to take and pass next year.

viva - I bet more than a few of us are jealous! - MTLC

[ In Reply To ..]
viva - your course sounds awesome! We have a community college plus one of those chain schools (like ECPI) that offer coding but nothing like what you have available.

I am very happy for your opportunity and glad you are doing it. Let us know how things are going as you go through the course. Study hard!

coding school - Viva

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks! It is very hard and I am 45 now but I was still able to pass the RMT exam.
Coding is tough stuff, folks. It is not for everyone.

That said, there is another adult school nearby that offers a coding course that costs about $300 but includes books, I think, though I don't know how long it runs. I should think it would take the better part of a year to really get ready for the exam.

Jealous - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes I am jealous, I wish something like that was availabe where I like. This is small town USA and I'm doing my classes on line. I agree with you that coding is tough. I've been an MT forever (I am 56) and had no idea until I started school, I did a little bit of coding and abstracting back in the dark ages. I'm glad you pointed out that it is not for everyone. I'm not sure everyone understands what coders do, only that it might be a way out of MT. Good luck with your classes, thanks for sharing.

Unfortunately, most people who take coding courses don't and can't pass certification exam - and never work as coders

[ In Reply To ..]
There are literally thousands of coding courses. They are everywhere. Talk to all your friends and chances are, some of them will tell you that they have either taken a coding course or worked as a coder. When you ask them for more details about how they worked as a coder, you'll usually find that it isn't professional coding. They either choose codes from a Superbill where the codes are already chosen for them or they look for a number out of the coding book. In my experience, in fact it happened again this week, they will say they don't like "coding" as a job. I have to bite my tongue and keep myself from telling them that they have never done actual coding. They looked a few codes up in a book or checked off a form for the exam done. There is so much confusion out there about who coders are and what they do.

So are you all saying that.... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
going through a community college to taking a coding course won't give me enough education to pass the certification tests? The only reason I want to go through my local college, other than the fact that it's totally online, is because it's an accredited school and I eventually would like to get a bachelors degree in HIM and the credits from the coding course would transfer. I would like to go through Andrews, but it's not an accredited program. Would I be wasting my time going through my college? So confused

Way to find out about community college - MTLC

[ In Reply To ..]
A few months ago I went to a local AAPC meeting and met several recent graduates of our area's community college coding program. All the ones I met had also just taken the CPC exam and passed. None of them had yet worked in coding.

So you might try a local AAPC or AHIMA chapter to find out what percentage of students at your college take and pass the certification exams.

Transferring credits - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Some programs teach coding really well even though they aren't offered by an accredited college.

Colleges approach everything with the assumption that every student is fresh out of high school. That's what colleges are for. If you want to spend a year taking English, speech, math, and other general requirements, that's fine, but if you need a job and you need it soon, there might be better options for learning coding.

Accreditation means a school fits in with colleges that assume students are fresh out of high school and need English and math. Some perfectly good coding programs are not going to be "accredited" because they don't teach English and math and PE.

If you want to do an associate's in HIM, you'll have to take all the prerequisites and general subjects along with the coding. You'll be doing that for 2 to 3 years on a full-time basis before you'll be able to take a certification exam. If you're working and trying to do this part-time, it might take 3 to 5 years. A bachelor's can take forever.

There is NO GUARANTEE that the courses will transfer to the school where you want to do the bachelor's. When I wanted to do that, I found that a lot of schools wouldn't take credits from another HIM program, even though it was AHIMA-accredited. In fact, at some, I would have had to do all the general requirements over, too, due to their "you have to do it here" rules. A lot of places are focused on bringing in money. They'll get you to pay up for that degree no matter what.

Don't think you can't get anything out of your Andrews education. There are some decent college programs out there that try to keep an open mind. Some WILL give you course credit if you have a certification--it's right in their catalogs. At one college I saw, that can exempt you from several courses. My college didn't do that, but because of my certifications they did give me the option of just testing out of some coding courses and several others.

I opted to take some of the coding courses. Not one course was taught by anyone with coding experience. It was all online courseware and more than half the students failed every test and dropped out. The school wasn't concerned, just saying they felt coding was really hard! (?)

The way they taught it made it hard. If I hadn't already known the material, I don't think I would have passed their course, either.

It might not work for you, but the way I did it let me certify and start working sooner. I had a better income when I did the degree and it didn't take as long because I already knew the coding and got credit for it. My employer even paid for it because at that point it was job-related.

If you don't have enough work as an MT and you need to learn a new field, I'm not sure why you would want to do something that may take years.

Thanks for your reply.... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I appreciate your reply! I am an MT and I have plenty of work and am making okay money but I've wanted to go into coding for years and have decided to make the move now. I eventually want to get my bachelors degree but I am certainly in no rush. The university in my area has coding certificate, AA degree and then bachelors degree in HIM. So, all the credits transfer obviously because it's the same school. If I went to Andrews none of those credits would transfer to this university and I have checked it out.

You're welcome. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
If that's your situation, then that's fine and that is what you should do. I just want other people to be aware that what you said originally might paint a misleading picture for them. Maybe not for YOU, but for THEM.

You seem more interested in THE DEGREE than in learning coding. That's fine--that's what you want. You're doing ok, you have a good income, and now you want a degree. You WANT to take English, math, speech, PE, stinky anatomy lab, and sit in classes to have that great college experience.

That isn't what most people in MT are looking for right now. For the people who truly just need to learn CODING, as opposed to getting a degree, dragging it out through a college program might not be the best route for them. It's certainly not the best route if it takes three times as long and they lose potential income while doing it.

Honestly, degrees are great and they're nice to have, but coders find that they do not need them. It's easier and less expensive to increase income by specializing than it is to do it with a degree.

Very interesting...could you clarify a little more? - MT to coding

[ In Reply To ..]
Your posts are very informative but I think I have gotten lost somewhere while reading all of this (I think I am just confused, lol!). I also am an MT and did some coding way back when I first started transcribing. Now, with the state of the MT industry, I would like to go back to coding but it has been many, many years.

Here's what I was thinking about doing: Get some good books to review (essentially re-learn!), try to find a facility that will let me shadow one of their coders, and then take the test to get certified.

I think what is happening, in my case, is there are so many options out there that I just don't know exactly what route to take. I want to be coding as soon as possible. I don't want to sit in classes all day. AFTER I am working again as a coder, THEN I will probably take a class here and there and work towards a degree.

Is my plan of attack feasible or is it just wishful thinking? I appreciate any advice offered!

To very interesting (MT to coding) - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Your story is very similar to mine. I am also an MT who did coding briefly for a time years ago. Depending on how many years it has been, you are going to need a lot of review. I had basic knowledge of ICD-9 but I am now in a class where we were taught the guidelines, the sequencing rules and a number of other things. I'd never been trained in CPT procedural coding and if you want to work in an outpatient setting you are going to need to learn that too. Maybe I'm making it more difficult than it needs to be, but I don't know if you realize how much there is to know, you seem to be making light of something that is actually pretty complex. I'm in a situation where I am able to shadow a coder. I'm on my own for the class work and then we meet from time to time, she answers my questions and demonstrates coding scenarios in a real world situation. It's helpful, but it's no substitute for the coding practice I get in my class. Depending on your background and your memory for what you did before, obtaining a few books may be enough but I think you are going to be surprised how much there is to learn once you begin. Good luck!

In our local college course the teacher reads the book word for word, line for line - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
I couldn't stand even a semester of having the instructor take our textbook and read it for the class, line for line.

Good morning class.
Turn to page ____ (then reads on in a monotone voice).

The thought of it makes me want to scream. That is not education. That's torture!

coding school - Viva

[ In Reply To ..]
I should mention that one of my classmates appears to be in his 80s! I am not sure why he is in this class and if he plans to get coding work or what. He is very sharp, though.

A year to get ready? - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Just my opinion, but it should not take the better part of a year after a course to get ready for an exam.

Aren't you in that course to learn what you need for the exam? Or is it only teaching what you need to know so that you can start learning what you need?

That course takes a year and a half, plus you estimate a year to get ready for the exam. The tuition is 35 x 3 = $105 plus some amount for books and you can't work for 2-1/2 years. Who will hire you, after all, with no certification?

Not working for even one year is going to cost you at least $30-35K in entry-level coder salary.

How is the $35 tuition saving you money?

coding exam - Viva

[ In Reply To ..]
I will clarify:
Three semesters = finished by next June (these are not 18-week semesters) and I will have already prepped for the exam so I can get right to it while the info is still fresh in my mind (though you are allowed to take coding books to the exam as well).
I already have part-time work, just not in health occupations.

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