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

MTs with RHIT please, and how to pick a school? - Rita, CMT

Posted: Nov 15, 2012

Wow, I'm a little confused. I hope to train for coding for if/when my in-house transcription job dries up, so I asked around the hospital about whether I should get my RHIT. (Yes yes I know I can't go into full-fledged coding the day I get the RHIT. I want to be in position to help out in the transition to ICD-10.) Response was positive, and they suggested any program accredited by AHIMA. Doesn't this leave out Andrews? People on this site seem to like Andrews. My state has no AHIMA-accredited HIM program, online or otherwise. The AHIMA site gave me 14 pages of schools nationwide that have accredited programs. Have any of you done the RHIT online, and what school would you recommend? Another complication is that due to a bachelor's in bio sciences, I already have tons of coursework to transfer. I don't need to do all the associate degree coursework. I just want the coding stuff. Been transcribing in-house for 11 years. What to do? THANKS!

My advice - me

[ In Reply To ..]
Since you already have a degree, I would go for the RHIA. I found info here on this board and the AHIMA site that you can do an online program from University of Toledo that is a post-bachelorette program and will qualify you to take the RHIA test. Why go back for a 2-year degree for the RHIT? Maybe do some research on it, at least another option to think about. Good luck!

A couple of things - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Ok, first things first =]

1. If you want an RHIT/RHIA credential, you MUST take an AHIMA accredited program--otherwise, you will NOT be allowed to sit for the credentialing exam. You will not receive the credential unless you take the exam and pass. This also applies to any coding credential, such as the CCS and CPC.

In order to take the CCS/CPC, you don't have to take any accredited course; however, for the CCS, you will now have to take a course that includes some specific topics. This information is also on the AHIMA website.

2. Yes, this would leave Andrews out, but only because what they teach is not geared toward the RHIT/RHIA. Their curriculum encompasses what you would need to learn to pass the CCS and CPC credentialing exams.

3. If you already have a Bachelor's Degree, skip the RHIT and go for the RHIA. You'll have to research that info on AHIMA. There are some bridge-type programs on there so you don't have to take all the Bachelor Degree coursework all over again. I can't recall specifics, but I know it's on the site

4. I suggest you sit down and really think out what you want to do. Do you want to code? RHIT/RHIA programs teach coding, but not to the in-depth level Andrews would teach. Both of those programs are more broad-based HIM, rather than coding specific.

How soon do you want to start working in the field? An RHIA course would be longer than the coding program through Andrews. Another option may be taking the coding course through Andrews, landing a job, and then going for the RHIA, perhaps utilizing a tuition reimbursement program through your employer.

Hope that helps~!

Advice - RHIA

[ In Reply To ..]
If your bachelor's degree is from a regionally-accredited college, you should go straight for the RHIA. As someone already noted, you can complete a postbaccalaureate certificate in HIA at the Univ of Toledo. It will take a year and tuition rates are in-house. Your employer may agree to help fund this. UT is the most economical and shortest option.

You will learn coding in that program. Whether you want to code or not, it should be enough. Your current background and a little on the job experience will tide you over.

You can go straight into coding from an RHIT, but that is not a good choice for you. It may take 2 to 3 years even with your transfer credits. Then you still have to do the RHIA work. Just go straight for the RHIA at UT.

Another option, especially if UT will not accept your bachelor's, is Western Governors University in Utah. They offer a great program in health informatics that leads to the RHIA. Informatics is especially good right now. It includes coding, of course and is surprisingly reasonable in cost. Their grads have a 100% pass rate on the RHIA, which is very good. They also pass the CCA. WGU charges by the term and you can complete as much material as possible in that term. Your motivation may enable you to complete their program in much less time than you would think.

You are confused by the mismatch between what coworkers tell you and the reality of the education market. They only know what they did . . . they can't see anything else. Most of them did an RHIT and stopped, then maybe 2 more years for the RHIA, or they did 4 years for the RHIA. They might not know that colleges with RHIT programs may have coding certificate programs and that these are approved by AHIMA, not accredited, and that some do not bother with approval. They are very unlikely to be aware of the postbaccalaureate route to the RHIA.

They will also be very resistant to accepting a coding program that is not offered by a college with an AHIMA-accredited HIT program. For that reason, Andrews is not a good choice for you. You have a potential job with your current employer. The best way to satisfy their interests is through UT or WGU.

Time-wise, you might be able to get into UT for January. If you need to take prerequisites or are too late for Jan, it might take until September. Considering that, WGU might be a reasonable option because you might get through not much later but with a degree in informatics. You can start at WGU any time--you just need to get through the admission process.

Whatever you do, do not delay. At this point, a delay of a few days may push your start date at UT out to next year. If you want to be in an ICD-10 job in time for ICD-10, your time is growing short.

I have looked at nearly all the available programs. Those two are my best recommendation for you. They are the most expedient and most economical.

thanks for all those answers... sm - Rita, CMT

[ In Reply To ..]
You guys are the best! Thanks for those well-thought out replies. Very helpful. Looks like it's RHIA for me, and cost is an issue too -- no tuition assistance from my employer because I am per diem. You'd think since they are concerned about coders retiring in 2013/2014 they'd want to invest in training, but I've heard nothing. (That's just me.) Maybe that will happen when the horse has left the barn.

Paying for school - My thoughts on this

[ In Reply To ..]
Both UT and WGU participate in the federal student loan program. WGU has some scholarship money available, I believe, a lot of books and materials are included, and if you have not already exhausted your Pell Grant eligibility, you should be able to use that, too.

Taking out federal loans for those two programs would be ok because your chance of finishing and getting a job in that field is so good. I do not recommend it for for-profit diploma mills or community college RHIT programs because the risk of not finishing is very high, as is the risk of not getting your certification (the failure rate is outrageous), and because the job prospects for RHITs are ok overall but not that great. They are not very good at all if you live in an area that has an RHIT program flooding the market.

With an RHIA you can work in any capacity . . . coding, management, privacy, compliance, or data management. You will be marketable to facilities other than where you currently work. If you choose the WGU program, you can add jobs in health informatics to that list . . . which will put you ahead of the pack for years to come. Your degree in biology points to a strong capacity for math, science, and computers, so that might be a choice you would like. The fact that you have completed a degree already suggests that you would be able to motivate and organize yourself to complete the WGU program faster than you might think.

WGU is competency-based, so you can make good use of what you already know. I think you will find that very helpful. Be sure to read how that works on their website and talk to one of their advisors before making your decision. The informatics would make an extra semester or two worth your while, especially if you can't start the UT program for a while. You might end up finishing around the same time.

WGU charges on time (in 6-month terms), not credit hour, so you can finish as much as you can per term without paying extra. That might work out very well for you.

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