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Coding as an IC? - GT
Posted: Jun 14, 2015
Are some coders doing coding for private practices as an IC from home? MT for 22 years thinking of coding school. If this is being done, how would this work? Would you charge per report? Do you have the reports emailed to you and then how would you do the coding? Would you need to remotely log into their electronic records system? I apologize if these questions sound dumb. Truthfully I really know very little about coding as I have just begun researching whether or not I want to give this a try. I am willing to work hard and make the investment in schooling, but I would want to be able to work as an IC with my own accounts as I have done for 22 years as an MT. If doing acute care is the only option, I may not be happy. I have done acute care MT but was happier doing clinic. I am not the fastest transcriptionist in the world but have an excellent record for accuracy. I never liked the pressure of having to meet line counts in the hospital. I would rather work at my own pace by the line and be able to focus on quality. I do not mind if the pay for private practice is less than for acute care.
This is nothing like MT - sm - MT2coder
[ In Reply To ..]First off, you need to go to coding school which can take months to years. Some people work at home for services, totally unlike the crappy ones MT has turned into. Some work for hospitals, doctor offices, etc. You more than likely will work in a coding program. It isn't by acute care and clinic; that's not how it is done. You can code inpatient or outpatient, of which outpatient has a lot of opportunities, ER, ancillary, observation, etc. I work for a hospital so I don't know how a service works exactly but people I know work for a service and that particular one still pays per hour, much like the hospital. Maybe some pay by chart, I don't know, but every chart can be so different, some easy, some hard, that I don't know that I'd want to be paid that way. I'd probably rather get a great hourly pay and not have to worry about production per se for my pay. You would probably still have to keep up a certain quota though.
Coding involves sometimes time-consuming and tedious searching and is a completely different entity than transcription. I highly suggest you really read up on it before deciding that is what you want to do.
Again, it can takes months to years with a goal to be obtaining certification which is an absolute must to get hired - CPC or CCS, both or either, your choice. I would strongly recommend working in-house because this isn't an easy job to do and it helps to have someone to bounce questions off of, even long after you've learned and are doing coding. We all ask each other questions at work when we get stuck and it's nice to have that lifeline.
Good luck - try AHIMA or AAPC websites for information on becoming a coder.
Right, nothing like MT. - Coder
[ In Reply To ..]If MTing the way you prefer it is working out for you, you might prefer to stay with it. As noted above, coding is not like MT.
Coding for offices often involves billing, requiring a lot more than just coding ... claims preparation, approvals, denials management, and so forth. You are not going to find many positions that involve much actual coding, since physicians typically close the codes themselves. If they do use a coder, they are unlikely to want someone who just assigns codes from home ... they want someone who does everything and speed is usually necessary to keep from getting behind.
If you don't prefer acute care, it is likely that acute care coding and ambulatory hospital care will seem too difficult for you. Those jobs are usually done in-house, or possibly outsourced. Either way, they are not going to be IC types of jobs in the sense that you run the whole show and control everything.
In fact, even getting to the point that you could get contracts as an IC would be unlikely, since there is such a steep learning curve early in a coder's career. You really do need to be working in a supervised, supported environment for that.
Then there is the quality not quantity issue. In coding, this is not an either/or affair. It is both, always. Accuracy in coding is absolute and there is no arguing about it. You have to be completely accurate, but you also have to be productive. If not, someone does not get paid and/or money is lost on rework. If you are not both, you cannot pass any certification exam. If you are not certified, you won't work as an employee for long, but no one will hire you as an IC at all.
I think coding is an excellent career. It has a lot of room for independent consultants. Getting to that point requires a lot of work, though, and interpersonal interaction. My suggestion would be to review the information about coding that is on the websites mentioned above, AHIMA and AAPC, and see if it appeals to you.
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