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

Does every doctor office have coders? - anon

Posted: Aug 04, 2011

Just curious. And if so, do coders work as the primary billilng person as well or do they having a billing person and a coder. I don't see too many jobs advertised for coders so I was wondering... maybe not all have them.

No, not exactly - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Where are you looking that you don't see too many jobs advertised for coders? The newspaper? That's not somewhere I would look.

I'm a coder and I see jobs all the time. They are always some on www.usajobs.com. You'll see them on the websites of professional organizations, hospitals and other healthcare organizations, and professional journals. A lot are handled by headhunters. I see a lot of those through emails from local AAPC and AHIMA chapters.

A small, non-specialty office might not need a full-time coder. It kind of depends on what they do in that office. The bigger they are and the more complex the services, the more likely they are to have a coder. Otherwise, they might just use a biller or some other kind of front-office person. Even then, they probably work with a consultant coder who sets them up with the codes they need, provides training and advice, and does periodic audits of coding/billing accuracy.

You may have the idea that coding is just typing numbers onto bills, but it's a lot more than that. I have never done anything even remotely like that and do not know any coders who have. If you are looking for a job typing numbers onto bills, that's a billing job or a "front office" job.

see message - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I am currently enrolled in a coding course. I am wanting to sit at a desk all day coding medical reports. That is my dream job. I do not want to be involved with the "billing" aspect of it all. I do not want to just punch in codes that are already handed to me either. I want to use my newly gained skills to their highest degree. I do see coding jobs when I look elsewhere besides the local newspaper. Its just that I have been on a few interviews for other positions and I mention that I am taking a medical coding course and they don't really comment. Then they show me around, introduce me to the people, including the billing person. I do not see an employee or a room where it looks like coding is being done. That is why I ask.

I love orthoedics and I would love to find an orthopedic practice in which I can primarily just code FT.

from a practical perspective - former coder auditer

[ In Reply To ..]
what you seek is unrealistic.

It doesn't mean that you are looking for and what you will find is not to your liking. What I am saying is that you may need to adjust your perspective. Unless you move into something more than coding, you may be disappointed.

If you want to sit at a desk coding all day (and is this what you truly desire?), you should perhaps consider inpatient coding. Many, many physician offices want people who multitask.

From the application perspective, I do not understand how you can not be involved in the "billig" aspect (your words). Coding IS billing.

Good for your for not wanting to just punch in billing that is handed to me. That is data entry, not coding.

If you are looking for a "room where it looks like coding is being done," well, good luck to you, as you will most likely never realize that potential. My experience is that even those who audit coding fail to realize this particular dream.

I am not discouraging you from coding. I am asking you to challenge your perception to conform to a realistic job environment so that you CAN attain your desire to "use newly gained skills to their highest level."

You may need to flex some to do that. Best of luck to you.

office coding - raydonia

[ In Reply To ..]
Many smaller doctors' offices just simply give the billers a list of codes to use, often they are out of date, they do not provide them with current reference material... it makes one wonder how they ever get paid? I learned this by interfacing with the physician offices when I was working as an inpatient coder, which really is a fun job!

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