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Has anyone taken PennFoster's program? - Want To Code

Posted: Oct 05, 2010

I just received information in the mail from Penn Foster for their medical coding and billing program. The booklet says that the program will provide students with the skills necessary to obtain entry-level employment as medical coders, coding specialists, medical billing specialists, and medical insurance clerks. It also says that you can earn 18 credits toward an associate degree in medical assistant or 17 credits toward an associate degree in health information technology at Penn Foster College.

Has anyone taken this course or know if this would be beneficial to use as a coder or is it geared more towards billing?

These are the different courses the program is comprised of:

Introduction to Allied Health

Office Procedures

Interpersonal Communication

Law and Ethics in Allied Health

Word and Excel

Business English

Body Systems/Terminology 1

Body Systems/Terminology 2

Confidentiality in Allied Health

Mathematical Applications

Reimbursement Methodologies

Basic Pharmacology

Medical Coding 1

Insurance Form Preparation

Medical Information Management & Office Practice

Any information would be greatly appreciated! I have been researching several online programs and this one seems to be the most affordable, but I don't want to waste any amount of money on something that is not exactly what I need to help me get certified.

Thanks!

my opinion - Raine59

[ In Reply To ..]
I am currently a coding student and don't claim to be an expert in anything so this is just my opinion. I don't know anything about Penn Foster but looking at the course list you provide, it looks like there is a lot that is not really necessary for coding and not much emphasis on actual coding. I can't tell how good their program is but it does not look like (to me) that this would be enough to pass any of the certification exams. Would you mind saying how much this course is and how long it takes?

I agree with Raine - see message - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm a coding student as well and agree with Raine. There is not enough emphasis on coding. Is Medical Coding I inpatient or outpatient? You can learn Word and Excel on your own, if you don't know them already. Business English is questionable. I personally would like to see more coding, definitely more coding practice included in the course. I would say that the program is geared more toward billing or insurance clerk employment.

The course cost is.... - Want To Code

[ In Reply To ..]
Full payment plan is $898.00
Automatic payment plan is $29 down and 17 monthly payments of $52 and final payment of $25 (total $938)
Pay by mail plan is $29 down and 18 monthly payments of $52 and final payment of $33.

As far as how long, they say within a year.

If I may ask, where are you taking your coding courses? I am trying to find an affordable option that will allow me to take the course online. I too was questioning the lack of attention to the actual coding aspect. I know all I need to know about computers, Word, Excel and medical terminology, so I am trying to find a course that focuses on inpatient coding so I can get certified as soon as possible and start working. I have limited experience in coding (outpatient), so I definitely need training.

CODING CLASSES and getting a JOB - thinking

[ In Reply To ..]
I just recently visited a hospital and the Medical Director there told me that they would not even consider allowing someone to do their inpatient hospital coding without an AA degree. They would not even consider just a certificate or a program. I am going for the degree. I am so glad I found this information out too ahead of time before I wasted my time and got all excited by just taking coding only classes.

I was in the same situation as you.... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
and I contacted the two hospitals in my city and both of them said they will NOT hire a coder without an AA degree in health information technology. So, I am getting my AA degree online through my local community college. I am paying out of pocket only a few hundred dollars due to qualifying for tons of financial aid (cuz I'm a poor MT!).

A close friend of mine has a great job coding from home - no degree but is a CCS - Interested

[ In Reply To ..]
My friend does not have a degree. She got her certification right out of school and then got a job. They let her work on site for a couple of months and now she works from home.

coding billing at home straight out of school - judimt1

[ In Reply To ..]
These situations are few and far between. Most everyone requires experience and more and more will settle for nothing less than an associates degree and certification and always remember to find an accredited school to go to if considering this or it's all for not and just a gimick to get your money and waste your time. AHIMA has good information on schools they recognize....

That isn't the usual attitude. - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
When you graduate, be sure to come back and let us know if they hired you. I've been in the business decades and I am willing to bet money that they won't. It's popular talk if there is a local HIM program.

This might be just what you need, but everyone else who isn't so fortunate as to have a local program and several years to spend doing it should keep in mind that local hospitals hire a very small number of coders. There are far more jobs that DO NOT require degrees than jobs that require them, and a lot of those non-degree-requiring jobs pay better, especially if the coder is specialized.

If someone tells you they only take degreed coders, ask yourself some questions. Did they guarantee you a job if you completed an AA? And do you have it in writing? How do they feel about hiring you now and paying for that degree?

A degree program might be the best thing for you, but I just don't want every prospective coder who comes here to think that's the only way to do it, because it isn't.

Good point. I have a friend with an HIM degree who can't code at all - Asked her about it

[ In Reply To ..]
She said, and I quote, "We really didn't do that much coding, so I can't work as a coder. I really don't know how to code."

After spending all those years studying, you would think they would send graduates out with a marketable coding skill, but apparently not. There may be some exceptions, of course.

I think it's a trend now for HIM and MT organizations to promote degrees - but not hire people who have them

[ In Reply To ..]
It makes them look good to say that a degree is important, but when it comes down to doing the job, the degree programs are not teaching that part. It's more theory and very little practice of coding itself. Same with MT.

Our local HIM Director said degree didn't matter but experience did, however... - Being a CCS was most important

[ In Reply To ..]
She said that if someone came to her with no experience but was a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), she would definitely consider them if she had an opening. Of course if she had another CCS who had experience and good work ethic, attitude, etc., that person would be preferred.

Certificate vs. Certification - dj

[ In Reply To ..]
Just for clarification.... there is a huge difference between obtaining a "certificate" after taking classes - and becoming "CERTIFIED" in medical coding. Make sure you understand the difference between the words certified and certification. I graduated from a junior college in the MT program with a "certificate", however, I never took the "certification exam" which demonstrates your extensive knowledge of the profession. The same thing would apply for medical coding. You can go to school and get a certificate or an AA degree - or you can take indepth coding classes and have a much better option to become "certified", Chances are your employer and your bank account will be more impressed if you are "certified" and not just holding a degree or a certificate.

I'm at Andrews - Raine59

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, Andrews is a lot more expensive than the course at Penn Foster that you are considering but in my opinion, it's well worth the cost. (Of course if I can't get a job, I might retract that...LOL). I also have an RHIT from years ago but it never did me much good by itself. I'm hoping it might help a little to have that along with a coding credential.

How do you like the program at Andrews? - Still deciding

[ In Reply To ..]
You can reply here or email me. Thanks!

MT to Coding - QBrat

[ In Reply To ..]
I graduated in August with my AA in medical transcription and am not having any luck finding a position.

Tomorrow I start a degree program through Everest University for Medical Insurance Billing and Coding. Yes, it will be a little more expensive than a community college, but the classes are on line and they sound pretty good. Luckily, I should complete my training in a little over a year because alot of my credits for my MT training are transferring.

Good luck to you finding a school.

That's the thing. Employers know that the degree/community college programs lack practice - MT/Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
The employers know that if you get someone with a degree in medical transcription or medical coding, you get someone who knows all sorts of things they will never need to know, but very little that they really do need to know. I've thought about this a great deal and I think there is one reason. The administrator of these colleges have absolutely no interest in transcription in coding. Their heads are full of whatever course their own college administrative associations are pushing at the moment. They are technically 'required' to give you all sorts of sessions on how to do this and that and lots and lots of theory. There simply isn't time for anything practical, like learning to transcribe at the level that would let you get and keep a job. The same thing is true with coding. Then there is the final nail in the coffin of these programs, why they don't produce marketable skills, the instructors. They require a certain degree as qualification for teaching, but they don't care if you have ever been successful as a coder or transcriptionist or even know much about what the duties are. They are teaching FACTS, not practical skills.

wrong... - cj

[ In Reply To ..]
About those teachers. I can tell you for fact as I taught MT at our local technical school. Our instructions had to be working MTs or coders (depending on what that taught) and had to prove it every year by providing statements from employers that they worked in their field for a minimum of 1000 hours per year. If not, we could not teach any longer. And we provided clinical experience for our students at local hospitals and clinics, and often times those facilities went on to hire the students we placed with them. Sounds to me like you had a bad experience and I am sorry if you did, but your experience is not the case for everyone. Please do not bad mouth the instructors without knowing the facts.

wrong....???? No necessarily! - dj

[ In Reply To ..]
You may have instructed and done it well, but I can speak from my experience in the Midwest. Taking a so-called "medical coding" course at a community college was a bust! In fact, the state I live in offers NO real medical coding education (although they call it medical billing or medical coding) and there definitely isn't any schooling in this state to prepare one for certification in a specialty, or otherwise, by any means. The classes offered are simplistic and not intended for the "serious student" who wants to become certified following completion of the course.

Coding Courses - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
In response to a question about coding courses, you supply the information that you took an MT course but have not been able to find a job, so you're now recommending another program which costs more but has online classes and "sounds pretty good." It's also going to take about a year, and that is AFTER your courses transferred.

If you can't get a job now, what says you'll be able to get one after spending even more money and time? Aside from the career counselor at that school painting a bright picture for you?

What you want to do with your money is your business, but should you be making recommendations for others before you've graduated and seen if you can get a job and what kind of job you can get?

coding classes - cj

[ In Reply To ..]
This sounds like a program for an office biller but not really for a coder. If you truly want to be a coder, you need a much different course of study, which would include a bare minimum of two coding classes, one for ICD and one for CPT. Better would be two semesters for ICD and then at least one for CPT. You don't really need the "fluff" things here like office procedures and interpersonal communication or insurance form preparation, business English, mathematical applications, etc. Do yourself a favor; put your time and effort into something that will give you what you need to succeed. If coding is what you want, check into your local community college, check AHIMAs web site for approved programs, etc. This one just sounds like it would be a waste. Moraine Park technical college in WI has a coding program that can be taken online from anywhere for a reasonable cost and will provide you much better education and I am sure there are others out there that will, too. Look for a program geared toward obtaining CCS or CPC preparedness. Those are the credentials you will need to make yourself employable.

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