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How to pick an online coding course - linda

Posted: May 08, 2011

After 28 years of medical billing I am ready for a change. I've been researching online coding courses but there are so many! I would be interested in any feedback you have on which courses you took and the pros and cons of each. Thank you for your input.

Advice about Picking Any Coding Course - While You Are Waiting

[ In Reply To ..]
The best way to pick any coding course, in my opinion, is to make a list of all those you are considering. Then call them and see who answers the phone. Is it someone who knows what coding is all about, or is it a high-pressure sales person. Remember, this may be the only way you can contact a school if you have a problem. Know if the person you talk to when you call is interested in more than just your money.

Ask them about the qualifications of their instructors. That's probably more important than anything else, other than the actual materials that you will use in the course. Are they materials that the school made up, or industry standards, or better? What does the course prepare you for?

I'm sure other people have more suggestions to add to what I've said, but I can't think of any others at the moment. Good luck with selecting the right school for you!

online coding course - linda

[ In Reply To ..]
You have some terrific ideas. Thank you.

Very good advice - I Agree!

[ In Reply To ..]
That was very good advice. Pay close attention to who answers the phone. It does seem that it sets the tone for a course. If you get a high-pressure sales response or feel that they don't care about your needs, that should tell you something.

Pay close attention to the cost, too. Figure the total cost, not just the apparent tuition cost. Low tuition can mask the need to spend a lot on books or on "extensions" when the time allowed for completion was unrealistic. Will you have to pay extra if you aren't done in time? Or will you have to take a course over again if you can't complete it in 12 or 15 weeks? Will they toss you out or keep working with you if you get sick or your mother dies?

Does the school provide everything you need and everything is high quality? Or do they tell you everything is online but offer optional hard copies at additional cost? You'll have to print the online material if you expect to have something to reference later or buy their hard copies. Do their students find that they have to supplement with other material? And did the school write it all themselves?

How long will the program take? Some courses underestimate the time to completion so that it seems like it won't take so long. Others are set up in college terms and the time is estimated based on full-time attendance. If it takes a year going full-time and taking 3 courses at once, it will take 3 years if you have to take the courses one at a time. Will you have to complete some additional prerequisites before you can even enroll, or does the program just include everything?

Pay attention to what is required to get a certificate of completion. Will you lose that certificate if you fail their final exam?

Pay attention to instructor support. ARE there instructors AT ALL? Do those instructors have multiple qualifications and do they work in responsible positions in the industry NOW? Or are there just people who answer the phone? Will you have close instructor support or be expected to flounder around on your own and get help from other students? Or in a chat room?

How is the course graded? Is it all multiple choice? Is it entirely computer graded, so that you're left trying to figure out which of 4 impossible answers it wants, having to settle for a poor grade or taking the test over and over trying to figure out how to game the system? Or will you work directly with an instructor who has a brain and can discuss different possibilities with you, offer additional information, tell you when you're barking up the wrong tree, and put things into perspective?

A really important point . . . what kind of coding do you want to learn? Some programs (generally shorter ones) teach only outpatient, some (typically college/AHIMA style programs) teach a generic hodgepodge of both ("coding"), and some teach both inpatient and outpatient separately.

Pay very close attention to the credential the school teaches toward. Do they say you can take the CCA exam when you finish and recommend 2 or 3 additional years of experience before taking the CCS? Are they focused solely on the CPC? Or do they teach directly to both the CCS and CPC, encouraging their students to take them immediately upon graduation? Will they keep working with you until you make it?

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