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

I will be 56 tomorrow and I would like to attend The Andrew's School for Medical Coding - Suzie

Posted: Aug 27, 2012

Dear Friends:

My name is Suzie and tomorrow I will be 56. I would like your opinions as to whether you think I am too old to start studying for a new career in medical coding. I 100% sure that I want to attend the Andrew's School for Medical Coding. I have been a medical transcriptionist for 11 years having attended M-TEC and I love this profession, but I see that the career is shrinking and there are less opportunities. I think my background as a transcriptionist would be a good jumping off point for medical coding.

I hope you can give me your advice and opinions on whether I am too old to start my studies for medical coding.

Thanks so much.

fondly,

Suzie

Happy Birthday - I think it's a great way to celebrate! - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Happy Birthday!!!

Experts tell us the best way to stay healthy is to keep both our bodies and our minds active. Coding will do that. Andrews is a very excellent school. You will learn to code well if you go there. It's a very thorough and comprehensive course.

No - I

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No, I do not think you are too old. I think that you are correct, MT is a great jumping off point. Going to Andrews is a good choice. Are you ready? Only you know. Be ready to go to work and dedicate a chunk of time of your life to learning coding. When you get done, you will be able to pass the exams and get your credentials. Then on you go! Age does not matter in coding. Knowledge does.

What about HR? I've been trying to decide - same

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I will be 53 next week. This is a 2-yr program and HR in most facilities wants 2 yrs exp. In the NYC area, the demographic of job-seekers having the hardest time finding work is 40-55-y/o women. Many of them have been laid off with years of knowledge and exp across all industries yet cannot find a job that pays their expenses. I'm still hesitant.

I've given that lots of thought - The Way I See It

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Years ago when a person was looking for a job, they had to find a place where people were possibly hiring, drive there, find an appropriate job, fill out an application, and go back home and wait until someone called them in for an interview. They might have to apply many places before the phone rang with someone wanting them to come in to talk. Then they played the waiting game again, maybe for weeks or months, until someone wanted them for a second or third interview. I remember going through this once and being excited that I was actually hired and had a job. It didn't matter that I had to wait 3 weeks for the job to start. It didn't matter that they only paid monthly, so it would still be another 7 weeks before I saw any income.

My point is this. It probably won't be easy, especially in today's job market. You're going to have to work very hard to find a job and convince them to hire you. That means that you won't get some job offers because you don't look like the person doing the hiring wants you to look, too young, too old, too skinny, too fat, too short, too tall, where you live, the fact that you mentioned your children too many times, you have too many outside activities, you don't have any outside activities, etc.

You just have to keep trying until you find a job where the person doing the hiring likes what you have to offer. That's the way it's always been. The fact that you're older now will mean that one or more of those employers may illegally and possibly even rudely kick you off their list. That's okay. Don't let that stop you. The same thing will happen to them when they are over 30 and out of a job. They'll deserve it. You don't. Don't take it personally. Just never give up. You'll find what you want if you keep at it.

I don't work as a coder - Inquiring minds

[ In Reply To ..]
But I see both sides of the issue. There are some types of outpatient coding that can be automated, some of the less complex things such as radiology coding and some outpatient coding, but even at the outpatient level there are modifiers and E/M codes to assign, it can get complicated. I work at a large outpatient facility and since they've gone to Epic they've needed fewer coders, that's a fact; no one new has been hired in a year or more. The hospitals in our area are not adding staff, they're utilizing the coders they have or adding per diem people. There is an experience requirement at most facilities and even new credentialed coders have difficulty getting their first job. To those of you in Andrews now I'm glad you like it and it's wonderful that you never want to stop learning, but be aware of what you are facing when you enter the job market. Unfortunately, no profession or occupation has been spared from layoffs and cutbacks, MT is just the tip of the iceberg. Anyone who thinks coding won't be impacted by the electronic health record needs to take another look. In regard to age, a potential employer will not ask you how long you intend to work, they'll look at your age and make their own assumptions. I'm 58 and was thrown back into the job market through no fault of my own, so I've experienced that firsthand. I am generally told how stupid I am and that I know nothing when I try and address this, I'm only trying to get people to see both sides of the coin. Yes, coding is a great career choice, just be sure you are doing it for the right reasons, not because you see it as a way out of MT, and don't expect to waltz out of school at age 55-60 and into your next big bucks job.

The points you raise apply to any and every job - Keep things in perspective

[ In Reply To ..]
It is great that you want to share the negative side of things with everyone, but most of us are pretty clear on those already.

There is no guarantee of a job in any field. I do not think there ever was, although things are worse now. Even law graduates cannot get jobs and a lot of that is being offshored, too.

People have to do something. Give them a break, why don't you? Maybe they can't afford to wait any longer or maybe they just want to learn something interesting.

I am not calling you stupid, but I do recognize that you are not seeing the bigger picture. And I do think you may be rigidly opinionated. You certainly give the impression of being very controlling, too.

Controlling yes, but I would add obsessed with spreading negativism - Realistic but Not Living In Fear

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I would agree that the non-coder poster posts as someone who is rigidly opinionated, controlling, and I would add, obsessed with spreading fear and negativism.

We're adults. Nobody is saying that everything will be easy. Everyone knows that these are very tough times for all working people. We all know that there is age discrimination out there in many, but not all, jobs. We all know that you don't just snap your fingers and the perfect job appears, even after you have a good education.

We are realistic about the many challenges we face today. We don't choose to live our life in fear of what may or may not happen.

The best thing I know to combat failure is to make really good plans and put some hard work and effort in on them. When you're through, you'll be smarter and more qualified than you were when you started.

I just never did understand people who sat on their behinds and complained. I especially don't understand why those same people are so critical of those who get out and get things done. It's as if it were some kind of threat to them if someone else might succeed.

I'm sure you'll be back to spread your gloom and doom while the rest of us do our best to make plans to better ourselves.

If you go back and read my posts - Inquiring minds

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You will see that is exactly what I have been doing. None of you know me so there is no reason to attack me as being lazy, stupid, negative (fill in the adjective). As far as not being successful or effective, I've had a successful career since I was 19. My employer chose to send all our MT work offshore and a department of 12 were left in the lurch. I had a plan to move into a coding job and went to school well ahead of the anticipated layoff. I haven't found a job but that has not been because I haven't been making the effort. You can disagree with me, but you don't need to attack me personally as having character flaws because I can't find a coding job. You'll find out when you finish school what it is like to get hired w/o experience. There are at least 2 sides to every story, take it for what it's worth.

Did you ask the school you attended for job placement help? - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Where did you go to school to learn coding and have you asked them for help? Were they willing to try to help?

I wasn't following the conversation closely enough to know if you have a CCS or CPC or some other credential yet, if you don't mind giving that info again. Sorry if I'm asking you to repeat yourself, but I'm interested.

CPC - Inquiring minds

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My school offers placement but there has to be a job available first, it's a rural area with 1 hospital and 1 big clinic, that's it. I didn't want to relocate but it may come to that. I know I'm just shiftless and lazy....

No, I'm being serious here, not being critical, - Just trying to understand and maybe help

[ In Reply To ..]
That's understandable. You can't get a job if there are no jobs in your area.

You can't be blamed for that, and I am certainly not criticizing you for where you live. I also wouldn't tell you to move. I'm not sure I would.

Remind me again if you have any coding credentials. That changes things.

Also, within that 1 hospital and 1 big clinic there are opportunities, not just in the coding department itself, which is obviously not called 'the coding' department', but you understand what I'm trying to say.

You know what I would do if I were in your position? I would call Linda Andrews, even though you aren't one of her students or graduates. It's a well known fact that she will talk to graduates of other schools and help sort out options. She did that for someone recently on another board here who was in a panic about a new job. It can't hurt to try.

That's true, and she won't try to sell you anything - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Thank you - Inquiring minds

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Thanks for your help, finally someone who recognizes that it may not be my fault that I can't get a coding job. Our coding department is called the business office and since Epic those jobs have dried up. The last opening was over a year ago (I interviwed for it but they fllled it from within their department). I don't recall much in the way of local hospital openings either; one orthopedic job that didn't require certification but 5 years experience and one pool position, that is all there has been. I know because I'm on the job boards every day. I just got my CPC but there seems to be a hiring freeze right now. I may call and speak with Linda anyway, perhaps just to get some reassurance. I just interviewed for something coding related at my facility. It's entry level but a foot in the door, hopefully that will happen for me. Thanks again.

Good luck! - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm.

Good Idea, and she won't care if you went to a competitor coding school or not - Been There

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She won't make you feel like you made a mistake because you took another course instead of hers. Sometimes it's good to just have someone in the business who will just listen and see if you're on the right track or not. Maybe give some suggestions you haven't thought about.

Best Wishes!

Suggest calling Linda - Me, too

[ In Reply To ..]
Were you the person who took an AAPC course taught by a local instructor? I recall someone like that who had trouble.getting a job.

Are you applying anyway, no matter what the requirements say? I wonder if Linda Andrews will suggest doing that. I would.

It's all in the way different people approach things - From My Experience

[ In Reply To ..]
There are people who take on what seems to be very difficult and keep working at it until they succeed.

There are other people who can only see the downside of anything and everyone.
Sometimes I get like that and then I'm surprised to see other people succeeding at what I thought could never work out.

It's a personality thing more than anything else. Some people are determined to live happy lives and others are just as determined to be unhappy, or at least to play the role of being helpless with all these bad things happening to them.

The key for me is to know which personality I'm talking to when I'm looking for information. If it's someone who has a track record of failure, you can bet they are headed that way again. If they have a habit of keeping at it until they succeed, their advice is more helpful to me, because that's what I want for myself. I'm not going to just sit around pointing out reasons why this won't work and that is doomed to fail. I want to surround myself with people who make good decisions, work hard to learn everything they need to know to be successful, and then find someone who is willing to pay for that knowledge and those skills.

Life is too short to sit around and listen to reasons why we are all doomed to failure and might as well crawl in a hole and not try anything new because [insert reason(s) here].

I will be 53 next month...started Andrews 3 months ago! - DO IT!

[ In Reply To ..]
I am an MT with 20+ years experience. The past 3 years I analyzed, soul searched, explored career fields and lost nights of sleep pondering which direction to take. My lifelong dream has always been to be a writer, and I enjoy creative writing with a passion. However, writing won't sustain me financially. So, after working on a degree in English for 2 years with the thought to pursue copying editing (I love the written word), I realized I hated dissecting sentence mechanics. I truly wanted to work my creative brain instead of remaining in the medical arena.

However, I chose Andrews and am glad that I did. I am surprised at how much I enjoy looking up those codes! And my background as an MT is a definite plus in the learning process of coding. I am in the 2nd module (there are 4), and I am eager to finish, sit for CCS, fine-tune my resume and hit the ground running to find a job.

These days I feel empowered by my choice with Andrews. I just hope my confidence will still be there when it comes time for the job search.

Happy Birthday to you. Remember you do not grow old until you stop learning!

I will be 58 in 2 months, and am in Module II of Andrews right now! - ann

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Do you foresee that you will need to be working to age 65 or longer? I just got divorced, and used some of that money to enroll. I don't have 401 or retirement funds and I will need to be working probably until age 68, so absolutely it is worth it. You need to evaluate your retirement plans and funds, but if you think you will need to be working at least another 5 years, I definitely think it is worth it. I am working full time AND helping with my grandkids AND taking the course, it can be done!! I am more worried about landing that first job, which is always hard, but am already networking. Good luck whatever you decide, and happy birthday!

It's never too late to start learning - VeryOldMT

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something new. I will be 62 in a few months with almost 40 years of experience as an MT, and started learning coding earlier this year, hoping to complete the course next month and sit for the CPC and CCS certification exams. It is very challenging, but I'm glad I've put in the time and effort, and look forward to being hired in a profession that pays better than the MT profession at this time.

Something to think about - dmj

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Learning never ends no matter how old you are.

I would only offer the suggestion that with coding there is the potential for the jobs to be offshored to India or the Philippines just as has happened with transcription. It doesn't seem like many people who consider a transition from transcription to coding are considering this may happen. It's just something to think about.

You obviously aren't a coder. LOL nm - Andrews 56 year old in module 2

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Neither are you - Inquiring minds

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You are a student with a long way to go until you become employed.

But I am . . . - Experienced, employed coder

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. . . and it never ceases to amaze me that people who know nothing about a subject cannot restrain themselves from commenting upon it.

As has been pointed out here many times before, coding is nothing like MT. The belief that coding will be offshored just like MT is based on limited understanding of a number of factors, least of which is that coding consists of far more than the one job everyone seems to be fixated upon. It also ignores market factors, legal ramifications, and a number of other things.

That Andrews student understands a lot more than you give her credit for. She also deserves credit for having had the initiative and drive to get her behind in gear and do something about her situation, which is more than we can say about some others here.

She is a lot closer to a job than you think.

Knowing nothing - Inquiring minds

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Because we don't agree with you? If you are speaking of me "not getting my behind in gear," you are mistaken. I graduated from a coding program while working full-time as an MT and have been seeking employment for over a year. I've been out there, so I know how difficult it is for a new coder without work experience. I'm not trying to be negative, only realistic. And yes, where a person lives (rural area versus metropolitan) does make a difference in regard to job availability, I was jumped on not long ago because I pointed that out. For heaven's sake, I ought to know the situation in my own city, and it has nothing to do with my "negativity." I interviewed yesterday for a coding-related position within my organization, I hope I get it. Some coding, but not all, can and is currently being outsourced and offshored, all it takes is a Google search to prove that indeed it is happening, I'm not the person who raised that point, but whoever did probably actually "does know something." Someone else mentioned her experience in the YNC area and how difficult it is for women of a certain age to find employment. That has been her experience, she probably also "know something." Our experiences are different than yours but we also have the right to share them. You have judged me as lazy and not trying to do anything about my situation when it is not true.

I'm 50 and I started with Andrews...sm - Duchess

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about a month ago. So far, I'm loving it.

Attending Andrews School - Kat

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I am 53 and I am in Module 1 at Andrews. I do not have a medical background, but I am enjoying Coding. I work full time and it is a challenge. I believe it worth all the time and work that I have put into this program. If it is what you want to do, then go for it.

What a coincidence - Inquiring minds

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That you're all from Andrews and you all think it's wonderful...

What's wrong with liking our choice of school? - haveaproblem?

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I'm just curious why the comment of the coincidence? If we are all going to the same school why wouldn't we like it? It's a tough program, extremely thorough. It is a very time consuming program, which I did not expect when I started. There was an issue I had with a certain instructor at one point, but she is now gone, and I truly enjoy the program now. I don't think a person could go wrong with the program. Welcome to all the new ones coming aboard :) Good luck to you all with your studies.

Coding - Wendy

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Suzie, I am 58 and I was thinking of doing the same thing. Back in May, I saw a physician who told me that in the hospital he works the physicians go to their computer and enter the codes after the patient leaves, and that the hospital goal is to eventually eliminate or downsize tremendously the coders. Everything will be electronic. The doctors will be provided codes to select from, they will enter the codes, and the insurance process will be completed/submitted. He told me that with the exception of very few things that fall out of the ordinary that coding will be taking the same direction that transcription has. So discouraging for those of our age group.

This is interesting - sm

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The doctors are provided codes to select from? There are thousands of codes, so how does the doctor know which one to pick? Inpatient coding is so complex, how can a physician have time to do this and know how to do it? That just doesn't make sense to me. I could see this happening in an outpatient setting, a clinic or something where the same codes are used over and over. But no way this could happen in a hospital.

That's what I was thinking - see message

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I know that they hold training sessions for specialists in radiology or pathology, for example. They pretty much just come up with the codes for them and hand them to them.

A hospital executive explained to me why coders are so important. They tried cutting their coding staff and lost huge amounts of money until they hired them back again.

simple procedures/outpatient visits maybe can be done without coder - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I have left the doctor's office with lab work checked that I received, as well as procedures (basic ones done in the office) and diagnosis when I left. These were all computer generated with the ICD and CPT codes included next to the procedure or diagnosis. However, when you get into more complex situations (like hospital coding) there are just so many possibilities and you also need to know when to use V codes, E/M codes, etc.

I DO think that many private offices and maybe outpatient surgery centers may be able to do this, but I don't see it happening for hospital coding. I have a friend who works in a local hospital in the HR department, and their hospital administrators off-shored all of the coding to save a bundle. Within 3 months, they had lost half a million in reimbursements because of errors. That is what gives me hope. They rehired all of their coders.

My experience - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Our local hospital lost $200,000-300,000 when they cut down on coders.

I think what we need to do is use common sense. We know that nothing is easy these days. We could take any job and dissect it so that it looks hopeless. While we're doing that, someone else is looking at it another way and being successful at it.

Personally, I got spoiled with easy jobs for years. The reality right now is, nothing is easy. I keep thinking back at the courage my ancestors had. I never heard my parents or grandparents complain when things were tough. They just did what had to be done. I want to be like that when I grow up. Seriously, it's time for me to stop waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue me. Things may be tough out there, but I'm ready to put up a fight and win.

a coder - still

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needs to check it. It may need modifiers, more may have been done that doc didn't circle on the sheet, or one procedure may be included in one procedure and the doctor circles both CPT codes on the sheet. They aren't coding when they do that, they are just circling what they thought they did. If they are submitting bills according to that sheet only, they probably get a lot of denials!

Hospital executives - have no common sense

[ In Reply To ..]

outsourcing coding/downsizing coding; they don't seem to be rational or have common sense:

Admin: We're going to ________

Managers/Staff: We've tried that, it doesn't work

Admin: We're revisiting _______

Managers/Staff: See? I told you it didn't work...

Exactly, it only works in limited situations - Coder

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No physician is going to be able to code an inpatient stay. They can't even document them correctly for coding. Any hospital that let them do that would be out of business in a year.

On an outpatient basis, they do better but it is still iffy and requires constant monitoring and auditing. Coders do that monitoring and auditing, and they provide the codes, and they do the documentation training.

I would not pay much attention to a physician's advice on coding, either as coding advice or as job advice.

In any event, the accuracy of the coding belongs to the hospital. They catch on quickly after a CMS RAC audit gets them and takes back all the payments they got in error. Seriously, people go to jail for coding issues.

Suzie - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I know of studies showing employers are starting to lean towards hiring "older" workers. Some employers see the "younger generation" as having less work ethic, they are more likely to relocate, start a family, etc. I don't think you're too old. If you are an MT, you got all the brain cells firing.

I can't speak about coding itself since I'm an MT. I will say I entertained the idea of taking a coding course to get out of MT, but in doing research about the coding job market in my area, I found that coding jobs here pay on the lower end of the national coding pay scale and that there are only a few coding jobs locally and they don't hire often. People that get the jobs keep them and it was tough to break into that field in my area.

A friendly suggestion would be to research the coding opportunities in your area as well, just so you don't jump into school and find you are swimming against the current to find a job afterwards.

I graduated from Andrews MT program, and they are top notch. If you go for it, I think you would be in great hands with them. Best wishes!

Well said! - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Well, Suzie - What do you think?

[ In Reply To ..]
You received a lot of replies, did they help in your decision?

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I received a response from my previous post about coding. Can any of you post what schools you were enrolled in, now or in the past. There are so many out there. I thought I would be able to get a few from you, so I could their their respective websites. Also, did most of you enroll for online education or go onsite to school. Thanks. ...

Dec 19, 2010

Andrews School of Medical Coding and Transcription........... Just wanted to say a few words about Andrews School of Coding. 3 years ago I finished an AHIMA accredited program for Health Information, going through the program I realized there were some gaps that I needed to fill in on the coding end. I love AHIMA and being part of the organizaiton, and look forward to working in the field for a long time. What I am finding with Andrews is that they offer an indepth, hands on training spe ...

Jul 13, 2011

I am looking into coding programs and have it narrowed down to possibly two. They are Andrews and Kaplan University. Does anybody have any experience with any of these that could help me with my decision. Also, are there any other coding programs out there that are worth looking at? Thanks. ...

May 04, 2012

I am presently training in a new position at a physician's office. I will be doing coding and billing. I have coded in the past but I would like to go to school and become certified. Can anyone please direct me in a good program rather on line or in the middle Tennessee area? I have been an MT since 1986 and sadly this is a dying art. Thank you. ...

Jul 09, 2013

Can anyone please tell me which online coding school is the one to go to. I have been in transcription for the past 10 years and I am literally terrified about what is going on with this business. I still need something at home because I have little ones still running around. I know coding is very hard to get into but so was transcription when I first started so I am willing to make the transition. I was literally in tears yesterday when it was the 4th consecutive day wit ...

Aug 03, 2013

I was wondering what the best coding school is, other than Andrews? ...

Feb 07, 2014

Can anyone give me an idea where to start and how to choose an online class for coding? I've looked at so many and need a better idea of what the most important aspect I am looking for is? Andrews, Codingcertificate.org, Careerstep, etc. HELP please! ...

Apr 26, 2014

I am wanting to go into billinig/coding. There is a tech school very close to my home. They have coding/billing program which takes 1 year to complete full time. I am wondering this: How much does a newbie make just starting out in either billing or coding and what are my chances of getting a newbie job right out of school? Thanks for the info. ...