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

Interested in coding HIM - grace

Posted: Jul 26, 2012

I have been working as a transcriptionist from my home for almost 20 yrs. As most, I am losing my account due to EMR. I am considering pursuing other avenues such as coding or HIM. Is this a good idea. How is the job market for this. I am also a Certified Medical Assistant but have not worked in an office in over 20 yrs. Any ideas???

Go for it! - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Personally, I think coding and/or HIM is a great field to get into. I really think the best field is healthcare informatics, if that is something you're interested in. If you decided to do coding, just make sure you go with a program that actually teaches you to code! So many community college certificate programs are a waste of time if you want to learn how to code, and I know this from experience!

yes, do it - student

[ In Reply To ..]
Hi Grace - I started my coding studies a couple of months ago, and I have not looked back. It is an amazing field. I am still a MT with about 20 years training, and honestly, with all that is going on in the field, well, it's just not what I want to do any more. If my butt is gonna be glued to the computer all day working (or waiting for work to dribble in), then I am going to be making the $$. The MT field has served me very well for a very long time, and I have no regrets. But, coding will allow me to have a more challenging position that is still in the medical field. I love to research and dig into things. Also, the coding field has more opportunities for advancement, unlike the MT field. Research the schools you are interested in attending, and ask lots of questions. From what I have read, the job outlook for medical coders is good. Best of luck.

student - MJINATL

[ In Reply To ..]
I know you've only been doing it for a couple of months, but do you find it "challenging" or somewhat of a smooth transition from MT so far? Which certification are you striving for - CCA, or CPC or what? Thanks :)

Striving for certifications - CCS, CPC

[ In Reply To ..]
Your post implies that certification is an either/or thing. You really need at least 2 credentials . .. one from each organization. That covers all the bases.

It is probably important to point out that it might not be a great idea to aim for the CCA. Employers have not really bought into it. It basically says "I did not learn enough to pass the CCS, but I am ready to learn now and I expect you, the employer, to train me at your expense. I believe that I should not have to be responsible for this knowledge for 2 to 3 years. I feel entitled to a coder salary in the meantime."

The CCS says "I took my education seriously and learned what I needed to pass that test. I respect your need to employ a credentialed coder and I went above and beyond to meet that need. That is an example of the effort and intelligence I can offer you. Hiring me fulfills your compliance requirements."

Not sure about that. - CCS vs CCA

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, I kind of have to disagree only because of what my instructor said tonight. My instructor at the college stated that in order to get a CCS-P which is heavy coding, you have to have at least 2 years experience before getting that certification. That is why she suggested the CCA. But, who knows.

I respectfully disagree with your instructor - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I know an Andrews graduate who passed the CCS-P with no experience at all, right out of school.

To be fair to your instructor though, that was probably good information based on her own experience. The problem with the CCA credential is, employers don't want a CCA. They want a CCS. Most courses don't teach to the level of the CCS though, so the CCA is probably the closest thing to it. Close doesn't matter though when it comes to jobs. There is a gigantic difference between the CCA, which means you took a coding course and are a graduate, and the very much valued CCS, which means you are a professional-level coder. Employers prefer the professional.

It goes like this:

If they can find an experienced CCS with good work ethics and personality, they will hire them.

If they have more openings, they will look at a new CCS even if that new graduate has no work experience.

If they can't find a CCS at all, they will probably wait until they can. If they can't wait, they will take a CCA.

Good point - Nice response :)

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you for the nice response. Maybe my instructor was basing this on her own experience. I think your right that I would be selling myself short too from taking the CCA.

Who knows???? It is on the AHIMA website. - Instructor who does know.

[ In Reply To ..]
One thing you should learn early on coding is that you never assume anyone's opinion is correct -- verify everything.

Your instructor is incorrect, or you misunderstood what she told you. No experience is required for either the CCS or the CCS-P. Anyone, experienced or not, can take those exams and earn the credential.

You can and should verify this on the AHIMA website. If you do not take responsibility for the accuracy of your own knowledge, you will have a great deal of difficulty in coding and risk making poor career decisions. Worse, you will steer others down the wrong path.

All coding exams are heavy on coding. That does not mean you should avoid them. It is possible to pass that exam if your school prepares you adequately.

What? - Why so nasty?

[ In Reply To ..]
Why respond in such a harsh tone? All I was doing was asking! If you are an instructor, thank god I don't have you teaching me. What a moronic statement to make that I'll steer others down the wrong path; to me that's a real shortcut to thinking. People can put on their big girl panties and make their own decisions! Man you are way out there! I'm only going by what my instructor told me. I just was asking an opinion here!!! I feel sorry for your students that you teach.

Geez!

My take on this - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
You were not asking a question or seeking an opinion -- you were providing information that was incorrect. You would not have liked being corrected no matter how the answer was phrased.

It is not moronic to say that people will be steered down the wrong path by incorrect advice. You were just steered down the wrong path by it. You took your instructor's word as fact that you would be ineligible for an exam. Now you will not do what you need to do to prepare for the higher exam. You will focus your efforts on the lower goal and have a lot more trouble finding a job. If you do find a job, you will begin at a lower rung than you could have.

As for not needing to be careful about the accuracy of information we provide, saying that people should put on their big girl panties and make their own decisions seems to skirt responsibility.

You are not going to agree with me, either, but I would rather have the instructor above than yours. I think instructors have a moral responsibility to provide students with accurate information and to correct error. I would not want an instructor who could not look up something that fundamentally important. And especially one who did not see the need to do so.

When you take the wrong exam and cannot get a job, or can only get a job at 10K less, you are going to think it is far worse than harsh when your intructor absolves herself of responsibility by saying that you should have put on your big girl panties and made your own decision.

Give me a break! - You two should learn to comprehend my posts and re

[ In Reply To ..]
No she was right. You are the ones providing people with the wrong information. I got this from the AHIMA website. Some of you people think that you're so smart. Maybe all you should do is go back and read and learn to comprehend a little better! This is my last post and won't be checking back to see a response. You and the other one are completely laughable and even the other one states to check the AHIMA website. Well, I did so here ya go!!

Eligibility Requirements
CCS-P exam candidates must have earned a high school diploma from a United States high school or have an equivalent educational background.

Although not required, it is strongly recommended that candidates have at least three years of on-the-job experience in:

â�¢Coding for physician services in multiple settings (for example, hospital, emergency room, operating room, and physician office or clinic) utilizing codes in the E/M, surgery, medicine and/or anesthesia, radiology and laboratory chapters of CPT and HCPCS II
â�¢Completed coursework in anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology, or demonstrated proficiency in these areas

http://www.ahima.org/certification/ccsp.aspx

My my - look

[ In Reply To ..]
Your first post:

"My instructor at the college stated that IN ORDER TO GET A CCS-P WHICH IS HEAVY CODING, YOU HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST 2 YEARS EXPERIENCE BEFORE GETTING THAT CERTIFICATION."

This is not true, you can get a CCS-P without the two years experience.

This was corrected by the next poster, who gave the facts about it.

Then, here is what you posted from AHIMA site:
"Although NOT REQUIRED, it is strongly recommended that candidates have at least three years of on-the-job experience in..."

Not required.

I'm not sure what the argument is about. The OP's instructor was wrong - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Your instructor was wrong. People are wrong about a lot of things. It's not worth the argument.

The OP said:
"My instructor at the college stated that in order to get a CCS-P which is heavy coding, you have to have at least 2 years experience before getting that certification."

The AHIMA web site states otherwise.

There is no such requirement.

What's the argument about?

Your instructor - Curious one

[ In Reply To ..]
Actually, I think your instructor makes a valid point. And to those who disagree, both AHIMA and AAPC recommend 2 years work experience before attempting the advanced exams, and it is on their web sites. It is not required but it is recommended.

I think it was just a matter of wording, not ignorance on the part of the - Instructor

[ In Reply To ..]
If she had said, it is "recommended", she would have been absolutely correct. They definitely recommend the experience because most new graduates fresh out of school are far from prepared for a CCS or CCS-P credentials exam.

In fact, the OP may have used different words than the instructor. Maybe the instructor didn't say, "You have to have..."

Let's give her a break here and move on. We have more important things to discuss.

Wages? - Also curious

[ In Reply To ..]
After transcribing for over 20 years (and making less and less money), I'm now considering the switch to coding. What is the typical salary range for coding?

Coder salary surveys - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Both the AAPC and AHIMA conduct annual salary surveys. They provide quite a lot of information you would find useful, from the types of jobs coders hold to what industries employ them and what their responsibilities entail.

If you google 2011 salary survey AAPC or 2011 salary survey AHIMA, you will find them. 2011 is the most recent year available.

The average salary is in the mid-40s, with a few at 20K and a few as high as 100K. It varies by geographic area, credential(s), education, and, of course, job. Those with a bachelor's degree make about $10K more than coders who do not.

so far - student

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, it was pretty easy in the beginning, but now I am towards the end of Module I, and it is definitely challenging. I was looking through some books last night (books that I have not gotten to yet). I have a LONG way to go, but I am getting there, and I am learning and making very good grades. I am striving for CCS and CPC, as I want to have a future in auditing and compliance, and I just do not want to limit myself in my career choices. My MT experience is DEFINITELY playing a role in that I have a very good understanding of the terminology and thought processes that go along with coding. Just loving' it!

Becoming a coder - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Becoming a coder is not easy. You must know a lot more than a transcriptionist. Anatomy and terminology help. Taking a course, passing that final exam, using practice exams, and the certification exam requires commitment and perseverance!

You study many of the same subjects MTs do, but approach them differently - The Way I See It

[ In Reply To ..]
Anything you already know is helpful, but an MT is going to find that they need to approach terminology, A&P, and pathology in ways that are entirely different. An MT is transcribing reports, words, and a coder looks at the terms more as definitions and categories. There is a huge difference.

It's the same with a nurse going into MT after looking at terminology, A&P, and pathology in terms of hands-on patient care. Now all of a sudden you're dealing with words. This also is a major difference.

That doesn't mean that your past education and experience won't be helpful. They will be. You'll probably fly through any introductory material, and, in the terms of a community college course, you'll probably fly through the whole thing. My experience is they usually don't have time or resources, teachers, quality books, and professional instructors. They are not designed to cover advanced, credential-level coding. They are focused on the basics, often because they have to hire people with an educational degree, even if they don't have successful work experience or maybe even credentials as a coder. They, just like any of the short, fast, cheap courses, only touch on introductory coding, never quite getting to advanced concepts and practice of coding, where the coding gets tough.

That's the difference between training that will give you the skills and confidence for credentials tests or not. Your MT experience will be extremely helpful to you if you seek out a very solid coding education with highly-qualified instructors who have true and verifiable work experience along with their credentials. None of this, "I don't have any credentials, but I graduated last semester and they asked me to teach the course this semester because they couldn't find an experienced coder to teach."

It does help - going into this being a transcriptionist

[ In Reply To ..]
I think being a medical transcription does help a lot, though, because the finished reports help in order to know what to code including late effects, history, any V codes, etc.

It can either help or hurt, depending on how you approach it - A Giant Red Flag - See Message

[ In Reply To ..]
Any knowledge is good. I have seen MTs get into coding with inadequate coding training because they didn't realize what they don't know.

It isn't a matter of intelligence. I come at coding from a long, successful MT background. I know what it takes. I will never put down the knowledge or skills of an MT. At the same time, coders look at the patient's medical record from a completely different viewpoint, just as a nurse looks at a medical record in a completely different way from an MT. Our brains are trained to look for and process information in different ways.

It's a completely different career. Yes, the fact that you know medical terminology will be helpful. The fact that you know A&P is also helpful, but you're going to have to know it in much more detail, especially with ICD-10. Thinking that you can shortcut your coding education because you are a nurse or a physical therapist or an MT, is not smart. You are going to need the most complete coding education you can get, with no shortcuts. People in general tend to believe that they know more than they know. They cannot know what they don't know. We've seen this for years in medical transcription. People say, "MT is easy. You just listen and type what you hear, right?" Now they are saying the same thing about coding. "I'm an MT or nurse, so coding will be easy for me, right?" This is a giant red flag for me. We've seen it all before.

Knowing more than an MT? - Curious one

[ In Reply To ..]
I disagree with that statement. Coders don't "need to know a lot more", they just need to know different things than MTs. I'm guessing that quite a few coders would not be able to step in and do our jobs without some training. I've actually known several who were clueless about what MTs do.

Please do not turn this into an argument - MT turned coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Please do not turn this thread into a debate about who is superior, especially if you are not both an MT and a coder. Someone has asked for infomation to help in a career decision. We can do that in a professional way.

MT requires different skills and knowledge than coding. Coding requires exceptional critical reading ability and reading speed, but not necessarily perfect spelling and grammar. It does not require good auditory discrimination, or even hearing at all, but it does require vision. Keyboarding is necessary, but not at such a high rate of speed.

MT knowledge of med terms, anatomy, and other basic sciences is primarily on a recognition level. The terms are presented to you and you recognize them and evaluate them in context, deciding if they are appropriate. Coding knowledge requires recognition, too, but goes further in that it requires you to have knowldge that you can pull out and use.

For instance, it is not enough for a coder to recognize "pneumonia" and code it. The coder has to read the entire record for evidence pointing to what type of pneumonia it is. This requires knowing signs and symptoms, therapeutics, lab and x-ray findings, and microbiology. They then relate a knowledge of the Coding Rules with about 20 years of guidance in publications and references with a knowledge of the DRG system to determine if they can code what they have or if they should query the provider. This is more than just recognizing terms. It uses known information to make a complex decision.

That complexity is why most people fail the CCS exam. Other types of coding may require less of this knowledge, but a higher capacity for retaining and applying outpatient insurance coding rules.

MT and coding are different, but coding does require more factual medical knowledge and the ability to use it at a different level. That is not an insult to MTs . . . it is just the way it is.

Very well said nm - Thank you

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

I am both - Curious One

[ In Reply To ..]
I have done both jobs and even if I have not, I'm allowed to question things I don't agree with. If you don't want differences of opinion, don't make statements that might cause people to raise a different point of view. Don't expect everyone to agree with everything you say, I have a right to say what I think just as you do.

Curious on you - Why?

[ In Reply To ..]
Why do you always go board to board looking for an argument? I come here looking for good coding posts, and here you are just like on the Nuance board. Everyone has a right on here including I!

MT to coding - MJINATL

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you so much MT Turned Coder. VERY well said!!!!

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