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Is medical coding a better way to go now rather than transcription? - Jan

Posted: Mar 29, 2011

Is medical coding now a better way to go rather than transcription?

Some people prefer one over the other - Bo

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't think either one is better than the other, but they are different.

Most coders don't work at home.

Transcriptionists are paid on production and have to have good typing, spelling, and grammar skills.

Coders can sometimes make better money because of benefits since they work on-site.

Coders don't have to type so much.

Those are just some differences to consider. There probably are many more. Personally, I am not really sure which I like better. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Some people prefer one over the other - Bo - Jan

[ In Reply To ..]
I guess I was referring mostly to all the lousy medical transcription companies out there, lousy pay by line, lousy training of all the different clients. Are coders paid by the hour? Thanks.

I think most coders are paid hourly and not on production - Bo

[ In Reply To ..]
There may be some exceptions of course.

coders - Viva

[ In Reply To ..]
Coders are generally paid hourly but I don't know how many reports they are expected to finish in that amount of time.
coding involves careful detective work to find exactly the right codes, not too many, not too few.

coding vs. transcribing - Nell

[ In Reply To ..]
You are sooo right. Most of the medical transcription companies are lousy to work for, 1) because they are greedy and would rather pay you by the line than hourly (a rip off since they are paying now what they did 20 years ago), 2) they are usually too busy to train properly, and 3)they have cornered the transcription market so now you can very rarely find an inhouse transcriptioin position or get paid hourly. Coders have to take their time and do the job right. The same is true for medical transcriptionists or at least until someone got the bright idea to make it a production job. This makes for a lose-lose situation. People who are getting paid by production are not going to take the proper amount of time to do a good job, there is no money in it for them. The transcription companies don't care as long as the work gets churned out and hopefully nobody will notice the mistakes and poor grammar, etc. in the reports, especially if the work was outsourced to India. It is all about greed. Since you want to make money, I would opt for the coding job, and you won't have to spend tedious, countless hours trying to understand foreign speaking dictators.

those countless hours - dnh

[ In Reply To ..]
as a coder you can spent your tedious, countless hours trying to decipher illegible or conflicting and confusing documentation instead!

Agree - jm

[ In Reply To ..]
Combing through a chart with a fine-tooth comb. Was this present on admission? Ok, go back and read the H&P, ER, physician notes, again. Where is it? One doctor documents one thing in the beginning, some other doctor phrases it differently, and the Final Diagnosis looks like some stranger came in and slapped some diagnoses on there. They document in a way that you cannot capture according to guidelines. Then you have to hold up the chart to query. BUT make sure when you "query" you don't ask it in the form of a question, because that is considered leading. So spend another hour writing up a query that is acceptable and the doctor might understand...tedious. OH and don't forget, you better meet your quota!

Sounds like you're saying it's a 4-letter word, W-O-R-K. - I love it!

[ In Reply To ..]
That's one 4-letter word that I'm happy to claim. LOL.

Happy for you. Are you a coder? nm - jm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

I did some coding, but was not credentialed and it could barely be called coding - I think I would love it though

[ In Reply To ..]
I used to do the kind of coding where you just used the same codes every day and it really didn't take any thinking, in a doctor's office. If I were going to do it again, I would want to be a real coder, a CCS, CPC, and be able to code both inpatient and outpatient, not just a doctor's office or small clinic where the codes are already written down for you.

I see - jm

[ In Reply To ..]
How you would love coding compared to that kind of coding. With inpatient and outpatient coding you are definitely working and busy and engaged!

Coding and Transcription - jm

[ In Reply To ..]
Coding and transcription are completely different animals.

coding vs transcription - Freebie

[ In Reply To ..]
I thought about coding a few years ago, started the classes and hated it. You'd think it would be about the same thing but it's not. I also hears a lot at that time about coders not being able to get jobs after they put out for the education because you have to have at least 5 years of experience (I think it was 5) in an acute care facility. I dropped the classes.

If you are certified, you can bypass the years of experience - From what I have seen

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm not sure why you hated it, although it may be just a personal preference. It's probably a good thing that we all don't like the same kind of work.

If you are a certified coder, your chances of getting a job as a new graduate are very good. Just make sure when you enroll that graduates of the school you are enrolling in are able to pass the certification exams. Most schools are just offering more of an Introduction To Coding, which is not enough.

Not for everyone, not even every MT - MTC

[ In Reply To ..]
Coding, like transcription, is not for everyone. MT experience provides a good background to learn coding, but does not guarantee that one will enjoy coding or be good at it. I made the transition easily and do enjoy coding.

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