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

MT looking to take a course in either medical billing or coding to have something else for training - Wilson

Posted: Feb 25, 2014

I need to make a switch if I should lose my transcription job. Which would you recommend to get into first? Wondering if I should take a medical billing course first which would help me get hired somewhere else and does have a billing background help with coding?? I have a local vocational school that offers a medical billing course but nothing nearby that offers coding. Also I would prefer to do an online course and not sure which one would be the best. I don't want to spend money if it is not going to be recognized by potential employers. I have done some research but the more I search the more confused I seem to get. Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can offer.

prepare to be more - confused

[ In Reply To ..]
Once they start explaining it to you here. It always boggles my mind! But I do know they will tell you billing is not the way to go, and they will also warn you, and rightly so, that the billing course offered by your vocational school may not recognized by employers.

First, what kind of vocational school is this? - Options

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It all depends on what kind of vocational school this is.

Is it the kind operated by your local school system? The kind that has LPN, nurse's aide, food service worker classes, and things like that at really reasonable cost? They often offer medical billing courses that take a few months and cost very little.

Or, is it a commercial, for-profit "college"? T

I tis a vocational school that is part of our local school system. The woman who teaches the class - wilson

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has done medical billing for years and still does so on the side in addition to teaching at the school. Just wondering if I had that class under my belt if it would help having it on my resume should I apply for a job at a healthcare office in the future.

Thanks.

that sounds all right - an MT

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That sounds like a good, legitimate class. It could never hurt to learn how to do billing, and might give you a start in coding.

In that case, yes, you should take it. - Options

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Yes, definitely take it. The cost will be reasonahle, the instructor sounds like she will be fine, and you WILL learn some valuable skills. You can get a job in billing, and it may pay better than what you have now.

You will gain a skill that will translate into a job, plus you will get your feet wet in coding. If you think you want to get into coding, you will know exactly what it is and if you will enjoy it. You will also have some relevant work experience that will really help.

The courses we recommend against are the ones at for-profit schools, especially the kind that charge a fortune, don't have instructors, and which mislead students about the job market. They are in it for the money. In contrast to that, your course is in it for you.

I hope you can start right away, too. Please let us know how you like it.

MT who transitioned to coding - New Coder

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I recently transitioned from medical transcription into medical coding. Although there are some similarities, coding and transcription are 2 different animals and I am finding coding to be much more analytical. I do see coding as an area that is only going to continue to grow in the future. I took my training through Rasmussen College and have an RHIT and CCA credential. If you have specific questions about the transition you can post them on here and I will try and answer them. Good luck whatever you decide. It is only a decision you can make.

More info - Longhurst

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I'm looking into doing the same thing. I have been a transcriptionist for 10 years and recently lost my job due to my boss pulling our contract with the hospital. Now I find myself with a lot of questions and trying to find something else to do. I see a lot of places turning to EMR and feel I should find something to make myself more marketable to a company. Was thinking of billing/coding but not sure if it is the right move. Can you give more info about which are the better schools, cost, ease of finding employment upon completion etc. Thanks!!

Suggest reading the posts on this board - sm

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Not to sound unfriendly, but please read the posts on the board first. We get asked those questions over and over.

I have read the posts - thanks anyway

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and haven't found the answers to my questions, that's why asked.

Well, then you missed some that I wrote, - and recently, too

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I wrote posts in the last month or two comparing training programs, comparing costs, and duscussing the relative ease of finding a job with different programs. I even gave some suggestions on certifications and job-finding tactics.

If you didn't see them, perhaps you didn't read far enough back. Look toward the bottom of the page and click the months.

More information on schools, etc - new coder

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I took my classes online through Rasmussen College. If you want to become an RHIT, make sure that your program is accredited by AHIMA so that you are able to sit for your RHIT. The RHIT is a more recognized credential and you are able to do more than just coding with this credential. I was an internal transfer from transcription and had no problem finding a job. I was hired right out of school. I left the transcription profession due to outsourcing. I have heard that it is hard for new grads to find coding jobs but there are managers out there who will give new grads chances. The manager I work for is one that is wiling to train a new grad and will put her new grads on clinic coding because that is considered entry level. I think having a credential can help one land a job. The type of work is harder as it is more analytical and there is almost more pressure to get it right as we are talking the financial side of health care. However the managers provide plenty of resources to help. If you have any further questions you can post them here and I will try to answer them. This is just my opinion and only my opinion. Someone else may have an entirely different experience. Again, this is a decision only you can make and no one else.

Just curious, is that program really $31,500? - Shocked

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I looked up that program and could not believe they charge 31.5 K for it. You expect MBAs to cost that much, not half a bachelor's.

That is not a good choice for someone who plans to get an RHIA. The cost would be prohibitive.

Cost of Rasmussen Program - Coder

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It is pretty expensive except I was able to take my genera ed classes at a different school and also got education reimbursement from my employer

Thank you - Longhurst

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Thank you for the info. It was helpful. I have been looking at schools and comparing things but it helps to have feedback from those who have been there. Thanks again for the info!!

please for the love of GOD IN HEAVEN do not do coding - see inside personal experience

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I am applying for scholarships at a local college, needed letters of recommendation and go into contact with a prior supervisor at our hospital. For whatever reason she stepped down to coding. Business went down and she was getting sent home left and right, using all her PTO just to get her 40 hours in. Now she works at another hospital an hour away NOT in coding. I have 2 other friends that took the coding course locally, spent a pretty penny on it and could not find jobs, are both doing something entirely different.

I would advise you to go back to school and honestly I would not do anything remotely data entry. Personally I am going into social work with a post graduate psychotherapy concentration. I absolutely implore you to think long and hard about going into coding. it is going down the same road MT is despite what anyone says. I would venture a guess that medical billing will also be phased out and will all be done offshore or by the doctor, eventually.

Think of something hands on that cannot be replaced by a machine. take this as an opportunity to discover a new path in life and enjoy it!

Another perspective - Certified, employed coder

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My perspective is based on my own experience, not what others tell me.

You have no education or direct experience in coding or health information management. Your opinion is based on a mistaken view that coding is entirely or partly "data entry."

"Stepping down" is never a good thing. It always results from some kind of performance-related problem. It says the person was about to be fired, but they gave her a chance to avoid that, or they moved her to a lower position during an investigation. Performance rarely improves after it and neither the stepper-downer nor management get over their negative views. The stress continues and the person usually leaves soon after. Because of that, I would be disinclined to put stock in a stepper-downer's opinion about the health of the occupational field.

There are also a lot of coders who are unemployable because they are incompetent. They do a lot of stepping down and out.

There are also a lot of "local programs" which are poor. We have no way to know what training your two other friends had, if they obtained certification, what the job market is like in your neck of the woods, or whether they were employable as a coder to begin with. Maybe there was a problem on their background check.

It is great that you want to be a clinical social worker--what could possibly be better for inflicting opinionated advice on others--but 6 years of college and graduate education is a long time and comes with a big bill. That is a lot more than what is required for coding. Everyone needs to make their own decisions, and I think we need to avoid giving them third-party hearsay in place of sound information.

I work in this field and have yet to see any problems with it. You have to get good training, but it isn't necessarily expensive.

I would warn you away from it if you have doubts about a background check. You are unlikely to get a job coding if you ever defaulted on a student loan, have bad credit, had a bill go to collection, lost your home or car, have had even a misdemeanor conviction, or if you have a spotty employment history, job hop, can't pass drug tests including alcohol and nicotine, or even if you have family members with drug and legal problems. (This isn't my doing...it has always been the case and now I
am seeing it on more and more job announcements.)

I dont think she had any sort of certification to be an HIM supervisor - is why. As far as I can remember

[ In Reply To ..]
she stepped in when a more qualified RHIT supervisor left abruptly. I do think she was in over her head taking the position and that is why she stepped down. But I didn't ask her the specifics because it sounded like things had been hard enough and I didn't want to pry.

You sound like you have taken offense to my post? I'm not sure why--I didn't meant to come off that way. Coding classes are cheap and flooded with people who think they will make a ton of money with just a few weeks of education, at least in my area. I don't think it is fair that they even teach those courses as there is such a high turnover and clearly there are not that many positions available. I have not once come across a job opening for a coder in our area.

yes it is a long education and will come with a slight bill (I am blessed with grants and scholarships and also working with Vocational Rehab) but I will be practically guaranteed a job doing anything from social work with the state to independent therapy sessions with an income potential up to $100,000/year, depending on my geographic location. I will have the means to live anywhere in the US and I am excited about that prospect.

My intention was to let the OP know that coding, like MT, is limiting. Why not broaden your horizons? I have gained so much joy from learning in these past few months. I am taking it on as a new adventure and a second chance at life as I am 36 and my kids are getting older. It is a nice change and I agree it is not for everyone but personally I think this is the best thing that has ever happened to me :)

It sounded like I took offense? - Is that a bad thing?

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You say your "intention was to let the OP know that coding, like MT, is limiting. Why not broaden your horizons?"

Jeez! I don't know what you call "limiting," but in my book, it sure isn't coding.

There are many jobs based on or involving coding knowledge. They range from coding per se to jobs in HIM, informatics, auditing, clinical documentation improvement, and more. A lot of people start in coding, then go on for further education to the bachelor's and master's levels, taking successively higher and higher jobs.

How the heck do you figure that is "limiting"?

There is nothing wrong with what you are studying. There is nothing wrong with HIM-related studies, either, any more than there is something wrong with any other major. Do you make a habit of telling people that math, computer programming, and other college majors are "limiting." How judgmental would THAT be?

Maybe you don't understand that this IS a university major? Maybe you don't understand that even graduate degrees are offered in it?

Those of you who are interested in coding can go to the AHIMA website and find their career map, which shows you the specifically non-"limiting" jobs you can branch out into from coding.

why do people keep asking - which training they should get?

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People keep coming to this board and ask what they should do. No one can tell you what to do!!!! YOU need to do the research, only YOU know whether you would be good in a classroom or online. Only YOU know how to fund it, or get aid. Everyone has a different opinion and different experience, and you will just get even more confused. I would recommend the credentialing association's training courses, you will have to spend money and study hard, the certification exam is not easy and is timed. I just don't understand how even more opinions can help a person pick one!

It does help - to hear

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what other people have done, experienced, and may recommend to see if something comes up that they may have missed. It is part of the research.

I agree - sm

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I did a ton of research and also read this coding board, as well as a few others, for quite a while before finally choosing what school to attend. Fast forward a year or so and I have finished my course. I also took and passed both the CCS and the CPC. In my opinion, what school you attend is one of the major keys to your success in coding.

Do you mind sharing what school? - Cathy

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Do you mind sharing what school you attended? Trying to finish in about a year and pass the CPC and CCS exams as well. Thanks!

Cathy - sm

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I am proud to call myself an Andrews grad!

Have you started a job search? - MTLC

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Are you already working or have you started to apply? Wondering how that went/is going. I have done tons of research too and would definitely do Andrews. I haven't done it yet but still might . . .

MTLC - sm

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Yes, I am working doing inpatient coding, currently in both ICD-9 and 10. I am not going to lie - it is very difficult as a new coder but I am so enjoying learning from experienced coders. Even though I passed both the CPC and CCS, I know that I still have so much to learn. If you have any questions about Andrews, I would be more than happy to try to answer them.

Thank you! I will keep that in mind. (NM) - MTLC

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nm

School - coding schooling

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I attended Rasmussen College online and have an RHIT degree. This is a 2-year program. The RHIT is very broad and you can do many things with it. I did not have any problem finding a job after graduation.

Umm, are you a coder? - Plus, that was not what she asked

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Understanding what these things are and how they are taught isn't easy. I am glad people ask. In fact, the only reason I come here is to help.

Besides, she didn't ask which to take.. She asked which to take first. That is a very good question, as it hapens.

My Opinion - Maria Brown

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If you are having some members working into the same profession then it will be great help for you to proceed. Take reviews of nearby training organization and take a certified course on that billing and coding.

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