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

Saw this ad and am wondering... - betsy

Posted: Feb 21, 2013

It's 11:30 p.m., and I'm looking at this website and have not thoroughly read this forum, so please don't get angry at me. I'm 59 this year and can hardly believe the course below would only take a month to complete. I fully realize, of course, that in no way, shape or form would this make me a coder but might hopefully get me into a doctor's office (?), which I'm having no luck whatsoever despite sending resumes, since I've had no recent medical secretarial experience. Not interested in making a ton of money, just want to survive to retirement. In fact, looks like I'd more than likely make less than I do now as a transcriber (have transcribed now 37 years). Not sure what they're charging for the course, either, but plan to find out.

Anyway, here it is. Be gentle on me if you comment and thanks.

http://omcc.edu/probcs.html

That isn't coding - Real Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
The first thing you need to notice is that the tuition is not readily visible on the website. The second thing is that the federally required document that explains student job placement rates, loan amounts at graduation, and so forth is nowhere to be seen. There is an emphasis on financial aid, but none on telling what the aid will be for or how much debt you'll be in, or whether it is at all likely that you can get a job after this course.

The second thing is that this is called "medical billing and coding," not "medical coding" or "medical coding and billing." There is a bit of a difference. Medical billing and coding is typically a shorter course that prepares you for medical front office work. It is not usually something that will prepare you for coding. It prepares you for copying codes off charge tickets onto computer screens. Coding is an ancillary medical profession akin to nursing, medical technologist, and physical therapist . . . copying codes off of charge tickets is clerical work. That's why it only takes a month.

Evidence that this is not a professional-level course is in the "credentials" that it prepares you for. The organization mentioned is not recognized by the coding or health information communities. Only credentials offered by the American Health Information Management Association or the American Association of Professional Coders are recognized. That means that no employer of professional coders will recognize that alleged credential. In other words, you won't get a "real" coding job with that.

So, you may say, you don't aspire to a real coding job. But, you would more than likely make less than you do now as a transcriber. You're correct . . . you would only make the amount offered in doctors' offices. Probably not clinics and definitely not hospitals, and the federal jobs would be closed to you. Why? Well, because you wouldn't be what they were looking for, which is a credentialed coder. You'd be what we all roll our eyes over. Believe me, we get job applications from these people, most of whom have no clue why they aren't qualified. (e had one who owed $29 in federal loans and thought that qualified her, but we just thought it qualified her as not very smart.)

You can get an idea of the quality of this course by looking at the text on the website. It contains factual errors about coding, credentialing, and other things, including grammar. One major error is that this qualifies you for the licensing exam in all 50 states. There is no licensing exam for coding. To me, that's reason alone to run screaming for the door of this for-profit diploma mill.

What would be better than this? The AAPC course, for one. That would enable you to take the CPC exam. You'd probably pass it.

What would be even better? Something like Andrews. I know, you think it takes too long. Well, the course you're looking at takes a month full time, or 140 hours. If you sat down and devoted 140 hours over a month to a program like Andrews, you'd probably finish a major part of it. That one is self-paced, so you can complete it fast if you need to. Other programs might be less self-paced, so they might take more calendar time. Andrews prepares you for both the CPC and the CCS, I believe, so that's a lot better than a no-name thing that isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

Be sure not to miss the instructor requirements. They require a "credentialed" individual. Meaning they'll take people who have the no-name credential. Is THAT what you want to learn from???

As for cost, I'll be interested in hearing how much this one costs, but I would never trade them information to find it out. I'd bet that it's way more than AAPC courses and Andrews.

As for the learning environment, I can only tell you what we have here. Yes, we have one just like that. It caters to people who have had fine careers in fast food, ticket-taking at the fair, as pole dancers and worse, and quite often ladies on work release from the county jail.

As for coder salaries, I would invite you to Google the salary surveys on the AAPC and AHIMA websites. We make more than you think. Personally, I feel it's worth a little more education to get there.

You deserve better. Don't sell yourself short.

Thank you very much for your reply... - betsy

[ In Reply To ..]
will save it and consider what my next move will be.

Also ... - Real coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Forgot to mention that there was no way to see the actual course content on that website. That raises serious concerns.

You would not buy a car sight unseen, nor should you buy a coding program without running the content past someone who knows what it should contain. Hard to do that if it is secret. Makes you wonder why they need that secrecy.

Looking at some of their other programs, you see more low-income kinds of jobs. That tells you where you will be with this job. One step up from scrubbing floors.

Most people think that everyone teaching coding teaches the same thing. That is not the case. Real coding courses do not teach typing, office software, and how to behave in medical offices. Instead, they teach more anatomy, pathophysiology, and more serious coding. The best ones teach this at upper college level, not adult night school, and teach it for adults who likely had careers in nursing, accounting, and MT, not in collecting welfare and shoplifting.

This type of career-college program can be found in cities all over the country. They are a chain or something.

If you can't get a job in a doctor's office, GET SOME CAREER COUNSELING before you waste money. The problem is likely to be your application skills. Fix that first. Then build on your strengths rather than taking a giant step backward.

Real coding is well within your ability. But, if you want to work for minimum wage, go to Walmart or MacDonald's. Just don't take out loans so you can learn nothing to get a job that pays the same and has no future.

No courses listed at Western Governors either - Daisy

[ In Reply To ..]
I've seen people on this board recommending Western Governors University but it irks me that they have no course information on their website. That combined with the strange way they charge tuition (a flat 6 month rate) makes it feel more like a scam than a college to me. But yet, I have seen quite a few posts recommending them. So hard to tell just by the web these days.

What do you mean, no course information? - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
There's lots of information there on the Health Informatics course... not sure what information is lacking?

Excuse me??? No information??? - The flat rate bothers you?????

[ In Reply To ..]
What website are you looking at??? And how far did you look on it???

I didn't have any trouble at all finding WGU's course information! Western Governors University has online, rather complete information on every degree program they offer. They are very clear about what is taught in their program. In the case of informatics, they're accredited by AHIMA, so you can be certain they teach what AHIMA requires. WGU's course also leads to nationally recognized certifications in several IT areas, so it's clear that they teach what is required for that, too.

I'm not sure what is so "strange" about the way they charge tuition, either. I paid for my bachelor's degree the same way in the late 1970s . . . a flat rate per semester regardless of how few or how many courses you took. A lot of better universities charged that way and still do . . . the concept of paying per course didn't become popular until students began going part-time.

WGU is not a scam. They aren't a diploma mill or for-profit school, either . . . they're a nonprofit university with appropriate regional accreditation. Just like a state university. They are a university formed by several states rather than just one, though -- the governors of several western states.

It isn't hard to tell by the web if you understand what to look for.

In the case of their informatics program, it is formally accredited by the American Health Information Management Association. AHIMA does not offer that accreditation lightly -- it is very difficult to get.

I thought about why you would object to the flat 6-month tuition rate. No one would object to being able to take as many courses as you could in 6 months for the same fee, because it would make your college program cost less. The only objection would seem to come from someone who wanted to take fewer courses, say at a more leisurely pace, on a part-time basis. In that instance, the program would end up costing more.

If that's your concern, I'm not sure you can even do that at WGU. I think they require a minimum course load, probably to prevent students from harming themselves financially by dawdling around.

Find me another college that charges that way - Different

[ In Reply To ..]
It is certainly an intriguing way to charge and I'm sure has benefits but it is by no means common.

I'm amazed that this discussion is still going on. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
What is the problem with the way a legitimate university charges?

Thinking that this is a scam is a bizarre and almost paranoid response. People here have supplied you with a realistic assessment of what ISN'T a way to get a coding education, but all you can do is argue about billing practices at legitimate universities.

If you don't want to get an education, no one is forcing you.

To answer your question, though, medical schools typically charge a standard fee per year. The fact that you don't know that does not make it less true.

lots of info - I am looking into it

[ In Reply To ..]
I looked into MANY colleges that AHIMA recommended, and believe me, WGU was the only one that stood out by several factors. 1) The ease of finding information on the web site. 2) The amount and specificity of information provided about the course. 3) Explanation of the cost of the course.

WHEN (not if) I finish my coding program, I am enrolling at WGU for the Health Informatics program.

Good choice! Informatics is the upcoming, big field - in Health Information (NM)

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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