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

Schooling info needed. - LoniG

Posted: Jan 27, 2013

I'm am interested in getting into Medical Transcriptionist or a Coder. Can anyone please help me with information regarding a acceptable school or program. Thank you for your help.

school - read other forum

[ In Reply To ..]
Read under New MTs on the right side and see the cons for going into MT and if you still want to, there are lists of schools and why you need to go to them. Not sure about coding as that will go offshore too just like MT jobs. Looking for a new job as there are none in MT anymore. Good luck.

more than offshoring - bigger concern

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I'm more concerned with the possible glut in the market - many many new coders can't find work without experience.

True in any field - You just have to be a darned GOOD new coder

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Nothing surprising about that. It's not a glut . . . it's a demand for excellent credentials and superb skill.

Employers pretty much HAVE to hire credentialed coders now to satisfy reviewers that they are doing everything possible to be compliant with the rules and to actually BE compliant with the rules.

If you think that you can take a 90 or 100-hour course, get a basic credential, and have employers chasing after you . . . you're in for an unpleasant surprise. You need a solid course, preferably with multiple credentials, and the ability to pass the employer's test flying.

Every working coder today at some point early on found work without experience.

That sounds good on paper, but the fact that - they are already SM

[ In Reply To ..]
offshoring some coding tells me differently. I suppose you have to be a darn good coder to QA all the coding that is going to be done in India, all at about minimum wage of course (coders and QA).

more likely explanation - they got OJT

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I wouldn't say EVERY working coder found work without experience. I think a large percentage learned on the job and THEN got certified, OR they were working in medical records and got certified and moved into coding, OR they got into it 15 years ago before there were many coders around. I think it is risky business now.

If you . . . - Coder

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I don't think the question is about certification. It's about working coders once having no experience, yet somehow getting jobs.

If you were not a coder, and you got a job where you could learn coding, then you got a coding job without experience OR training.

If you were working somewhere in medical records, took a course, got certified, and then moved into coding, you still had no coding experience when you moved into coding.

Even if you got your job 15 years ago, you still got it without experience. 15 years ago, employers wanted experienced coders, not inexperienced ones.

I think some coders were doing a different job, started doing some coding, and slid into it from there, but the point is that they didn't have experience and somehow GOT IT.

That's a key to getting employment now . . . getting some kind of experience somehow.

I don't think there is a flood of coders now, either. A large percentage of coding jobs still go unfilled. I'm not sure what the percentage is now, but it used to be around 30%. There isn't a nationwide glut because we still can't find appropriately-qualified coders.

I wouldn't call it "risky business." It's very easy to learn some coding on your own to see if you like it and if it's worth paying more to learn. You can work on getting job near coding or in medical records to facilitate an eventual move into coding. To me, that isn't risky.

Even nursing and law are riskier because they involve huge outlays of money, indebtedness, and jobs are very difficult to come by.

If you feel it's risky, though, that's an indication that you should not go into it. You have to believe that it is worth the risk, that you're able to overcome obstacles in spite of the risk, and that you will succeed.

it's just writing that big check - every time I am about to do it

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I think okay, I'm going to do it, but that is a bunch of money (AAPC course) and then I think, I don't know. I don't want to throw that money away.

The big check - Another coding student

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I put off enrolling for a while for various reasons, mostly the money. I finally enrolled in August 2012 and I'm so glad I did! I am now well over halfway through my course and learning so much! It's by no means easy and actually quite intense, but I am loving learning again after so many years as an MT. Good luck to you whatever you decide!

It's an investment - me

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I looked at it as an investment in my future. I waited awhile too before I took a course, worrying about the money. But now a year later, I am so glad I did. Still trying to get out of MT, but at least I have marketable coding skills and the potential for better money than minimum wage. Trust in yourself that you can finish and find that first job. Just don't give up.

I think that is risky, too - sm

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I would hesitate to write a big check for that program, too.

Coding courses do not all teach the same thing. AAPC teaches only outpatient coding. They clver minimal med terms/anatomy. They really don't cover A&P, pathophysiology, pharmacogy, lab, reimbursement, etc. That isn't to say that it is bad, but just be sure you understand what yoj are getting into. Yeah, it's less exensive but it is because it contains less. You do not learn inpatient coding at all and will not be qualified to take any AHIMA exams.

but I was told many started out that way - AAPC nm

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nm

Who told you that? - And does that mean YOU should do it?

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Sure, lots of coders DID start that way. But, does that mean it's right for YOU?

When 25% of CPCs can't find jobs, does that bode well for you?

Yes, it's a way to begin, but it's a limited sort of way. It is a 100-hour class sort of way. It kind of covers ICD-9-CM diagnosis coding in a couple of lessons. It kind of covers all of med terms in a one-lesson word list. It kind of puts all of anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology into that word list, too.

It doesn't contain enough coverage of things to qualify you to take AHIMA exams.

It'll teach you to code for doctors' offices, which is fine, but that's about it. If you then want to do more than that, you'll need to get more education. The problem then is that nobody teaches "the rest of it" by itself. You'll have to take a course that covers everything you already did in order to cover what you want to learn. And you'll end up paying for it again.

That big check you're fretting about writing now . . . imagine how annoyed you'll be to have to pay it again just to get into a course where you can do the rest of the story.

A lot of coders just want to code for doctors' offices. That's fine. If that is all you want, fine. Just be aware that there is more to coding than that, and that you will be unable to do it. Also be aware that employers might not prefer to hire you with just a CPC and that course behind you.

See the coding forum - Loads of info already posted there

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Please see the coding forum on this board. There is already a lot of information posted there about coding.

I would suggest that you take warnings about coding "going offshore" with a grain of salt if it comes from someone who isn't familiar with the job or the surrounding career field. There seem to be a number of MTs here who do not know what coding is and assume it is just like MT. In actuality, the two are nothing alike.

There's plenty of coding offshore already. - sm

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It's going to be a slower process than with MT due to the skills and training required, but they're definitely going after it. New coders seem to be having lots of trouble finding jobs too, regardless of offshoring or not.

That link is 3 years old! - Sigh

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OK, let's engage our critical thinking faculties . . . that link is 3 years old and all the negatives in that thread are posted by the same person who -- frankly -- sounds like he's one taco short of a meal.

You have no idea if he's even a coder.

And I think we mentioned all that the last time someone (?you?) posted that link.

Yes, 3 years, so we can well imagine it being worse now. - sm

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It's certainly not going to go in the reverse direction. Your reading skills are quite selective if you didn't notice others besides Smarting in Austin, Texas posting negatives about offshoring of coding.

I tried to access some issues of AAPC magazine but can't without a paid membership. Maybe someone who can access it will tell us what percentage of the newly certified coders listed in the back nowadays are from other countries.

There are 1717 job listings for Medical Coder on Simply Hired India at the time I'm posting this, 78 in just the past 24 hours:

I can imagine a lot of things.... - Much has happened in 3 years...

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First of all, Simply Hired is not a great site. They have had huge issues (like indeed.com) and the fact that a job is posted there doesn't mean that one actually exists. My spouse's company has several hundred jobs listed there that I KNOW to be either fake or so incredibly stale that they were filled months ago.

Second of all, I don't think that you are making much of a point by posting job listings for coding. The rest of the world uses medical coding also. I believe that the UK is already using ICD-10.

Thirdly, the CPC designation...it's not worth much. I have it because my school recommended it as part of my program, but so do hundreds of other people in my town who can't find a job because they don't have experience. There are many CPCs looking for work. A program that only gets you a CPC certification is about like taking a typing course. It's a good skill...but no one is going to risk hiring you as a coder unless you can demonstrate ALL of the knowledge and skills needed. It would be like a business hiring a fresh graduate from a bookkeeping course as an accountant. The learning curve is too high. The schools should tell people that. Perhaps some do, but people hear what they want to hear.

Bottom line, your work is bringing in the MONEY and doing it in such a way that CMS is not coming after your organization. If there are some who took out an ad in the AAPC magazine, it doesn't mean anything. A company could pick up hundreds of "volunteers" from the US easily. The existence of ads doesn't prove your point.

MT being outsourced is one thing. An organization can comfort themselves that if the work comes back in a poor state, it can be fixed. A doctor can look over a chart and doublecheck things. Most doctors have NO IDEA how to code beyond the basic little form we give them in an outpatient setting. They have no clue what the laws, regulations, and rationale are behind coding, not to mention how to fix mistakes. It's not as simple as amending a patient record. For example, we are a month into 2013 and I've already made several (grateful) medical professionals aware that codes (relevant to their specialty) changed as of 1/1/13. Wrong code= no payment/denied claim.

Doctors simply do not have enough time to keep up with coding changes, much less the desire or even aptitude. It would be like someone attempting to do his own taxes for a corporation. Sure, Turbotax can take care of a select group of people, but CPAs are still needed. Do you understand what I am trying to say?

As far as outsourcing coding, why on EARTH would an organization expose themselves to fines, profit loss, etc.? That doesn't make sense. Even if health care was cut to the bone it doesn't make sense.

You have not substantiated your claim that coding will be outsourced to the point that it is not a viable career option.

Excellent post! Thanks for sharing your views and facts. - nm

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nm

Two jobs don't have to be "alike" to be offshored. They - just have to be performed on a PC.

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The fact that M*Modal already does outsourced coding for hospitals means it's only a matter of time before that unscrupulous bunch sends it all offshore, as well.

By that reasoning, EVERYTHING will be offshored! - Alternative View

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You ARE assuming that they are "alike," with "alike" meaning "performed on a PC." While that might make outsourcing and even offshoring possible, full outsourcing is not a popular option and offshoring is even less popular due to the financial and legal repercussions of coding errors.

If a doctor or facility fails to code optimally, accurately, and within the requirements of a wide variety of federal and commercial insurers, the result is lost revenue. It is lost because of undercoding, but also when overpayments must be repaid along with HUGE fines. If THAT doesn't break the bank, the increased auditing, increased demands for copies of documentation, and even the requirement that all documentation be submitted with every bill WILL break you.

Doctors, hospital administrators, office managers, and even coders go to jail because of coding errors. No hospital CEO wants to risk federal prison due to errors resulting from using the lowest offshore bidder.

There was a little flurry of offshoring some years ago, but it stopped quickly after the hospitals found that they were unable to control the errors. The foreign coders were unable to keep up with all the requirements and were found to code too conservatively. They lost money for the hospitals because they didn't code for what the hospital deserved. The hospitals were paying out in services far more than they were getting back in reimbursements.

The MTs here, naturally, are hyperfocused on M*M because it dominates the transcription industry.It is natural for them to assume that they are taking over coding, too, but I do not know any coder who has seen that. It is not common knowledge in the coding world that anything like that is happening or might happen.

In any event, coding is a lot different than MT in another very important way. Because it is a job category within health information management and because coding skills are the foundation of many other types of jobs from compliance to clinical documentation improvement to informatics, once you have coding skills you can move into another job fairly easily. A little extra knowledge is all you need to move up or move laterally into another job. Coders are thus far more "disaster proof" than MTs, who have nowhere to go.

A coder can move up with an extra certification or two, or can work while getting a bachelor's degree in health information administration, or can move into health informatics, or into any other health information fields like privacy and security.

While I understand your fear and concern about this, I don't see that it is happening. There are just too many constraints preventing it.

I'm sorry that you have such a negative view, too. It must be very difficult to be stuck in a job that isn't working for you because you are paralyzed with fear that the same script will play out again and again no matter what job you select.

I understand, too, that several MTs here are bitter about coding because they flunked out or quit a course, or because they couldn't afford a course, or because there are few coding jobs in their area. Whatever it is, I hope the OP will be able to see that there are a number of coders here who do very well and expect to continue doing well.

Thanks for the opportunity to express an alternative view.

Actually, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. The entire - nation could end up working for China. (n/m)

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

You may prefer to keep your head in the sand, - but it is happening.

[ In Reply To ..]

We said the same things as you 5-10 years ago (not expecting the full impact of VR in addition), that offshoring couldn't become that popular, there would be too many facilities who would still want their records only onshore.

We're not Chicken Littles; we're experienced with the scenario and want to warn others so they don't suffer our fate in another decade when their job opportunities are drying up and their pay is decreasing, etc. Maybe it doesn't matter much to you now where you are in your lifespan, hopefully you'll do fine until retirement, but if a friend asked me my opinion about medical coding as a career, from my perspective as an MT, I'd do my best to steer them away from it and tell them that they would do better to spend their time and money training for something else with more definite long-term viability.

"The mature global technology infrastructure and seamless integrated solutions places Indian companies in a good position to process outsourced healthcare work. An example is the ICD 10 conversion change due by October 2013. It is expected to impact the medical coding industry and is likely to spur a great demand for offshore outsourcing. It is projected that a large percentage of medical coding in the future will be processed in India10.

http://philcsolomon.com/2012/10/09/healthcare-offshore-outsourcing

you can't talk to this person - same argument every time

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because she makes 75K, she can't figure out why everyone in coding can't do it, or can't even find a job without experience. Same arguments and insults every time, chicken little, drinking the koolaid, you don't understand what coding is because you're just an MT, and it's something about your personality keeping you from getting a good job like hers. Don't try to argue with this person.

Good point, the "bitter about coding" remark showed the trollishness - right there.

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But others who are researching the profession might run across this site, so I think it's good to get both sides of the story out there, regardless. Thanks for the heads up, and promise I won't take any inflammatory replies personally.

Some MTs used to be like that too, by the way. (see link) I wonder what Ms. or Mr. 52K is making now? You don't see any responses like this on the MT forums anymore.

No, you don't - sm

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They're probably busy working and making that 52K. Or they've been run off the board by the people who call them liars or suits. I'm putting my money on the latter.

Two sides to the story - SM

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There are two sides to the story. She has an insider view based on what appears to be a successful career that is not at all unusual in that field. To her, the threat of offshoring is not significant enough to warrant avoiding this field. She has tried to explain why she does not see a threat and that there is s lot of rom to change jobs, move up, etc.

Your view is from the outside and seems fixsted on what you believe coding is rather than what it really is. You cannot see any of the good things thst seem to balance out her view.

The two of you will never agree. There is no reason you should. I am not certain why yoj seem to feel that what she says is so bad. You condemn the field completely, which to me is worse.

well okay but does she have to be - rude and insulting?

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Does she have to tell MTs their work is insignificant, as she has done to me in the past, and tell new coders it's their own fault they can't get a job? Does she have to equate MModal employees with followers of ? Could she not at least come up with some new material?

I don't find her to be rude and insulting - sm

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It's all in your perception. What you expect to find, you most likely will.

if someone told you - see message

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If someone told you, okay let's just say an MT came on here and told you, that your work as a coder didn't have to be accurate because it wasn't important and doctors and hospitals knew it wasn't important, and also that future employers would look at your resume with 30 years of experience and consider it no experience at all because it was in coding of all things, I bet you would feel differently.

Yep. The Precyse lawsuit sure showed how unimportant MT accuracy is. - Has a coder ever killed anyone by coding?

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Are you seriously suggesting that MTs have more liability than coders? - Wow.

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Yes, I'm absolutely positive that bad medical coding has been implicated in many medical malpractice cases.

What's more, bad coders can kill an entire hospital system.

MT work is important and all, but it is not the sole source of medical documentation and doesn't carry near the weight of importance that you are suggesting here. Everyone involved in the patient record is culpable for inaccuracies.

Are you being facetious?

This news story may be an example of bad coding - Andrews student

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I felt so terrible for this patient when I heard this story cycling through all the news outlets today. It's bad enough going through a miscarriage without extra stress. May God bless her and her family. http://www.onenewsnow.com/pro-life/2013/02/05/catholic-hospital-bills-woman-for-abortion-that-never-happened

The codes for miscarriages, abortions, and other situations/procedures are all very similar. I can't help but wonder if this won't come down to a terrible coding error? With this news story and others like it mind, I will be hyper-vigilant about never making an error like this!

Umm no - realist

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I am an MT, not a coder, but interested in coding. I think a lot of the MTs on here are puffed up with an extreme sense of unwarranted self importance. Our job isn't that important in the greater picture and the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be. Coders bring in money, MTs are an expense.

As far as experience. I have 15 years in, can do all report types, I know medical terminology, but what do I really do? What do I really bring to the table as an employee outside of MT? Hmm, not much comparatively. It's 15 years typing/editing reports, not 15 years gathering new skills.

et tu, Brute? - ??

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I am sure what you say is true, but I have been insulted and put down on this coding board, and while your post is not rude, still, I feel betrayed.

She didn't insult you - Remembers that post

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I remember that post. She did not insult you. She explained what EMPLOYERS often think and she explained what doctors and hospitals often think. She never said SHE thought that.

That was pointed out to you at the time, but you can't seem to let it go.

MTs already come over to the coding board... sm - coding student

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...and basically infer that my hard work in school is a waste of time. Not all MTs. The rest of you rock! I feel sorry for people to a point. It gets annoying after a while when ignorant Sybils come in here and wail about coding when it is glaringly obvious that they have no idea what they are talking about.

I'm here to learn. Someone's anecdotal experience about the demise of their profession doesn't contribute to the discussion. It's sad, but many of us also have sad things going on and choose not to burst in here and cause a bunch of drama. It's tiresome and I am starting to suspect that it is malicious and a SERIOUS case of sour grapes to the point of being pathological. Old MT "leadership", maybe? I mean, come on.

Show me the data. Comparing MT to coding (which is only part of a much larger skill set) is like comparing a bookkeeper to a CPA. Before anyone jumps all over my case about that, think about it. A Coder is responsible for keeping up with much more than an MT has to. I am NOT saying that MTs don't work hard or that the work isn't important.

Just to set the record straight about at least one MT - on this thread...

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This thread was originally posted on the Main Board, where I first replied on it, and then moved here. I've never posted on the Coding Board before this. Once again, after "meeting" some of you here, I am so glad that I never pursued this as a career.

Ciao, bellas. Not to worry, I won't let the door hit me on the way out.

His business is offshoring. What do you expect him to say? - Do you have any positive suggestions?

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I think that is what bothers me about the naysayers...they post all this negativity, but cannot come up with one positive suggestion.

I already gave the only surely workable suggestion I have at this point. - sm

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"...they would do better to spend their time and money training for something else with more definite long-term viability."

I personally would probably go into legal work/court reporting rather than MT if I had it to do over again. Once again, that's "personally" what I think I should have done, so it isn't necessarily what I would advise anyone else to do.

If one really wants to go into a non-patient-care-related medical field and has the time to train for it, then I think Informatics starting right off the bat might be the best way to go. But I'm just talking off the top of my head about that, especially since I'm sick to death of the medical field myself. And someone who's not that interested in IT might not find that idea all that appealing.

So along the same lines of my original suggestion, I guess my most positive suggestion would be to just keep researching until something seems to really click. Finding a forum that gives ONLY the positives and none of the negatives (actual and potential) about a field would be a warning sign to me, though.

Still just speculation-- - Speak from personal experience

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You are just speculating. You are offering opinions that are not backed up by personal experience.

You haven't even attempted to learn or get into a new career . . . you are just driving people away from one that you THINK is a bad choice. You are also criticizing someone who DID learn something new and who DOES have personal experience with it.

You aren't even being consistent! You tell people to stay away from coding, but then say informatics is a good choice! It IS a good choice, but you are going to have to do the same courses for informatics thst you do for coding!

You didn't research this very well, because that field you hate is included in informatics. You can learn it first and then do informatics, or you can do it as part of informatics. You have to be able to code to get through informatics, pass the RHIA exam and work in the field. In fact, some informaticians work mostly with . . . coding.

You certainly are incredibly defensive about this. - methinks thou doth protest too much

[ In Reply To ..]

I offered up evidence about the potential for coding to go more offshore in the future, as well as how many positions are open in India for the same now. To what degree or how long the process will take is anybody's guess. My personal experience is what has happened to my career over the past 20 years. I know what the early warning signs are from personal experience, whereas you don't.

You insult my intelligence by saying I don't know what Informatics is and how one could get into coding first and then transition into it. Why do you think I said "... starting right off the bat"? (i.e., as opposed to transitioning into it later) You also don't even have the foggiest what I've learned or attempted to do career-wise besides MT (it wasn't in the medical field at all, I can tell you that). How presumptuous. Talk about speculation.

Once again, I would not advise a friend or confidante of mine to go into coding. If anything I've said makes those considering this career research it more fully first (including Informatics, which the non-coding aspect of can't be offshored), then more power to them.

If the field is even just somewhat full of the same kind of self-important, reality-denying, superiority-complex-driven folks as can be found on this board, then I thank my lucky stars that I never pursued it as a career, yeehaw. I've worked with some B's on-site in my day, but I think some of you all would take the cake.

Whatever - student

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We get it. You think coding is a waste of time. I think that you are wrong. So do most of the people in school for coding, I would imagine. You've trotted out the same messages time and time again. We've all seen them and they are available in a search. You have not presented any evidence .

Someone (you?) keeps trying to make a case that coding is just like MT. If you want to believe that, ok. It's an ignorant belief, but fine.

Now that the troll(s) have made their regular appearance and called us all Bs, can we get back to intelligent conversations?

My perspective - Anonymous one

[ In Reply To ..]
As an experienced MT/coding school graduate working in clinical documentation, I would like to share my thoughts. First, coding does not have to be offshored or outsourced for it to change dratstically and require fewer jobs, There is also a thing called computer assisted coding and I have seen first hand what that does. Fewer coders are needed to actually code. Instead, they correct mistakes and review records. I know, many of you at a lofty level of professional coding would never be involved in anything as menial as that, but to say that coding is an occupation that will continue to grow is misleading. In regard to MTs not being important to the health care team, that is just wrong. I have seen a number of critical errors in edited reports that would affect patient care, and Medicare did withhold payment on some claims because of errors. Codes are assigned from those reports, and that is where it all begins in the billing process; the operative report and discharge summary are important documents in the process, and everyone; physicians, nurses, MTs, coders and other ancillary personnel need to work together as a team. I am very tired of the "I am better than you because I am a coder and you are a worthless MT" mentality that I encounter on this board and hopefully you are not representative of your entire profession. Coding is challenging and it is worth pursuing, but it is not for everyone. It has always been difficult to break into coding. That has not changed and it is probably going to get worse, good luck to the new grads in a tough job market. There is always more than one side to any story. The MTs who choose to come to the coding forum to express their views (or fears and concerns) need to feel welcome and not be told that they are somehow deficient because they couldn't land that first coding job or because their finances prevent them from pursuing an education. There are bumps in the road and unpleasant things that happen in all occupations; it is never a straight line from point A to point B. Coders are not "disaster proof," and those of you who think you are may be headed for a fall,

What the what? - yet another coding student

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I seriously have no idea where most of your post is coming from, "Anonymous". I think that there is some misunderstanding going on here. There have been a couple of very strange, flouncing "goodbye cruel forum" posts since I started visiting this site over the last year or so.

Nearly everyone here is an MT or has been at one time, right? How cool that we can all chat about coding here. I don't have to listen to anyone call me a "B", though, or insist that what happened to MTs will happen to every other profession. I'm glad that people are pointing out the need for vigilance, but I can't stay in a mindset where everything is a conspiracy.

That's a little hysterical and so is being so thin-skinned that no one else is allowed to disagree with you or call someone out when they can't back up the "facts" to support their opinion. I know that people might be hurting...but that's no excuse to abuse others by being over-sensitive, holding grudges (gee whiz), or wish others ill. It is hard to feel sympathy or to want to help someone like that.

I just don't see anyone getting picked on, except anyone who is excited about coding!

Speaking of which, I had better get back to my schoolwork. Maybe I will fall flat on my face, as someone seems to be hoping, but at least I'll go down in flames trying my hardest. Even if I do, I won't be down long and I'll help others on my way back up. Knocking someone else down never did make me feel better. I'm sorry if anyone truly feels that someone has done this to them on this board, but I just haven't seen it. Good luck to you.

You said you were a coding school graduate - just wondering

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I'm just curious as to what certifications you have.

By the way, no coder has ever said " 'I am better than you because I am a coder and you are a worthless MT.' "

What has been said repeatedly by many, many MTs is that coders think too highly of themselves and MTs know (hope) beyond a doubt that the coding industry will go the way of transcription.

I find that to be a completely bizarre impulse and a horribly nasty attitude. Just goes to show that miserable people can't be happy unless they take everyone else down with them.

To Anonymous One - anonymous coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Your post was difficult to read. Your words are in quotes below.

"As an experienced MT/coding school graduate working in clinical documentation, I would like to share my thoughts."

First, coding does not have to be offshored or outsourced for it to change dratstically [sic] and require fewer jobs, There is also a thing called computer assisted coding and I have seen first hand what that does."

Most of us know what computer-assisted coding is, but you seem to be claiming here that you have some sort of insider information. I've seen CAC also and I don't share your opinion to the point where it will change my career path or advise others to avoid coding.

Is it possible that your experience as a (displaced?) MT is coloring your views on this?

"Fewer coders are needed to actually code. Instead, they correct mistakes and review records."

From what source are you getting this information? If you are claiming to have this special, insider information which conflicts with industry projections, please cite your source.

"I know, many of you at a lofty level of professional coding would never be involved in anything as menial as that, but to say that coding is an occupation that will continue to grow is misleading."

The way this is written makes your points difficult to understand. Where is anyone claiming unlimited growth for coders?

I thought you were a coding graduate. Does your statement mean that you are not a "professional coder"? Does it mean that you did a quick course on coding and didn't get any kind of certification? This is how I started as a coder, by the way.

As far as job growth, coding is a skill in a growing field. I'm getting the information that the field of Health Information Management/Health Informatics is growing from AHIMA and various other credible sources. If you have conflicting information, please cite a credible source.

Also, what's with the sarcasm?

"In regard to MTs not being important to the health care team,"

No one has said that. Do you realize that most people on this site are MTs?

"...that is just wrong. I have seen a number of critical errors in edited reports that would affect patient care, and Medicare did withhold payment on some claims because of errors. Codes are assigned from those reports, and that is where it all begins in the billing process; the operative report and discharge summary are important documents in the process, and everyone; physicians, nurses, MTs, coders and other ancillary personnel need to work together as a team."

You caught some errors and we all need to work as a team? You have lost me with this paragraph. Are you trying to say that it is important that the documentation in the medical record supports the coding? If so, you are right.

"I am very tired of the "I am better than you because I am a coder and you are a worthless MT" mentality that I encounter on this board"

I'm still confused about your point(s), plus all of the sudden your words are angry again. MTs are an important part of the medical team. It's not my fault that the industry is dying. Don't project your anger about that on me or anyone else here, ok? I'm tired of the victim complex. MTs got a raw deal. We all know that. I don't think I'm better than anyone else. In fact, I am making an effort to try to reach out and to understand where you are coming from.

"...and hopefully you are not representative of your entire profession."

As I hope that you are not representative of everyone working with medical records? Yikes.

"Coding is challenging and it is worth pursuing, but it is not for everyone."

I agree with that. Some people can't stand coding because they find it so boring. It's not for everyone.

"It has always been difficult to break
into coding."

I actually think it is a little easier now to get started in coding. It feels easier to me, anyway, 20 years later. We didn't have the internet around when I started coding. I feel really old having just made that statement!

"That has not changed and it is probably going to get worse,"

That is your opinion. Why?

"good luck to the new grads in a tough job market."

Uh, thanks? Is this more sarcasm? Sheesh.

"There is always more than one side to any story."

This is not a story, though. I'd like to think that we are having a discussion about medical coding and how that skill fits into the future of HIM.

"The MTs who choose to come to the coding forum to express their views (or fears and concerns) need to feel welcome and not be told that they are somehow deficient because they couldn't land that first coding job or because their finances prevent them from pursuing an education."

These victim statements sound familiar. Every few months someone comes on here and posts, gets into a big snit, and then leaves in a huff. It's one person. If this is you, why are you back? Everyone is welcome here, right? They are to me, anyway. I am so sorry if you are poor (me too) or if you couldn't find the job you wanted right off the bat. Sounds like you are doing great, though, if you are working in clinical documentation.

"There are bumps in the road and unpleasant things that happen in all occupations; it is never a straight line from point A to point B."

Your entire post is filled with these fortune cookie bits of general wisdom, but I'd rather know what your points are. I'm not trying to be a jerk; I can see that you want to be perceived as an intelligent person, but your post is not as persuasive as it could be if you would stick to your points.

"Coders are not "disaster proof," and those of you who think you are may be headed for a fall, [sic]"

I don't understand your point in this sentence, other than we are all headed to ruin because we aren't listening to you.

If no one is listening, perhaps it may be because you are hard to understand? Could you please restate some of your post?

Here are some links about issues you have brought up:

http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_036238.hcsp?dDocName=bok1_036238

http://www.m-scribe.com/blog/bid/200134/Computer-Assisted-Coding-CAC-A-Coder-Prospective

http://blogs.hcpro.com/acdis/2012/05/determining-the-benefit-of-flesh-and-blood-cdi-vs-computer-assisted-coding/

Conference from last year: http://www.ahima.org/Events/EventCalendar/Event.aspx?Id=b7798f17-7eeb-4a74-8a10-672ef5c3483b

http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/article/computer-assisted-coding-ready-inpatient-use

http://www.findacode.com/articles/computer-assisted-coding-vs-find-a-code.html

I second that -- took the words right out of my mouth - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

MTs aren't "bitter about coding" - they're just smart - enough not to make another career mistake.

[ In Reply To ..]

Definition of bitter - why not move on

[ In Reply To ..]
Cambridge dictionary
bitter adjective ( ANGRY )

Definition:
describes a person who is angry and unhappy because they cannot forget bad things which happened in the past.

describes an experience that causes deep pain or anger

expressing a lot of hate and anger

If the points don't have a basis in reality, I'd have to agree with bitter. So beyond hanging out here and badgering people, what are you going to do next? You must have been handed a bad hand, but what are you going to do with it?

LoniG - Bird Mom

[ In Reply To ..]
Go to the New MTS board and read the posts by Old Pro. She gives good advice.

School... - vf

[ In Reply To ..]
Going to school for medical transcription would be like going to school to be a dinosaur dentist. Maybe you should look into court stenography instead, that's one area that can't be outsourced and will never go to speech recognition technology.

Court reporting - Bilboa

[ In Reply To ..]
If court stenography = court reporting, I came across that a few months ago (I think on the Department of Labor website, but don't make me swear to it) and got ALL excited.

Until I did some more Googling. From what I found, that's no longer a demand occupation, either, because it's been partially replaced by videotaping. I don't get the impression the current court reporters are being wage-slashed as we have been, but it doesn't sound like a good field to train for any longer. (I was soooo disappointed -- for a couple of hours there, I thought I had found my solution!)

Friend of ours is a court reporter, PT over $75,000 per year - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
She has all the work she wants but works part-time because of her new baby. Her first year working, she bought a brand new BMW. Not bad.

That's my dream.... - hopeless dreamer

[ In Reply To ..]
and for many others I am sure...to be able to work part time and make really good money.

cushy jobs - coding student

[ In Reply To ..]
That's everyone's dream. Dreaming is great, but the hopeless part? I choose not to be hopeless.

Business cycles come and go. Recessions happen in cycles- no matter who is President or in Congress. Right now some industries are suffering. I have no control over all of that. I figure it's my job to educate myself as much as possible. It's my job to be smarter next time and to stay out of debt, to save as much as possible for the next lean time, and to help others.

We are overdue for growth in our country. When things pick back up, I am scrambling to position myself- for my family's sake- to get caught in the upswing. I've made some mistakes and have a hard luck story as sad as the next guy, but by the grace of God I will take what I learned and get back up again.

The only people who can demand "really good money" are people who get paid for what they know. I am working as hard as I can to be a person who has valuable skills and knowledge. I mean this to be encouraging, not snarky. Life is not fair and boy do I wish it was sometimes. Don't let the bullies keep you down.

court reporting - coding student

[ In Reply To ..]
I used "court reporting at home" to train for court reporting. It was a better value than the schools that I looked into. I liked the CRAH theory, the program, and the owner. Stenography was harder than I thought, though. It was like learning how to type a new language, only on a piano. If you can achieve top speeds, captioning seems to pay extremely well. The jobs in the courts might be a little harder to come by these days, but I still get alerts all of the time for PRN work- mainly depositions.

Many court reporters hire people to edit their documents. They are usually called "scopists". It might be a great way to break into court reporting. I would imagine that an MT background would be a terrific asset in medical malpractice cases and the like.

Hope this helps someone. If I didn't love coding so much, I would still be pursuing court reporting as a career option.

Couple questions... - dreamer

[ In Reply To ..]
*What do you mean by "captioning"?
*Is "scoping" a real thing? I looked into that a few years ago, just researching the internet and it seemed scammy to me.
*Lastly, I've been looking at getting into coding. May I ask where you work - not specifically if you don't care to divulge, but as in what type of facility, hospital, clinic, insurance company, etc.? Also, what is it that you love about it?

I took the scoping course a few years - ago that was often

[ In Reply To ..]
advertised on the MT job websites (I see they apparently stopped the ads some time ago, so I don't know what happened to her school. Cost was about 1300 bucks. Scoping jobs were not easy to find because a lot of court reports are free lance, and in order to keep their pay decent, they do their own proofreading, which is basically what scoping is. There is also a lot involved with court reporting, finding jobs, going to jobs, setting up, returning documents, etc. Not just going to court every day like you see on TV. Also some very expensive software involved for some of it (like 5000 dollars). You also have to learn how to use the steno machines very fast, but some states now do voice rec, but the reporter speaks into a mask thing as whatever is happening, then edits their own voice.

Captioning - coding student

[ In Reply To ..]
It's been a few years and things are always changing in the job market. I can tell you what I think I know, based on my experience. One thing I know to be true is that it takes work to break into court reporting/stenography/captioning/scoping. I believe that the skills that good MTs already have would be highly valued and transferable.

Personally, I wouldn't pay for a program to learn scoping. If someone already has a Bachelors degree or has completed a good MT program from one of the big three MT schools, I think it would be a waste of time.

Scoping jobs are not "easy" to find. Are any jobs easy to find these days, though? They are generally not advertised on places like indeed.com, but by word-of-mouth or industry boards. I have heard over and over again that it is impossible to find good scopists, so I know that there must be opportunities out there.

Busy freelance reporters count on scopists in order to have a quick turn-around time. Depositions, business meetings, or other assignments can run many hours. A good scopist can step in and clean up a transcript while a reporter is traveling back home, sleeping, etc. A reporter can usually charge interested parties for copies of the transcript. This part of job is what can make a reporter's income go into six figures. They are also responsible for keeping the record and liable for errors.

Someone asked about captioning. By captioning, I mean a stenography position which requires speed fast enough to keep up with a live broadcast. It's been a while, but I think I remember that the minimum was around 225 wpm? In my opinion, it is unlikely that this skill level can be outsourced. There is no time to research cultural references, slang, and other issues with live television.

This company recruits a lot of court reporters: http://www.vitac.com/careers/index.asp Many things are required to be captioned by law; in the US everything from sporting events to documentaries to legislative sessions is transcribed by someone. We even have churches in our area who have captioners working to make worship services available to the hearing impaired.

I don't know if voice mask reporters can work as captioners. I would be careful with stenomask reporting. Stenography is a safer bet, in my opinion.

I bought pre-owned equipment, but the latest and greatest can be leased. When I decided to go back into coding, I sold it easily.

That's all I know. I hate seeing so many good MTs struggling. Perhaps my comments will help someone. Hope so.

Not sure you are right- see link - stenographers still getting hired where I am

[ In Reply To ..]

Court reporting blog
Linda Bland's Blog.

There are some yahoo groups and forums out there for court reporters. I've heard good things about CCR- College of Court Reporting, in addition to Court Reporting at Home. Not so much about Court Reporting Institute, although this could have changed.

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