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

Thinking of enrolling for BIlling/Coding but I have questions. - DoneMT

Posted: Jun 12, 2014

I am thinking of starting the billing/coding courses at my community college in August. It will take me less than a year since I have courses that will transfer from my MT certification. I hear that with ICD10 it is a good field to go into. What is the reality? When I became an MT last year I didn't ask these question to people who actually worked in the field and now I am sorely disappointed with my pay and I don't think I can stick it out an Nuance to get the 2 or more years experience to get another MT job at a better company.

I have experience doing billing and coding for a chiropractic office about 6 years back using ICD9 and was making $10 an hour. I did that job for 3 years and was good at it. I recovered thousdands of dollars in claims that were misfiled for the doctor whiel I was there. The doctor retired so I lost that job once the new doctor took over because she didn't want to keep me on and hired someone for minimum wage to do the job. She closed her clinic and I heard it was because she was losing money on misfiled claims.

Is this a lucrative job to go ahead an get credentialed for? I know the doctor I used to work with so I know she would vouch for my experience after I get out of school to help me get in to a job.

I would really like to hear from other coders currently working out there on what type of places are hiring and how hard it is to break in. thank you!

with your experience I'd - start looking for a job right now

[ In Reply To ..]
are you credentialed? That would help a lot. I don't think you need to rush into ICD-10 right now; see what coding jobs are open in your area and what credentials they require, and work toward that credential; you may be able to test without anymore training or with just a refresher course.

Did some looking in my area and most jobs require CPC... - DoneMT

[ In Reply To ..]
...but I found some samples from the CPC exam online so I am going to take a few quizzes before I sign up for anything. Maybe I don't need to take the courses at the college with the knowledge I already have.

Coding - Cathy

[ In Reply To ..]
I have seen a lot of coding jobs working from home as well, if that is something you are interested in. I know people have differing opinions on that.

It is a good field with or without ICD-10 - Suggestions

[ In Reply To ..]
It is a good field already, but ICD-10 is expected to make it better.

You were seriously underpaid by that doctor, but it gave you the experience you will need to get a job above entry-level more easily. Check the salary surveys at AAPC to be sure you do not underestimate your worth again.

You may be able to pass the CPC with a little review. Your local AAPC chapter offers that exam and may host a review session of one or two days prior to it. The CPC comes with one free retake within a year, so you can take it just to see if you will pass. If you don't, you will know what is on the exam that you need to review.

That should give you what you need to work in a doctor's office. A higher-paying job might require more training and a CCS, which will require some courses, but you can work on that later.

To find your local AAPC chapter, look on the AAPC website. Start attending their monthly meetings to network. A lot of the local jobs are announced and filled there.

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