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ed2go - Candy
Posted: Oct 30, 2012
Has anyone taken the medical billing or coding program through ed2go? It's between that and Andrews for me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Surprised you would ask! No question about it! - MT2Coder
[ In Reply To ..]Compared to Andrews that's a bargain! I am surprised no one has mentioned that one before.
It is just $149 for 12 two-hour lessons over 6 weeks, When you finish, you get a certificate in Introduction to Coding. It appears to be produced by PennFoster and Cengage, and the whole series is marketed to schools as what is known as a turnkey system, meaning that it is recorded and ready to go for online distribution-the school probably does not need to do anything. You might not even need books.
Compared to Andrews at $3800 and a year or more of work, I think the choice is clear.
There is also one in Intro to Administrative Medical Assisting and a huge list of others. I think I will take the computer programming and get a job as a database administrator. All of them are $149, so you can really see how much students can benefit from technology.
It's actually longer than that - Candy
[ In Reply To ..]Thanks, MT2! Actually when you dig deeper into the program choices, you choose which college you'd like to receive your certificate from (there are many schools that participate), and the program offered through the school of my choice is longer, but it is still cheaper. Here is the link: http://www.gatlineducation.com/nmc/health.htm. I know that Andrews is very good, and I just don't want to make the wrong choice.
Perhaps you could explain the features for us - Convince me!
[ In Reply To ..]The first step in making a choice is analysis of the options. That is something you have to do for yourself. Why don't you tell us about the program? That will help you decide.
Well, if cheaper is your goal, you seem to be looking - In the wrong direction
[ In Reply To ..]Are you related to Cindie below? She seems to have found the same course. And you are both pretty much sold on cheaper being better.
I see that the $149 course is just a sort of overview. I guess it is so you can see if you like it and sign up for more.
After that, there is a 3-course sequence. First you take Administrative Medical Assisting with Billing and Coding, which is 300 hours over 6 months for $1995. Next, you take Advanced Coding for the Physicians Office, which is 80 hours for $1395. Next you would have to take Advanced Hospital Coding, which is also 80 hours, but costs $1695. Unless, of course your local college is more. (It only gave me one online career institute I never heard of.)
149 + 1995 + 1395 + 1695 = 5234
How exactly is that cheaper? Don't say it is when you leave part of it off, because then you are not comparing it fairly.
I don't understand how it can take less time, either. The above course takes 3 + 6 + 6 + 6 months to twice that, or 21 to 39 months.
Not sure you can speed things up with that because it appears that they only release lessons on a timed schedule. So, how is that less than 12 to 24?
Might be great, but it isn't cheaper or faster.
You are welcome to point out where I missed the boat. I must have because those figures are unbelievable.
You won't be employable - Skeptical one
[ In Reply To ..]With a certificate in Introduction to Coding. The choice is not clear and you sound like an advertisement for a cut rate school.
It's not the cheap course that I'm looking at on ed2go - Candy
[ In Reply To ..]ed2go offers basic introductory courses which are the cheaper ones. The one I'm looking at is $1,595. It's through ed2go, but I would enroll through my local college, and the certificate would come from them. ed2go is affiliated with many colleges, and I think the cost of the course may be different for each college. Attached is the link which explains how it works. I just want to get the best coding education. That is why Andrews was top for me until I found this. I can use my husband's GI bill to pay for the one from ed2go, but I'm a little leary because I don't hear many talk about it. http://www.gatlineducation.com/index.html
Candy - Coder
[ In Reply To ..]I notice that you are not giving the name of the course itself . . . you keep talking in general terms, but spell out how colleges offer this, and the links you keep asking us to see are the main ed2go page. And that is AFTER someone explained about the cost and content . . . you are still saying the same things. No doubt you are sincere, but the only time we see that type of posting, particularly right after another person osted something similar, is when a school is pretending to ask about a school in order to advertise it.
That program offers 3 courses in a sequence for coding. You might not have realized that you have to take all 3 in order to equal a college coding program or Andrews. You might not have noticed that the first does not lead to a recognized coding credential. You have to take that and the second to learn enough for the CPC or CCS-P. You have to take the third for the CCS. The first two alone nearly equal Andrews' tuition, but you get only 2/3 of what Andrews covers. Include the third and the cost is far more. It also seems to take longer.
I can't give you anything more specific because you won't tell us the name of the course you want to take!
If you are legitimately interested in that course, rather than shilling for it, please tell us the name of the course and the college. If taking it from a college impresses you, you need to be careful not to take it from a place that employers will not respect, like a diploma mill or "career college."
Employers respect certification from AHIMA and the AAPC--no others.
You also need to be careful about AHiMA certification now, too, because in January they will begin requiring a list of subjects in addition to coding. If the course you take does not include them, you will not be allowed to test. I did not see them in those course outlines.
I am going with Andrews - Candy
[ In Reply To ..]I have decided to go with Andrews. From what I'm seeing here on this board, it seems to be the best choice.
Sorry for all the confusion about the information on the ed2go medical billing and coding program that is offered through many colleges! With not seeing any feedback from someone who has taken that course, I'm a bit skeptical. It's obviously not a well-known program.
Thanks for your help!
Ed2go - Not skeptical
[ In Reply To ..]Candy, if you take a look at the instructors through this program, they have good credentials and experience. It's not uncommon for someone to want the option where you can get financial aid and that unfortunately isn't true with the smaller proprietary schools. Ed2go is just a way for schools to put together online education, and sometimes those smaller schools lack the technology to really have a true online course. I'd say check it out and ask questions of the program, then make your decision.
Ed2Go - Pete
[ In Reply To ..]It makes a huge difference on what they offer you as part of the program. Some schools will include other services with their packages.
One college in California offers Ed2Go classes but includes other things like job placement services for graduates.
Good luck with whatever direction you go.
Library offers ed2go for free - vbasic
[ In Reply To ..]Our local library system in Cleveland offers free passcodes to ed2go classes. I didn't realize they were that expensive if we had to pay from them ourselves. They were OK and I learned a lot. But, I don't know how much the certificates are valued by employers or schools since the quizzes and final exam are all open book and you can review all notes and websites while taking the exams. See if your local library offers them.