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

where to start - mar0622

Posted: Aug 23, 2011

I would like to how you became coders? I saw someone went to Andrews, is that where most of you went? I was a coder at a local hospital about 12 years ago. I was taught on the job, no schooling at all. I know things are changing and have changed significantly since I coded, and the way it sounds ICD-9 is going to ICD-10. What suggestions would you give someone like me? I also did transcription and have been doing that for the last 25 or so years, but I do not like the way things are going with that. Thanks so much for any suggestions!

wow - mar0622

[ In Reply To ..]
Well there have been 85 people who have viewed this and no one wants to give any suggestions. That's okay, but I'm sure now someone will say something. Have a nice day!

Probably 85 people who are thinking about coding but don't know the answers viewed your message - My thoughts

[ In Reply To ..]
Not everyone who views messages here knows anything about coding. The coders probably check in every few days or so and they will probably answer your questions when they do.

Did you think it was a personal insult?

coding - mar0622

[ In Reply To ..]
Oh no I didn't take it as a personal insult, just thought it would get answered sooner. Like I said it's okay. I was just looking for some direction.

I have a couple of ideas to suggest then - My Thoughts

[ In Reply To ..]
My first and best suggestion is to pick a couple of the best schools and call them to talk with them. Don't just stop at the first one that pressures you to "Enroll Today!" and keeps calling you and sending e-mail to you. Stay in charge of the situation. After you talk with the schools, you'll know which ones really know a thing or two about coding and which ones just have a hungry salesperson on commission that won't get paid unless they sign you up.

Your goal needs to be to find out the qualifications of the instructors you will be learning from and the quality of the materials you will be using during training. You need to know whether graduates of those schools usually are able to pass not only the CPC exam but also the CCS exam or any certification exam at all, and can they prove it. That's how I would advise you to get started. Good luck with your research! By the way, don't let anyone pressure you! If they keep calling you, just tell them to stop and mark that one off the list. That's a sure sign that their interest is solely in getting your money rather than providing you with an education. You'll know the difference after you've talked with a few schools.

coding - mar0622

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you so much for the advice, I sincerely appreciate it!

How - do

[ In Reply To ..]
You become a coder? Read this board and all the messages on it. Lots of info here. Dig in, do some research.

Okay - mar0622

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Guess I shouldn't have asked. Will do as you say. Have a nice day.

Yes, you should - ask

[ In Reply To ..]
I wasn't being snorty, there is really good info on here with many people asking questions and many good answers. Lots of conversations that are about what you are looking for. I think you are used to a different kind of board. Do not worry, everyone here is very helpful and you can ask whatever you like. Answers will be coming, but people aren't on here every single day, so keep checking.

Suggestions - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
If you coded in the past, you might be able to refresh on your own, take the certification exam(s), and find a job. A lot of that would depend on how well or poorly you were trained 12 years ago and on what type of coding you learned back then. A lot of OJT coders from that time went by the wayside as coding developed into the more complicated, professional occupation that it has become, and the field expanded hugely for outpatient coders.

ICD-10 will be replacing ICD-9 in October of 2013. You should begin with ICD-9 now, then learn to use ICD-10 as it gets closer to that date.

During your review of coding, if you discover that you are floundering, you'll need to take a course.

If you read the posts in this forum, you will find a lot of advice, explanation, and recommendations. A lot of it is very good and it is still current. Your question is one that has been asked over and over again in various forms. We did our part by answering those questions and we hope you do your part by making use of what we already gave you.

I'm not sure why you seem so hostile. In this forum, it is not unusual for a question to have to go three or four days before someone comes along who can answer it. There are only one or two people who would be prepared to answer a question like yours. I saw it early on, but wasn't able to respond at the time. This is my first opportunity to do so.

I'm not trying to be critical with this final suggestion, but something I observed in your posts may help you decide among programs. It may be that you were not your usual self, but if the attitude that shows in your posts -- initial impatience, upset comments that no one responded, and additional negativity after someone pointed out the resources already on this board -- is your usual, you might find that you would be most comfortable with a fully self-paced, self-directed online program with no instructor interaction. Again, this isn't criticism, but just a suggestion that you might find that kind of program more to your needs.

Not the OP but I so disagree about courses with no instructor interaction - I would not do it that way

[ In Reply To ..]
Never in a million years would I advise someone to take a course taught by a computer. Even the best computers in the world are flawed. There are mistakes, information that never gets updated, explanations that are never made or understood, and questions that never get answered.

Nothing is more important than having great instructors and the best of materials.

I also don't think the OP's attitude was the problem. S(he) just isn't familiar with this slow-moving coding board and thought people were ignoring her on purpose. New forums like this can be confusing. I might have thought the same thing back when I first came here.

The responsibility of a person who is considering school options is to check out all of them. A good place to start is a forum like this, but that isn't the place to stop. Like others have recommended, CALL the schools. Find out the personality of the place. Are they high-pressure sales or do they know the difference between ICD-9-CM and CPT and can they discuss it, or do they just want you to sign up now, today, before it's too late, and please don't ask them any more questions because they really don't know the answers. That's the value in calling the schools. It will help you avoid mistakes that will cost you money, time, and effort. What do I really think? Get on the phone and call the schools. That is how you will get your answers!

coding - mar0622

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you so much for understanding and for the great advice..I sincerely appreciate it.

I wouldn't recommend it, either, but . . . - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I wouldn't recommend an instructorless program, either, but if the OP is impatient or perceives assistance as a personal attack, she isn't going to adjust well to dealing with instructors.

If you look at the original posts, a perceived delay produced negativity that overflowed into a rejection of the first assistance that was provided and continued into another. The only calm and accepting responses occurred after this was pointed out and only in response to posts that excused the behavior while providing a lot of attention and "oh, it's not your fault" stroking.

Not saying there is anything bad in that or not, but to me it seems to be an indication that everything might be easier for her if she doesn't have to deal with people who will be directive and who will probably contradict her opinions. This is particularly true if she has worked in coding before. What happens when an instructor points out that what she thinks she needs to do based on her previous experience isn't correct?

I'm thinking of the instructors, too. I can't imagine that they would want to be on the receiving end of impatience, snarky comments, and rage.

That's why most people aren't instructors--because they have people skills - most of us do not have

[ In Reply To ..]
I would not want to be a teacher. I don't have the patience.

There are few teachers these days who care enough to work with difficult people - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
That takes more than intelligence. It takes empathy and leadership skills. How many teachers have those skills these days? Very few.

nm - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
disregard.

coding - my 2 cents

[ In Reply To ..]
You yourself apparently have mental problems if you let something like this get to you. I'm sure no one likes to put up with the likes of you in the difficult field of coding. Get some professional help as it is apparent you have "hurt feelings" yourself. Talk about rage!

Your reaction - is

[ In Reply To ..]
quite out of proportion to what was said by the OP. Wow. I sincerely hope that you are not an instructor. Imagine asking a simple question and having it perceived as rage, snarkiness, or impatience.

??? - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Uh, I don't think he was talking about the question. It was the replies.

This one was posted without even waiting 24 hours for a response:

"Well there have been 85 people who have viewed this and no one wants to give any suggestions. That's okay, but I'm sure now someone will say something. Have a nice day!"

This was in response to a suggestion to read the posts on the board for information:

"Guess I shouldn't have asked. Will do as you say. Have a nice day."

Impatience. Anger. Sarcasm. Snarkiness.

He didn't mention the blanket thinking. "No one wants to give any suggestions." NO ONE? Maybe some people did but they didn't know what to suggest. That was my reason.

coding - snarky

[ In Reply To ..]
I believe it is you "sm" who have the "impatience, anger, sarcasm, and snarkiness," not to mention rage yourself with someone who apparently was really needing/wanting some answers quickly. To assume someone is "difficult" after reading a couple of posts is absurd on your part. It appears you carry a degree in psychology beside coding, which obviously you do not.

choosing a school for coding - Medtranusa

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm in my last 2 classes for CAHIIM program for HIM-AS degree/coding. I still don't know what I'm doing with coding because you have to do it all on your own and I'm a hands on learner. I do have the advantage of knowing my medical terminology, anatomy, medical records but coding, I not confident in at all. So make sure it's a good program that teaches you to be able to pass certification and you have interaction with instructors. My last advanced class was the worst. We were given charts to code and at the end of week we were given the answers. No questions answered, no explanation, nothing. Before that the other classes never even went up to that point by doing the advanced exercises in the textbooks we had. I'm not all that sure what I'm going to do now.

You're not the first to go through a course that doesn't really teach - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm convinced that many of these schools either can't find instructors or don't respect the students enough to provide them with adequate instructors and books/materials. I don't know the school you are attending, but it seems like more and more of them just toss the coding out there and hope the students catch some of it. They don't seem to realize or care that all that time and effort the student puts in studying is pretty much worthless unless it provides the level of instruction required for certification. Without credentials, a coding graduate is going to have a rough time getting started. Some of these schools either don't care of haven't bothered to think about it from the student's perspective.

The instructor is hugely important. So are the books and materials used. The focus of the course has to be toward passing certification exam. Why is that so hard for some of those schools to understand that? Lots of time and money being lost by students who thought they were choosing wisely and find out later that administration of the school makes bad decisions. I have a theory on that too. I think administration of most degree courses only care about the nursing program. That's where they get most of their money. Anything and everything else is just a nuisance to them.

I can certainly tell you what NOT to do! - From My Experience

[ In Reply To ..]
I enrolled in a program with a college. They never knew or cared if I did anything or learned anything. They never knew I existed. I learned nothing. Forget getting answers to questions. They never noticed when I left because they never noticed I was there in the first place.

Another place to look - MTLC

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been researching coding for quite a while, not just from standpoint of schools but also trying to figure out if I would like it.

I have found the AAPC web site extremely helpful, especially the forums. You cant post if you are not a member, but you can read everything. Good stuff in there from very experienced people. I read the general discussion employment section.

Not bad advice, but I have a different slant on it - About Coding

[ In Reply To ..]
I think it's great advice to visit the AAPC web site, but from there, you only get one small part of coding. That was my very least favorite part of coding. I much prefer ICD-9-CM. If I had been looking around and only found the CPC site, I would have gone away thinking I didn't want to be a coder after all.

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