Because coding isn't as cut and dried as transcription is. Coders have to research a patient'
Posted By: Tinks on 2006-12-06
In Reply to: Coding and VR - MTSOO
A doctor may say the patient has hypertension as a diagnosis, but the reality is there are a bunch of different codes for hypertension. There is no such thing in coding as plain old hypertension.
Same with certain procedures. There is a code for this procedure and a code for that procedure. BUT if you do this procedure WITH that procedure, then there is a whole nother code for that.
In order to have coding fully automated you would have to have software that could scan a patient's eletronic medical record record and then decide which diagnosis of hypertension best meets this patient's history and then assign the correct code. Plus with the enormous fines for medicare fraud and upcoding, no hospital is going to trust a computer to coding. Coders will probably end up editing codes same as we edit transcription from VR. Our jobs don't just disappear, they evolve.
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- Coding and VR - MTSOO
- Because coding isn't as cut and dried as transcription is. Coders have to research a patient' - Tinks
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Transcription to Coding
I am currently a Transcriptionist at a hospital and I am really interested in getting into the coding business. I was just wondering if there are any of you out there who have made this transition and if you have any tips or warnings for me. Any advice is appreciated.
Transcription vs.coding
Coding is definitely a plus when billing or transcribing. I would recommend that you take an Anatomy and Physiology class before moving onto the coding or transcription. Go to a good school, such as a community college. Do not get caught in the business college trap. Been there, done that. Coding and transcription training can lead to other things besides just being a coder or transcriber.
I should have specified, hospital inpatient coding and doc office coding are very different.
They follow different coding rules and an entirely different set of codes. I learned both while earning my B.S. in H.I.M., and both are challenging, though inpatient more so simply because there are more codes.
Honestly, you could get a job in a med rec dept without ANY certificate; some computer experience and your experience as an MT would get you in the door. It might just be doing chart assembly/completion, filing, etc., but there are certainly jobs in MR that don't require specific schooling. Then being in the dept you can really learn more about all the functions and pick the one you REALLY want to spend time, money, and effort on for additional schooling.
frank says aloha and wishes you were here but unfortunately funds for Hawaii vacation dried up.
Frank is now working on a vacation for lucky MT to home office in beautiful downtown New Jersey.
Just got back from buying the dried peas - if it's cold tomorrow, pea soup for us
I love pea soup.
Saute the innards with other veggies, wild rice, sun dried toms. then
s
coders turned MT? Any of you out sm
there that went from coding to MT? OR, MTs who went into coding? Love coding, hate coding? Not much talk amongst coders anywhere. I just wonder what it is like and if it is worth considering.
Coders or billers?
Anyone have any info on billing and coding that would help me choose a school or program, also if there is opportunity to work from home?
Seafood pasta and olive oil garlic sauce, red leaf salad, homemade bread with sun dried tomato
along with a big glass of white wine. MMMMMM
Amphion hires coders, too.
Don't know about the prospects of looking for a job. I don't know how much you make doing transcription of what you consider similar. I think coders probably start out in the mid-20s per year up to 40s with some experience. There are not as many billing jobs at home as there are remote coding opportunities. Hope that helps.
Administrator- the billers/coders
link is not working. Has it been discontinued or will it be up later?
Amphion already uses at-home coders(sm)
Andrews School is the best and will get you your first job.
New coders have the same problem as new MTs....no experience, no job. nm
s
How exactly are coders from home paid?
I always wondered how this worked. Thanks!
I've thought about coding. My DH does medical coding and I think with an MT's medical termino
background and anatomy and physiology knowledge, a transition into coding wouldn't be hard at all. From what I can tell by looking through my husband's books, an MT would have to learn insurance regulations and legalities. We've basically got all the medical background down or we should be if we're worth our salt as an MT.
I even contacted AHIMA and found that the qualifications for taking the CCS or CCP coding exams are completion of the a coding program, RHIT program, or RHIA or related work experience. Transcription is part of HIM, albeit the red-headed stepchild of the HIM department, but a part nonetheless and so satisfies the qualification of having work experience.
The test is tough though. My husband didn't pass it his first time out and I think I read something like only 20% or so pass it the first time. So it would probably be best to take some sort of formal coding class, in my opinion.
plenty of coders work from home....nm
Maybe you would have better luck posting this on the coders board.
.
Please see the Billers & Coders board on the left.
There are many who may be able to help you there!
Moderator
Putting patient versus The patient (sm)
When did this "rule" come about? I've been an MT/Editor/medeical records tech/ART for 30 years - Never, ever was I told to put that. You cannot make the sentence be "The patient sent to Radiology" but you can put "Patient sent to Radiology."
Thats just insane.
Anyone know if coding would pay as well as MT? Is coding being outsourced too?
xx
Advance for Health Information Professionals. Mostly geared toward coders now. nm
s
I don't need to research what I said SM
and you are right that many people cannot afford the insurance, but guess what--I couldn't afford insurance on what I make as an MT even if my company offered it. WM is not perfect. I worked for them for many years, and my husband is still mgmt for them. We both have seen things that we did not agree with, but I don't necessarily agree with everything I see in MT either or any other company for that matter. I can go in Target and find things that aren't right. I can go in any of the grocery stores and see things that aren't right. WM gets a lot of bad press because of its size, some of it deserved, some not, but you can't believe everything you hear from your WM newsgroup.
Did YOU do any research on this???
x
IMO, it is not for asking others to do research
MTs who dont do their own research, just want QA to do that for them.
I did my research
I understand some people would try to get the answers and have "someone else do the work" as someone put it... but I have read through my books and been on so many website it was quite rediculous. I actually used this site as a last resort and have been doing research for 2 days before I made a post on another site last night and then here today.
research
It's one of my favorite parts of this job. I never worked in-house (except for 1 week in the office of my first MTSO, which was a very small company). Did not go to MT school either so do not how they teach there (is there an emphasis on researching terms?). . Started with a better-than-average knowledge of medical terminology/anatomy and physiology and strong interest in medicine. Bought books and did lots of looking up and learned on the job (with QA at first). Without an interest in medicine this would be a very boring job. I now primarily use the Internet for research because I know how to distinguish the good references from the bad, but there are still times I would rather consult a book. I would like to have an opththalmology book; that is one I have never had. - 15 year MT
I did look at your piece of research
and I am not seeing it. I don't think that all MTs will be out of work. There will be demand for editors, etc. I will stay in the field until I am told they don't need me anymore.
Research results
I checked on finasteride, and unfortunately it does not have great results for male acne. And it occasionally causes gynecomastia. BUT, here is a link to a cystic acne heater device:
http://www.myzeno.com/index2.htm?sckw=acne&scsrc=google&scgeo=national&sccrtv=nzad-zc90oai24h-bzoagns
You should research other websites because sm
Most of the information in the article doesn't coincide with any of the Biblical principles followed by the Christian churches in America today. Throughout the entire Bible, old and NT, we are taught to refrain from witchcraft, mediums, those who speak to the dead, or any kind of honoring of the dead. Christians are only to pay homage to God through Jesus Christ.
Actually I did some research about a year ago
and found out that in my state a surgical technician makes less than I do. Now THAT is messed up, in my opinion! Go figure.
I don't know, I can see that when first starting out a person doesn't have the knowledge and experience that they will gain by working on the job. At the very beginning a new MT is going to be less productive due to needing to build Expander list, look up terms that they do not understand, etc. So it makes sense to me that they get paid a bit lower at the beginning.
Now where I work they recently raised the minimum starting wage, so there are people coming in with about half my experience making almost as much if not as much as I do- that is kinda discouraging. I have complained and am waiting for their "response."
Poster IS doing research - here!
How better to research this subject than to personally ask a whole bunch of medical transcriptionists who actually do/have done this? Let's applaud the efforts of the poster rather than bash them!!
Thanks for your help. I'll research it more. Thx again. NM
x
OP could do like the rest of us----- research,
x
To help us we use education, research and
x
I do all of my internet research
on a separate computer, a laptop that sits right next to the work computer. I have a home wireless network for the internet. The company's firewall does not affect my laptop.
Research and purchase best available. NM
x
Thanks Jamie for doing the research sm
maybe they will throw EMT jack off the board. Whoever EMT jack is makes me sick to my stomach. I knew he didn't know anything about MT.
newbies don't want to research?
It almost sounds like it is crime to be a "newbie" reading some of the posts here. If you invest your money in a really good MT school you learn how to research, you have the basic knowledge, and you also have a good library of reference books. There is nothing wrong asking for help on the word board unless you are a student.
Agree, verbatim transcription equals poor quality transcription.
x
It sounds like you've done your research, and your
grammar, English, and spelling skills are better than most MT wannabes. LOL You could do your schooling, then work parttime for a while. That's what I did for the first several years. I worked two hours before the kids got up, another two hours during naptime, then finish up after DH or my older kid got home to watch the little one for an hour. It was slow going for a while there until my typing speed got faster and my terminology increased, but it beat paying daycare.
My information is from recent research >>>
for an MT's job search directory, and so far less than 1% of facilities, including hospitals, clinics, major healthcare providers and individual practices, have an awareness of AAMT/CMT. With the current "unrest" even among members, as well as the move toward an AMA-sponsored MT association, I still believe CMT is not of much value - unless things change dramatically and soon.
more on Claudia Tessier...research and see for yourself...
Press Release
MoHCA Appoints Tessier as Executive Director
Mobile Healthcare Alliance Chair Ann Geyer Announces Appointment of Claudia Tessier, CAE, as MoHCA's Executive Director
WASHINGTON DC, September 1, 2001
Mobile Healthcare Alliance (MoHCA) is a not-for-profit organization formed to help healthcare vendors and providers influence the adoption of standard practices in mobile data management to ensure professional practices and patient trust. It announces now the selection of Claudia Tessier, CAE, as its Executive Director.
Tessier will direct MoHCA activities throughout the United States and internationally from its Washington DC office. She brings to MoHCA 18 years of association executive experience and leadership in healthcare informatics. She currently serves as chair of ASTM's standards committee E31 for healthcare informatics and is a member of numerous standards organizations including ANSI Health Informatics Standards Board and ISO TC 215 on Health Informatics.
"Mobile health care will facilitate a revolution in health care, and I am excited to head this organization, which will help providers and vendors address the issues of security standards, interoperability, and information management," said Tessier.
"Tessier's experience in data capture and health informatics standards provides an exciting background for MoHCA to become the leading organization to address privacy, interoperability, and user issues in mobile data management," noted Ann Geyer, Chair of the MOCHA Board of Directors.
Palm, Inc. is one of the founding members of MoHCA. "Many mobile healthcare applications are very promising, but user acceptance and confidentiality must first be resolved," said Dan Glessner, Director of Enterprise Marketing at Palm. "We are pleased that MoHCA has attracted an executive director of Tessier's caliber. She has the necessary experience and expertise to assist the board in developing MoHCA as the leader in resolving the issues that will enable widespread adoption of mobile healthcare applications."
"The healthcare industry presents a huge potential market for mobile technology products, but there are real issues related to data integration standards as well as data privacy and security. MoHCA is an excellent forum for really understanding the requirements and developing workable standards and best practices. With Tessier to lead and help grow the organization, MoHCA's ability to influence positive action is greatly enhanced," noted Paul Steinichen, Vice President of Enterprise Technology Solutions at First Consulting Group.
MoHCA Members
The diverse membership of MoHCA is unified by a shared interest of ensuring that mobile applications are incorporated into healthcare processes with appropriate regard for the privacy, confidentiality, and security of health information.
MoHCA Members include wireless carriers, application developers, device manufacturers, system integrators, technology consultants, practitioners, healthcare professional societies, and healthcare organizations.
# # #
For further information:
Ann Geyer
Chair, MoHCA Board of Directors
209-754-9130
ageyer@tunitas.com
Claudia Tessier, CAE
Executive Director, MoHCA
202-452-0889
ctessier@mohca.org
Website: www.mohca.org
Very interesting. Thanks. Gonna research
to see if there are any natural/alternatives remedies to help battle them, as I suffer from chronic RSI problems, as well as malaise.
Think you need to do more research than the negative answers you are getting.
They have at least 2 platforms, Dictaphone and Merit. Not sure about all this offshoring stuff, but there is more than enough work. The Dictaphone platform is much better than Merit. I am able to use my text Expander or it has a built-in one. You need to do some searching on the company board on the archives, as there are happy MTs working for Medware.
I refuse to do it. I have research papers, etc.
get in the habit of doing INCORRECT things just to please AAMT. If it means I can't be an MT after 25 years of MTing, then so be it. But I learned English many years ago and every other facet of my life still requires PROPER English/punctuation and I'm not going to learn a bastardized version for AAMT. AAMT can kiss my hiney!
Sorry about your experience. Research at dslreports.com. nm
xxx
No doubt!! MTs should be good at research.
Why would anyone just ASSume that someone is lying? Sad.
You need to do a little more in-depth research on AAMT... s/m
They are also really big on VR. Were damantly "against" it a few years back, all of a sudden did a 360 and now some of its biggest national company fans, who currently own MT companies, are getting into the VR business. Hmmm..... does one smell a rat? Or at the very least a conflict of interest? And no, I'm not one of the "cloistered" - I work onsite and am out there lookin', listnen' and learnin'. And while out and about doing a little info-gathering on AAMT, discovered that it has done far more HARM to the profession than good.
Coool. I'll do some research on this! ~Thank you~
dd
research archives here on board...nm
.
Opinion -- Do your own durn research!
My MTSO recently added new transcribers to a growing account that I've been working on for the past three years. Yes, it is a very difficult account. I was more than happy for the first month or so with constant IMs, phone calls at home and on my cell phone to "listen to this", emails with c&pd parts of the report asking for help filling in the blanks, did I know this doc name, etc.
Okay, it's been a month. I'm still getting questions constantly about things that I had to figure out for myself when I started the account! I had nobody to help me, as it was a new account and I had never done this specialty before, so I know it's possible to just do your research. I'm now getting moronic questions.
Do you know this doctor's first name? (Uhhhh, it's in the phone book, the Blue Book, in Google...) Am I spelling this procedure right? (Hello! Stedman's Word Book, about a million online references, a dictionary, a decent spell checker...) Does this look right to you? (then one of them IMs me a sentence that no, does not look right, but a little research would tell you that you've got the wrong word in there if they're talking about pain in the hip and you're using the name for a part of the small intestine!) Come ON! If you don't know the difference between the ilium and the ileum, what are you doing in transcription?
The point is that I don't have time for this, when time is money and I only get paid by the line. I've spent an average of an hour a day for over a month holding these girls' hands. It's getting ridiculous, especially when I'm being asked questions that they could solve themselves with some RESEARCH. I don't feel like I can "tattle" to my MTSO, because I don't trust him that much anyway -- He is as subtle as a freight train and would just make things difficult. I may need these people to fill in for me now and then.
I've handled it by logging out of IM when I need to just get busy and work, not answering the phone when I need to work, etc. I am considering sending out an email asking these people to stop calling and IMing me, because I need to keep my work "rhythm", but to rather email me the question and I will get back to them before the end of the business day if it's something I know they probably cannot find on their own with research.
Something like that. Does anyone have any ideas for how to word this if that does not sound right?
Livvie in Cali
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