Not-so-good news re: medical coding,

• Not-so-good news re: medical coding, - billing, etc.

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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.

Use the link below that I wrote a few months ago.  It is a very honest review of today's coding needs and environment.  Good luck!

http://forum.mtstars.com/company/v/1/13589.html

Needing a better job than the one I've got, I've been spending my late nights searching the far reaches of the internet.  It seems the only MT jobs that will actually support a person are in-hospital jobs, and the few that still exist are rare, and difficult to find.  They're definitely not listed on our Job Board, that's for sure.  When I do find them, they all seem to be part-time, or too far away, or involve heavy phones.   Answering phones and transcription are NOT compatible activities!

So I keep seeing LOTS of ads for Coders.  Obviously that would mean school.  Ick.  Being the hater of school that I am, I would want to be sure that's what I wanted to do, so I thought I'd see what all of you think of Coding as an alternative to MT work.

-  Have any of you worked in coding before, or are you currently in school to learn that profession? 

-  How hard would it be for a late-middle-aged MT to learn? 

-  Do you think coding is worth spending time in school to learn?  (i.e., Decent pay, not about to be offshored, etc.)

-  If you've done it or are learning, do you LIKE it?  Is it interesting?  Tedious?  Stressful?  Boring?  Rewarding in any way?

-  Are you learning it on-site, or at home?  How many hours per day are you devoting to your studies?  How long does it take to get credentialled?

Thanks in advance for any input you may have on this subject!

alliedschools.com

Has anyone tried either their medical billing or coding training courses??

Did you like it, would you recommend it?? I'm tired of working at a restaurant and would like to learn a career but I just want make sure that I am learning from a school that will actually lead me somewhere(specially that it cost 1600 dollars)

So please let me know what you think about them and if there is other schools that you will recomment over them!

Thanks

My husband is curious and wanting to get into Medical Billing/Coding and work from home like I do with transcription.  Does anyone know of a website, like this one, that offers so many jobs from home and information regarding coding and/or billing?  Thanks.  Also, if anyone has input on this please let us know.  Would love to find out which course is the best, etc....thanks!

My office assigns work to me, and in DocQScribe, they come up with a little "R" next to the job number for "routed".  Periodically, they are nasty and were obviously attempted and jettisoned by someone else.  More often, however, they are a bank of reports for a particular dictator, who I suspect has gone through the channels and whined and wants all their reports NOW.

The pros of this situation:

One dictator for 10 reports means I can fly through because they're probably saying the same things over and over.  Or at least I can get used to their style and plug away.

Sometimes the group I'm routed is awesome: seven podiatry surgeries or consults in a row.

I like to think that things are routed to me because my office knows I will sit still and type until every one of them is done.  I'd like to think they can count on my accurancy and efficiency.

I take it as a compliment.  Maybe it's intended that way for you too, even when it sucks rocks.  My partner gets nasty, nasty dictators routed to her sometimes because she's one of the few people who can do them and refrains from whining.  Building goodwill with your MTSO pays off in odd little ways in the long run.  And again, while it sucks for you, it might your strong work ethic and accuracy that leads your supervisor to believe you are the one for these jobs.  Take heart!

That IS a rainbow after a storm now! 

I am truly happy for you and KUDOS to that hospital system for yanking those jobs out of the grips of the greedmonger MTSOs in India. 

I would apply myself if I didn't have to drive to Michigan!!

I hope all goes well with you.  Congratulations. 

I needing to find a firewall and thought I'd ask you all for opinions - Any good ones?  Any to stay away from? 

When I am on my computer, I keep hearing clicking sounds as you hear when you click on something within a website.  Am I being paranoid?  I have heard stories where people's computers have been "overtaken".  My Norton Security expired this month and just a couple of weeks ago I downloaded a free antivirus program that was recommended by my home office.  Now I'm without a firewall and I think I made a mistake in doing that.

Good for you!! It is so nice to hear a positive post.

I do not suppose you would care to share your new company?

The response I got when asking about the credibility of MTAtHome.com wasn't very good.  So now I'm wondering, what are some good Medical Transcription schools that you can do online.  I'm looking for an online program.  Can anyone send me in the right direction?  I definately don't want to be jipped by a school that is not credible, which will then affect whether I get employment or not.  Thanks for your responses.

-Hunter DuRant

Is everyone just using spellex or stedmans or are there lower cost alternatives? 

How did you find them in the first place?  Just curious because I don't want a cheaper product to act cheap also.

Any ideas?

TIA 

Check the link below.  A really cool site to search for medical abbreviations.