Medical CodingMini-Guide for NewbiesPerhaps you are like many potential students who saw an ad or job listing about becoming aremote Medical Coder CPC® (AAPC Certified Professional Coder) making a great salary bytaking a
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Medical CodingMini-Guide for NewbiesPerhaps you are like many potential students who saw an ad or job listing about becoming aremote Medical Coder CPC® (AAPC Certified Professional Coder) making a great salary bytaking a course, and now, you are wondering how you can achieve that goal?You have many questions and think who can help guide your coding journey because you reallydon't know where to start?Are these questions you have been thinking about?●Do I need an accredited college, or will a course be sufficient to learn medical coding?●Can I afford a course?●How long will a course take?●Do I have to attend an in-person school or can I do it all online?●Should I ask people online their opinions on schools?●What does a coder do?●Do I need to know medical terminology & anatomy?●Do I really need to get certified?●How do I get certified?●How can I get a job?●Can I get a remote job?If this describes you then you are someone who can benefit from this mini-guide on medicalcoding.Let's Start With An Introduction...Hi! My name is Lori Woods and I have been a certified medical coderCPC® (Certified Professional Coder) since 2014. I work at an onlinemedical coding school Certification Coaching Org (CCO). I work on theHelpdesk answering email tickets for future and current students looking toget enrolled or are enrolled in a medical coding/billing course at CCO. Ihelp admin the CCO Community where all our students take their coursesonline. Students have access to a private coach area and a public areawhere they can interact with other students. I post coding-related content for example word ofthe week, code this, tidbits, articles, fun, trivia, puzzles and free resources, etc. I answer manycoding, exam, and course-related questions for potential/current students, free forum, and CCOCommunity/Club members. I admin CCO social media Facebook (FB) page, (FB) groups, and5
LinkedIn (LI). Plus, I own a few personal FB groups on medical coding. Working at CCO has ledme to gain much insight to answer any questions a potential new coding student is likely to askand what a new student needs support with during their coding journey.Learn about the CCO staff:https://www.cco.us/about-us/Many newly credentialed coders are under the impression they can get certified and instantlyget hired working remotely for a higher-than-average wage. I won't sugarcoat things as thathelps no one. The reality is much different and when a new coder realizes this, they cansometimes become very discouraged and give up.The reality is many new coders do get a job coding or related to coding with little to noexperience, but these are entry-level and sometimes difficult to find as many employers wouldprefer a coder have experience already but it is not always possible, they will acquire thatperfect candidate and sometimes they will take a chance on a new coder or one with little to noexperience depending on their skill set and experience related to the field.Some say that the CRC® credential for Risk Adjustment/HCC coding or even perhaps theCPB® billing credential can be an easier credential to get to break into the medical coding fieldas a newly credentialed coder.It is not realistic to expect a high starting wage with a remote work-from-home position as anewly credentialed coder working a flexible schedule with little to no real on-the-job experience.Many potential coders are unfortunately persuaded to pursue this career choice by misleadingadvertisements that led them to believe you can also do childcare while working from home butmost all employers will require you to sign an agreement stating you will not provide care for anydependents while working upon being hired for employment. Medical coding takes focus andmuch attention to detail. Productivity requirements usually are mandated and need to be metdaily as well. These are just a couple of the main reasons I would recommend you considerhaving childcare during working hours even if your employer allows some relaxation of the usualrestrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, there are still HIPAA (privacy) laws toconsider while you are working remotely with patient records.It makes no difference what new career field you transition to you will still encounter the noexperience in that field hurdle. For example, just because a student passes the BAR exam tobecome a lawyer the reality still exists that they have no real experience as a lawyer and will stillneed to complete a resume and get interviews to get hired at a firm as a lawyer it is not justhanded to them because they passed an exam.You may find you have many skills that can transition into your new career field of interest andperhaps getting your resume done professionally can help highlight those skills when it comestime to look for employment.6
The reality is many newly credentialed coders start in a position that is only related to coding orin a physician's office or hospital as a foot in the door position they can use to be promotedwithin as people already hired in an organization have the first precedence for job openings thatbecome available. Plus, if you are already working in the organization, you could potentiallynetwork with coders and coding managers and perhaps get an opportunity to express to themyour interest and qualifications for a coding job should one become available as perhapsknowing you desire that job, they can help you get that interview with advice andrecommendations. If you have a bit lower of an expectation than what the national AAPC salarysurvey says, or what your first job title will be then you may have more success finding your firstjob and eventually your dream job working from home remotely earning a great salary/wage.What is Medical Coding?A coder's job entails using medical coding manuals todetermine specific and correct medical codes for maximumreimbursement to a provider of medical care to a patient.The main three manuals you will learn to use properly arethe CPT® (Current Procedural Terminology) and theICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases) andthe HCPCS Level ll (Healthcare Common ProceduralCoding System).CPT®is for procedure coding relating to what was done to a patient.ICD-10-CMis for diagnostic coding relating to why a procedure was done to a patient.HCPCSis used to code for supplies, products, and services not in the CPT®.What Do I Need To Learn To Become A Coder?Most coders will want to take and pass a coding certification exam that tells a potential employeryou are serious and sufficiently prepared to start your medical coding career.You should have a general knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy which will be veryhelpful in aiding you to accurately read and interpret a patient's medical record and correctlyextract the pertinent information to code for reimbursement to the provider.Extensive knowledge of the coding manuals is essential to pass the certification exams and tocode correctly for provider reimbursement as there are many guidelines/rules/instructions for7
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