Medical Billing/Coding?
I would like to take the course. Please let me know.
Answers:
Hi, you could try Santa Barbara City College. They have a medical coding certificate program completely online, and if you continue on, you can get an associates degree in Health information technology. I did the medical coding certificate program online. It was okay, and it is accredited program by the AHIMA (American health information management association). You should check their website for more accredited medical coding programs.
Not to discourage you but just to give my two cents that medical coding is a difficult profession. I did it for a year then stopped. I just didn't have the smarts for this. One really has to know so much about disease and surgeries, surgical techniques, etc. For example, having to read coronary bypass surgeries and count how many arteries were bypassed, were autogenous saphenous veins used or mammary artery or thoracic artery, was extracorporeal circulation used (heart lung machine)? Was there prolonged mechanical ventilation after the procedure? Not to mention after training you are expected to meet daily production standards.
This is not what they start beginners out on but i'm just trying to point out how envoled it can be, and this is just one area of coding. It is hard to find a job where you're only coding ONE specialty. Like only coding physical therapy, only urology or only radiology, etc. Most jobs are with hospitals or companies that do outsourced coding and you are expected to be able to do a little of everything, not just one specialty.
Another thing was that it was very hard to get a job for me, it took about a year. No one wanted to hire a coder without experience (even though I did an enternship). I had to pass the CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) exam to even get interviews.
The need for coders is there, I see job postings all the time, but only for experienced coders. Maybe they will give less experienced coders a chance if it continues.
If you enjoy learning about everything that is medical, surgical, etc. then go for it. But I think the schools are a little misleading about how in demand coders are (which they are, but only for experienced coders), and that this is a tough field to master. Good luck to you if you choose this field.
Medical Billing/Coding is a pretty detailed study.
You aren't going to find anything really good off of a free or cheap website. I would avoid that.
Your best bet is to see what your local community college or other institution offers in that. Often, though, you can get hired someplace and they will teach you on the condition that you get your certifications within a certain amount of time. Especially if you have any medical work before.
You could go to your local hospital's medical records and ask if they have any of last year's coding guides that you could have (the standards and codes are updated yearly). Then study from those.
Do not go to waste a lot of money on medical billing and coding degrees before to know if you could have a job out there with your degree and how much you could earn.. do your research. My advise will be to contact the medical association of billers and ask. I know they certify medical billers. For coding, American Academy of Professional Coders or American Health Information Management Association are the best place to ask. Also, visit the medical billing coding magazine BC Advantage and ask your question in their forum..I myself already took a great medical billing course online( medicalbillingcourse.com) but it's most likely a comprehensive program for those interested in a career in Medical Billing Business Ownership. Hope this will help.
Wivine
www.wivinemedclaimsbilling.com
I also agree you won't find a quality education for cheap. You do have the option of an associates or diploma which would make a difference in cost. Also be sure you check the accreditation of the institution before you sign up. Accreditation can be tricky. Regional accreditation is actually better then being nationally accredited which is counter intuitive.
I found this site which has a few medical billing and coding degree options http://www.herzingonline.edu/programs/...
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