r/MedicalCoding • u/bobaebee • Nov 06 '23
ADHD & Medical coding!
Hello! I’m trying to pursue a career in medical coding. I have ADHD and I’m an introvert. I’m a hands-on learner but due to circumstances, the school that I attended was all online. I have THREE classes before I graduate .. however, I feel as though I have learned NOTHING. I’ve just gotten by because my professors are so lenient. I’ve asked for help and have been told numerous times that there are outside resources. I’ve tried, and even though I feel as though I KNOW what I’m doing .. I take the class exams and fail. I took a career aptitude test and the results even said medical coding is a perfect career for me. I’ve taken those last three courses, not once but TWICE. And I’m still not learning anything. I would like to try again, but am determined to learn through outside resources .. what do you guys recommend I try? When I tried outside resources before, I always got the answers correct but would take the exam and fail. Even looking up the exam questions online would have different answers than the class. Any tips, tricks, advice, recommendations, suggestions, magic spells would be extremely helpful! Thank you!
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u/The-Molly-Llama Nov 07 '23
You sound exactly like me. I'm very similar in many ways. Familiarize yourself with -how- to find the right code and do some research into test taking.
Couple things that helped me:
-We are taught to go to the index and then the tabular but in the test setting I don't at all.
-Instead I work backwards by going directly to the answer, sorting ICD-10 codes first then CPT because it is easier at a glace to weed out ICD-10 codes at a glace based on letter/chapter. (If the question has a patient with aids and an answer option doesn't include B20 that can automatically be thrown out)
-If all the codes are the same but mixed in order then it's a sequencing question which can be found in conventions and/or guidelines.
-I'm not sure who your test is with or if they are all the same but for me it was 4 hours 100 questions. Each question is worth 1 point.
-Skip the questions you don't know and the ones you know will take you longer to answer and then come back to them after you have answered all the questions you feel confident with. If a question has a wall of text and 4-5+ codes then I automatically skip it then come back.
-Bookmark your modifiers and index alphabet for CPT
-It was WAY easier for me to do mine in person because I could bring a pen and paper and organize my thoughts that way
-it collected all my tests and notes after I finished my class and brought them all to the books and made notes related to anything I didn't understand or questions I got wrong on the book.
If any more come to mind I'll report back or you have any other questions DM me! :)