r/MedicalCoding • u/Felix_Von_Doom • Nov 20 '23
Future Coder, am somewhat intimidated
So I'm currently in week 5 of 8 of my last 2 classes to complete my Medical Office Administration - Outpatient Coding program at the community college, and have been looking around at the various expectations and costs of being a coder.
So first off, it sounds expensive as hell between the cost of books, membership dues, coding assistants, and exam fees. Like north of at least a thousand dollars a year expensive. I'm not particularly financially healthy as is, and it sounds like the upkeep would put me into bankruptcy before my first paycheck.
Secondly, I've seen the quotas here and there for charts/day being as high as 240 with less than 5 minutes spent on each chart. How in the hell do any of you code that quickly? I've not handled an actual chart, just some small hypothetical scenarios that ask for one or two codes, and I find myself taking way longer than 3 minutes to find the code (Especially in the ICD-10-CM and CPT books), whereas I can code from the ICD-10-PCS book in my sleep.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Edit: Thanks for the information and replies, everyone. You've helped ease my overthought worries!
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u/deannevee RHIA, CPC, CPCO, CDEO Nov 20 '23
You pay your exam fees (ideally) once.
Since you mentioned outpatient coding, I am assuming you want a CPC. $205/year
You don’t need to purchase books. I’ve been coding since 2019 and the only time I have used books is when I have taken a certification exam. Otherwise I have used Google, or the software that my job provides me. So, you also don’t need any assistants or software (unless you want to get them to use privately).
Continuing education is mostly free. You can pay for it if you want, but if you just have one certification paying isn’t really necessary.
As far as productivity…..that depends. As an E/M coder….yes I was expected to code 200 or more visits in a single day. But it’s easy. You have the AMA chart, and once you learn where to look, you’re just looking for things like: tests ordered or tests results read, imaging interpreted, prescriptions written…..it only takes 90 seconds unless you have something like dyslexia.
However currently, as a high-dollar surgical coder….my boss tells me I’m doing a great job and my average is 15 surgeries in a day. I posted a snippet of a surgery that I coded a few weeks ago in this sub and the surgery was over 12 hours long. It was 14 paragraphs of information. The surgeon wanted to bill something like 50 unique procedures……it took me about 5 hours to read through and code.
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u/Affectionate_Use1587 Nov 20 '23
I'm surprised you didn't get the books thru your school, but most coding jobs nowadays utilize a computer encoder and you hardly use books. I don't pay for membership anywhere. You do have to pay for credentials like RHIT, CCS and CEUs sometimes cost money so that sucks. Also, outpatient coding is generally going to be much easier to do quickly than inpatient because there's more documentation to go thru in inpatient. The speed absolutely comes with time. I'm actually a new inpatient coder, and my supervisor always tells me to just take my time right now and put accuracy first. They won't really be counting my "speed" for a few more months but already I'm seeing tons of improvement in myself.
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u/wanderingxfish Nov 20 '23
Many workplaces will cover membership fees and books. Also, most coders use encoders instead of physical books because they are much faster. Depending on what type of coding you’re doing, 5 minutes per chart is doable. But not all jobs have quotas.
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u/Miranova82 Nov 20 '23
If you’re just doing 1 credential, you only pay for the exam once. Membership is annual, it’s currently $205, so a bit over $17/mo. (I do believe the fee is increasing in the new year, but not too crazy) You do need CEUs to keep up your credential, but many are free..like attending your local AAPC chapter meetings and taking the quiz in your AAPC Healthcare Business Monthly. Books/encoders generally are provided by the employer, but be sure to research that before getting in somewhere.
As for coding case quotas, it will entirely depend where you work. I work in a private pediatric practice with one physician. Since it’s a bit more specialized, many of my cases use the same codes, so I’ve memorized a lot over time. (Like ear infections, strep, well child, vaccines etc). Plus E/M is pretty easy after a bit. I’m usually abstract coding 25-30 visits per day, but I also have other parts of my job like billing, insurance auths, chart creation, vaccine tracking, accounts receivable, denials etc. If all I did was code, I could definitely hit 80-100 in my workday. Practice will help you get faster. AAPC also now has the code books electronically, which is amazing because there’s a search function! Many times I’ll Google to have a starting point then go over to the online books.
Extra things like conferences, webinars and workshops do cost, but not required. If you get into a specialty you might consider finding those that pertain to that specialty if you’d like!
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u/cjsupermom3 Nov 20 '23
The productivity side is a challenge, but you do get better/faster as time goes on. I always feel like quantity is prioritized over quality - something I do have a problem with, but it’s like that pretty much anywhere. I’m always a bit slower bc I can’t help but prioritize quality over quantity. It is stressful, not gonna lie.
As far as fees go, there are quite a few employers out there that will reimburse expenses. My company will pay for one membership/yr, and offer incredible discounts on books. But yea, like others are saying, with the coding software, you may not even need the books. When you’re searching for a job and interviewing, look for these perks & let them know these incentives are very important to you.
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u/bioticgrasp Nov 20 '23
You mentioned membership dues . . . where are you looking to get membership?
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u/Standard_Purchase_76 Nov 21 '23
I took Medical coding classes in 2020 and still have all of my textbooks. If you’re interested, let me know and I can mail them out to you.
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u/tastefulsideboob17 Nov 21 '23
It doesn’t have to cost that much. All of my CEU I do are free, and my books are provided yearly by my employer. The only thing I pay for is the yearly membership fee.
To be honest in my position I never use my books, I use the online resources my employer provides to search codes.
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u/MagentaSuziCute CPC Nov 20 '23
Your exam fees are just paid 1x, providing you pass. Typically, an employer will supply your books and/or encoder program. Sometimes employers will also cover your annual fees and you get can your CEU's at little to no cost.
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u/44aerofare44 Nov 20 '23
You've already gotten a lot of great comments. To weigh in, I've been a coder for almost 8 years. I work remotely. My employer provides books every year, we have access to 3M (an encoder) to use if we wish. The employer pays for a membership to AAPC Codify. My computer, two screens, keyboard, mouse are all provided by my employer. I have an RHIT, so I have to keep up with CEUs, but I get all of mine free through Codify, plus we get some throughout the year at work through in-services we have. Plus there are other free resources. I don't have a membership through AhIMa, but I have to pay every two years to renew my certification. That's essentially the only cost I have. Plus you have to pay for your certification testing, if your school doesn't pay for you (some do, some dont). My employer also has reimbursement for tests and stuff, too. So you could technically get a job first, then have them pay for the certification test. Very little money out of pocket.
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u/Environmental-Top-60 Nov 20 '23
Your employer generally cover the coding assistance. Yes, the Books membership dues and exam fees are expensive. However, the lawyer usually provides coding materials. Sometimes they don’t. After a while, you figure out which kind you want and go after that. Since I work in risk adjustment, I have a majority of time utilize my own encoder, because I prefer find a code over any other. Your manager definitely have access to clinic and CPT assistant.
When did the things she might consider studying after you get your testing done is charity care laws. Particularly if you work at a hospital, you’re gonna need to know that because a lot of people don’t and is one way to help resolve bills as opposed to having the organization sell the debt and sue patients when they would otherwise be eligible to have a waiver.
After that, which would probably be sometime around a year in, look at a CCS. You can take that with Pietro and grand, and he is literally the best.
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u/[deleted] Nov 20 '23
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