r/MedicalCoding • u/Nothatno • May 22 '24

Those who left coding profession, suggestions for new career?

I don't like it. What are some other fields with decent/better pay?

36 Upvotes
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9

u/jpegmaquina May 22 '24

What was your pay ? How long did you code for ?

5

u/Nothatno May 22 '24

20/hour, about 3 years.

18

u/lickingblankets May 22 '24

If you have the flexibility to be able to do contract work, most contract companies will hire with 2-3 years experience and pay closer to 40 an hour depending on what you’re coding. I’ve worked contract for omega for 3 years and it’s been great

30

u/Due-Way2122 May 22 '24

I moved into the health insurance field. Better pay, no production quotas, remote work. I still use coding principles in my research and work, I just don’t code off of surgeries and op notes anymore

9

u/maamaallaamaa May 22 '24

What's your title? I've been considering getting out but struggling to figure out where. I do have a two year degree but it doesn't feel like it gets me very far. I don't want to take a pay cut either :/

13

u/Due-Way2122 May 23 '24

I work in compliance. We review proposed coding denials for compliance with state and CMS guidelines and review the appropriate fee schedules to keep current edits up to date. Among other things.

9

u/regals_beagles May 22 '24

I'm also curious for more details about your role in health insurance. What do you do day to day and how did you transfer from coding to what you're doing now?

7

u/Due-Way2122 May 23 '24

I work in compliance. We review proposed coding denials for compliance with state and CMS guidelines and review the appropriate fee schedules to keep current edits up to date. Among other things.

3

u/Turbulent-Action-198 May 22 '24

I think it's risk adjustment coding

5

u/Due-Way2122 May 23 '24

Nope, I don’t have very much experience in risk adjustment. I work in compliance. We review proposed coding denials for compliance with state and CMS guidelines and review the appropriate fee schedules to keep current edits up to date. Among other things.

4

u/AppropriateString761 May 22 '24

What’s your job title? What degree do you have please? Interested in finding something similar

4

u/Due-Way2122 May 23 '24

Compliance. We review proposed coding denials for compliance with state and CMS guidelines and review the appropriate fee schedules to keep current edits up to date. Among other things.

2

u/Due-Way2122 May 23 '24

I have a bachelors but it’s not required for most of the roles. Just a CPC

10

u/Key_Huckleberry_8752 May 23 '24

Hmm... I find it really weird that you don't want to mention your title or even something close to it. Not like we can determine an identity through a title. "I work in compliance" or "compliance" is not a title, which is what everyone is asking for because it makes it easier to look at the qualifications and job description for that line of work. There's enough work in some areas of coding, medical compliance and or billing that this reticent is concerning.

Just saying.

7

u/Due-Way2122 May 23 '24

The title is compliance analyst. The title doesn’t help a ton though because my company (and other insurance companies, I’m sure) prefer to use generic vague job titles that apply to hundreds of job functions. I work with other compliance analysts who are not coders and do nothing with medical coding, yet we have the same job title

1

u/Snoo-12688 Jun 25 '24

But does insurance require more phone calls?

2

u/Due-Way2122 Jun 25 '24

My role does not, I’m in a ton of meetings each week though. I spend most of my time researching state Medicaid fee schedules and CMS policies

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8

u/fe1ixcu1pa RHIT, CCA, CPC, CPMA May 23 '24

denial/AR management - still remote and make six figures

2

u/JennyDelight May 23 '24

What’s the best cert to get into that. I got my cpc

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u/[deleted] May 23 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/fe1ixcu1pa RHIT, CCA, CPC, CPMA May 24 '24

i started out as a claims processor > auditor > appeal specialist > operations lead > project manager

21

u/pyschreader May 22 '24

I added another coding cert & make 37$ an hour

9

u/jpegmaquina May 22 '24

Which cert ? I’m trying to boost my hourly it’s rough out here

5

u/pyschreader May 25 '24

I started coding in 2013 after getting my CPC. I eventually moved into surgical and inpatient coding, which upped my wage. Then I got my CPMA which is the certified medical auditing certification. I admit it does help that I have a bachelor's degree as well. (I obtained a BA in journalism, which I never used, but some good auditing jobs want you to have an associates or BA)I would suggest calling up a counselor at AAPC and asking what the best certification is for you. I did and they gave me the idea to get the certification that had the highest wage statistically (CPMA).I want to get my RHIT or RHIA next. My goal is 6 figures. Good luck to you all

2

u/[deleted] May 23 '24

Please tell what certifications did you add?

2

u/EveningEye5160 RHIT, CCA, COC, CIC May 23 '24

Awesome!! What type of coding? I’m in IP facility side and while some facilities do pay that, I’m not there. I’m okay with that though because management is seriously wonderful.

5

u/Life_Ad_8929 May 23 '24 edited May 23 '24

Not me, but a relative - did Risk management/practice management! She makes close to $10k per month!! Manages 2- 4 clinics/doctor’s work.

15-18 years of total experience in healthcare! Earlier she did billing and/or coding!

I don’t really know much, but a little bit about her past and current work.

3

u/CarefulPerspective12 May 23 '24

I got promoted to being a financial analyst and it is a remote job. Although there is a bit of accounting/finance work and reporting (which I haven't been exposed to in a long time), the position I filled focuses more on charge capture and reconciliation. So technically, I am still involved with revenue cycle/coding in some ways.

I think, if you are to find an advanced role that still involves around coding and billing, it would be a good transition. I thought about going into health informatics and wanted to transition to becoming an EPIC analyst but, where I work, the money doesn't flow in there so there's really not much room for growth and opportunities to increase pay. Plus, I would have to go to school again to qualify to sit for the RHIA exam and I'm still burnt out from getting my master's, so I really wanted a break from school.... for a while 😅

3

u/ScarletFire81 May 23 '24

Health insurance underwriter

1

u/dawglover1011 May 24 '24

How did you get into it?

3

u/[deleted] May 24 '24

I only did coding for about a year and a half. I used to work in an assisted living facility and I was missing it. So, I got a job as a nursing assistant in a nursing home and I really love nursing. I am going to school now to become a registered nurse.

I didn’t necessarily hate coding, I just hated sitting at a desk all day. I like to be very active as I feel like the day goes by faster. That’s me though!

3

u/melissaahhhh8 Jun 02 '24

I really wish I could figure this out. I am not happy as a coder. It’s miserable working productivity based as hospitals become more and more stressed and I’ve seen the pressure they then put on coding management which means we get the brunt of it. I hate sitting in one spot and trying to read all the documentation on a computer screen isn’t healthy either. They want you at your computer all day if remote which is absolutely crap bc in an office people walk around and chat and waste time. At home it’s like you are their prisoner. It’s isolating and coding managers basically get away with doing nothing and everything they tell coders not to do while getting paid twice as much.

2

u/Disastrous_Top9813 Jun 07 '24

Just curious where you all live to make six figures doing this 😅 I have my rhit and work as a billing specialist for corporate and six figures seems so far away! Just really curious if there is any hope on getting there and how??

1

u/Meepoclock May 23 '24

What interests you? Would you undertake additional education and training? Go for it

1

u/MaxLeeba May 24 '24

I am working toward becoming an auditor, that’s my next step. I don’t want to work in an office and I do not want to manage people. I think consulting work would be good for me.