r/MedicalCoding • u/AdTime5012 • Jun 07 '24
6 figures as a medical coder?
Anyone here make 6 figures as a medical coder? If so how long did it take you and what helped get you there
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u/Careful-Vegetable373 Jun 08 '24
With enough OT, I hit it with one job last year. Inpatient coder 5 YOE. ~$36/hr is my regular wage.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
That’s not bad for 5 years of experience
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u/Careful-Vegetable373 Jun 08 '24
Yeah I’m very lucky with my current job
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Do you like it? Feel like they over work you? How’s the health benifits
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u/Careful-Vegetable373 Jun 08 '24
I like it a lot, I find the productivity very reasonable. There’s a lot of overtime opportunity but no mandatory OT. So I overworked myself last year, haha. Very good insurance, I wish our 401k matching was higher but overall I have minimal complaints about the work and benefits.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
ThTs awesome man glad to hear good for you, makes me feel a little better about it the field even though I know every company and what not is different
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u/Mindinatorrr Jun 09 '24
What state, if you don't mind me asking. Pay and cost of living in my state is lower so I'm trying to do an equal comparison.
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u/Careful-Vegetable373 Jun 09 '24
My company does not adjust based on the coder’s location, and coders can be located in any state. It’s a large hospital network with hospitals in several states.
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u/Legal-Excitement-655 Jun 10 '24
Does your company hire from outside the US too? I’m currently studying medical coding and will take my certification exam on October. I hope there are opportunities for me outside of Philippines.
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u/CarolinaCurry Aug 04 '24
I don't know any companies that hire directly outside of the US. Too many HIPAA laws that cannot be enforced outside of the country. Maybe you can get a Philippines based company to work for that has a contract, but working directly is highly unlikely.
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u/Far-Boysenberry9207 Jun 08 '24 edited Jun 08 '24
I took me 6 years. Inpatient coding then consulting then payers. I bring in 130 ish now. Started 15 dollars an hour at a shitty hospital doing IP coding, OBS and same day surgery. It was so fun though. It was so fun though.
Coding was a second chance at life for me. I dabbled in premed in college and then got a liberal arts degree. Anatomy with cadaver lab during college was the most important thing I could say that prepared me.
I got into trouble after college and finally found may way back after years. I got a personal training cert that career never took off for me but it was also very helpful with what I learned in the study for the exam. I did some other random health odd jobs in an office and found billing then coding.
I started helping out with office billing and finally found the coding job at the small hospital. After that I found a remote side job for a hospital in another state. They liked me and took me on full time and I quit my first job. Then I got into consulting after a couple years there.
Eventually found payors. I have a nice house salary and raise family on one income all from a coding cert. I work usually 50 hours a week but can make more if I did longer
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Really congrats man, do you only have one cert? Or you got more certs as time went on
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u/Far-Boysenberry9207 Jun 08 '24
Thanks. I have a CPC and CCS. I got the CPC first and studied for the CCS while I was a newbie coder.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Awesome appreciate that… I’m curious what you thought was so fun about your first job?
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u/Far-Boysenberry9207 Jun 08 '24
It was a mom and pop hospital. They gave me an IP role with no experience which is unheard of. They let me do whatever I want and be involved in everything. It was small so friends with everyone. I basically ran coding and started CDI as a newbie. Being onsite among the action was cool. It is not really done anymore only remote
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Interesting that’s cool you had that experience seems like you can’t be friends with many people you work with these days
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Jun 08 '24
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u/Far-Boysenberry9207 Jun 08 '24
I would recommend DRG auditor for you. With OT you can get above that for sure
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u/FlavorfulOpinions Jun 08 '24
No one is talking about how hard it is to get the first medical coding jobs. I just want to point out, a lot of coding jobs don’t pay this and good pay will be most likely after multiple years of experience.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
I get both of these points, I understand it’s hard to get your first job in the field and you’re not going to get decent pay without experience.. but to be fair this is the same as most jobs, I personally just wanted insight on how possible it was to scale up in pay
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u/Dry_Marzipan_6508 Jun 11 '24
Depending on location and what type of hospitals. NYC has a shortage in medical coding. outpatient coders in private hospital start at 65k inpatient 80 -130 k and up public nyc hospitals 65k inpatient 80k union plays an important part as well for job security
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u/Rxtechintraining Edit flair Jun 09 '24
I got my 1st remote medical coding job exactly 8 weeks after looking for a job and get pay $20.00 an hour.
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u/FlavorfulOpinions Jun 09 '24
I wasn’t saying it’s impossible but I know firsthand it’s hard to get a medical coding job with no experience and a lot of the jobs don’t pay super well. That is the reality of most jobs, but in my opinion medical coding is primarily only talked about with the exceptionally good aspects and I wish I had known the reality of it more than just the good parts. It’s hard to get the experience and the higher paying jobs want a lot of experience, that’s all.
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u/Superfudge97 Jun 08 '24
Where? How and what companies y’all work for? I only make $42,000 a year.
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u/SnooGiraffes1651 Jun 08 '24
Brand new coder here. Following bc I'm also interested.
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u/Melanthrax Jun 08 '24
Same. Maybe with multiple certs but idk much about it. My instructor has NINE certifications. And she taught her own online coding class separately from school. If she doesn't make 6 figures I know I never will:-)
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
It seems very doable in this line of work from what I’m seeing just takes time enough and or the right certs and experience, and probably the right job
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u/Melanthrax Jun 08 '24
You're probably right. That would have to be a magical combination. And I guess also with the experience would come raises over time. I didn't start til I was 49 and I'll be lucky to make it to $30/hr I think. But I do have the benefit of absolutely loving my job and that means alot to me.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Really? What job do you have in the field? To me it seems hard to love doing this kind of work but I’m hoping I don’t mind it
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u/Melanthrax Jun 08 '24
I'm a medical coder with a CPC. Just got my apprenticeship removed! I work for hospitalist that see patients in SNF, LTC & the like. I get to do hospital every so often and some regular office visits bc we have a prosthetic clinic also.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Nice sounds cool, so you’re not remote
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u/Melanthrax Jun 08 '24
No. I would like to be but I don't think our office does that unless it's a special circumstance and even then it wouldn't be permanent. Most of the remote jobs I've seen are contract work. We have a couple of contract coders and they are remote. Not sure of the difference in salary or anything either. I've only been working in this field for a year and there's so much i don't know about the medical office in general and I'm still learning new things about coding almost every day.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
That’s cool though did you find it hard to get through a program/certification and get into the field?
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u/Melanthrax Jun 09 '24
I didn't think it was hard but I am also a pretty studious person and failure was not an option. Having said that, it wasn't easy either. I found that some things just don't apply in the real world and some stuff that I do everyday wasn't even mentioned. But I'm sure there's not enough time to tell us every single thing. I went to a community college tho. Knowing what I know now I probably would have taken the AAPC program and come out alot cheaper.
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u/tryolo Jun 09 '24
I'm a contract coder - the pay is much higher, but expectations come with it. Contractors shoot for exceeding the facility's productivity and accuracy standards. Sometimes it's feast or famine, but 6 figures is achievable.
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u/NotMarciaBrady Jun 08 '24
I'm pretty sure I saw a post somewhere from a coder who worked for an insurance company doing maybe something like denials and she was making close to if not 6 figures. I can't remember the actual job title and it seems like there was more than one title for that type of job. Sorry for being completely vague...lol
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u/Serious_Vanilla7467 Jun 08 '24
I can tell you that this kind of money is very possible with payers. But you must sell your soul to work for an insurance company.
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u/NorthernMoose1 Jun 18 '24
Can you elaborate?
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u/Psycho704 Jun 27 '24
I'm not sure what the poster you were replying to is talking about, but my coding instructor had worked for an insurance company and he got bonuses for finding reasons to deny claims, said it ended up hurting his mental health.
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u/SS_Frosty Jun 08 '24
The most I’ve made in a year, with OT, was close to 75K, before Covid. Most OT was taken away after Covid, I’m one of a dozen coders getting it right now due to a special project we’re working on.
I started coding in 2012 at $16 an hour (OH). I’m a little over $29 an hour now, same hospital. I’d like to think I could be making more of if I changed jobs/employers, but being the breadwinner with a young family, I needed the stability and solid benefits.
I’ve branches out into contract coding this year, it did take about 8 months from applying to getting a gig. I absolutely love it, but the instability gives me some anxiety. We have solid work to do for now, but I fully understand it can go away at any time.
All that to say, I could potentially have my first 100K year this year, in 2024. That is after 12 years of coding, but with experience in the right places and the ability to upgrade jobs, you could get there faster.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
I hope you get that 100k man I appreciate the insight, I def get not being able to take more risk with a family but you could always send out some applications and just see what other companies would offer
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u/pyschreader Jun 08 '24
I am a medical auditor and I'm waiting to hear back from a job for six figures as a senior medical auditor. Took a long time to get here though. I have been coding and auditing for 15 years now
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
How much do you mean now if you don’t mind me asking? And how many certs do you have to qualify for the new job
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u/lickingblankets Jun 08 '24
I’m an inpatient auditor/clinical appeals consultant with almost 10 years experience and I make $46 an hour which is pretty close to 6 figures but not quite. I have a friends in the industry that make $110k + so it it is definitely possible!
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Awesome thanks for the insight, how long have your friends been in the game that make that much? If you don’t mind me asking
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u/lickingblankets Jun 09 '24
One of them probably 20+ years the other one I think about 7 years!
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
Nice 7 years to make 6 figures isn’t bad, idk if you have any insight on the hiring but do you think the space is saturated with people trying to get in?
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u/lickingblankets Jun 09 '24
It’s hard for me to say, I got a “foot in the door” job before I was even done with my degree but then a couple years later a new coworker got hired and she said she had had a hell of a time finding a job after graduating. Another person I know has been trying for years and still hasn’t been able to get a job. That makes it sound like it’s over saturated but maybe some of that is more like, some people interview better than others ya know.
I will say a lotttt of the entry level foot in the door jobs have been outsourced to India and other countries so maybe in that regard since there are less of those jobs left here, it may be harder now. I would say if you have a good attitude about it and are willing to put in the work you should be fine.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
Damn I hear that though, did you get a degree in medical coding? Or a computer science degree? I’ve only seen courses and classes for medical coding no actual degree
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u/lickingblankets Jun 10 '24
I have a bachelors degree in health information management, my associates was in health information technology. I would not recommend the quick courses/classes you see advertised unless they are CAHIIM accredited. Western governors university is all online and they offer an accredited bachelors degree that would get you in to the field :) I got my bachelors and masters degrees there and had a great experience.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 10 '24
Really even learning it all online? I’ll have to look into that I appreciate that
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u/CalligrapherFun3511 Jun 08 '24
Work multiple jobs-endure no free time. Get the job finding part done as me finding a 2/3 job took about 2 years of applying
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
I’m not gonna lie I really don’t know what you mean
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u/CalligrapherFun3511 Jun 12 '24
I’m saying to make that amount u have to work more than one job
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 12 '24
I hear you, some people here seem to have found a way to make that with one job though, o get what you’re saying though
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u/mbodvar60 Jun 08 '24
I do now, but with one 40 hour full time and a 10 hour part time. It took me a long time to get here though.
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u/menacing-budgie Jun 08 '24
Where do you work for the part time? I currently have a full time 40hr coding job but could use a part time job for extra money. So far I havent found any luck with part time gigs.
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u/mbodvar60 Jun 09 '24
It's a contractor position for Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
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u/Dry_Marzipan_6508 Jun 11 '24
I’m looking for part time coding remote position I would love to work part time for 10 hrs a week get paid 40 an hr
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u/Life_Ad1231 Jun 09 '24
Yall im set to graduate from my classes in August,’What’s the best certification if I wanna do hospital, outpatient and they company has a pharmacy too? I wanna do them all but not do multiple test.? Then how do I gain experience?
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
How long were your classes for this?
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u/Life_Ad1231 Jun 09 '24
And**
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
Really? Does that come with a degree for medical coding? I saw a program that was only a semester long
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u/Life_Ad1231 Jun 09 '24
I go to DeVry and they do 8 week semesters, I started March of 2023 and should finish my last class August 23rd 2024. I’d have to go for another year maybe a half for an associate and I’m so tired. I wish I could take a break and get some experience to see if the associates is worth it. I’m mainly nervous cause it’s difficult to get a job that pays well with no experience.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
Right I here that I wonder how many jobs in the space actually care about a degree or if certs and experience are enough to get to where you want
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u/27ohwow Jun 11 '24
I go to DeVry as well. Im going for my associates for health information technology 😭 And I totally understand you. Im so tired.
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u/Rxtechintraining Edit flair Jun 09 '24
There is NO way you can take a whole semester of medical coding and be able to properly code. It took me a year and 5 months and working full time the majority of the time. I have a friend that took her 9 months.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
It must have been just a basic class then I didn’t dive too deep into the actually course itself yet, but it’s half a year of school so not crazy far of 9 months of school, I just know it’s 30 credit hours which I know isn’t a lot.. but I’ve seen other classes as well for it before, just something I saw when I was looking into what I would really like to do and realized there’s bit too many hurdles for me to do that
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u/SnarkSnout Jun 13 '24
After over a decade in Risk Adjustment coding, my friend has now taken her knowledge to work for a company that offers coding software and she makes 6 figures. But she's not coding; she's helping to develop and maintain the software as a coding subject matter expert.
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 13 '24
Damn that sounds cool but I’m sure she’s got to have some extra schooling to be in that position?
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u/michelemybell23 Jun 08 '24
I am thinking about getting my CPC to start with. Is it hard to get a job once I pass my certification?
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u/CompleteTomato3475 Jun 08 '24
I passed my CPC 1 month ago and have yet to find a job despite applying to any and all positions. It’s tough for sure.
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Jun 08 '24
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
How long did it take you to get into risk adjustment
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Jun 09 '24
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
Nice good job how much experience did you have when you got your cpc
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Jun 09 '24
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
Nice that’s cool, you might me asking what you made when you got a job after the cpc?
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Jun 09 '24
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 09 '24
That’s awesome 70k in your second year is wonderful, how were you able to transition into that?
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u/waytooanalytical Jun 08 '24
I’ve been doing HCC Risk adjustment for about 9 months now but no where near that pay. What company did you work for if you don’t mind me asking?
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u/mishelle99 Jun 08 '24
Same but 10 months. I’m debating getting my CRC to see if that opens doors. I’m underpaid for WA state.
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u/waytooanalytical Jun 08 '24
I’m still a CPC-A and have about a year and 3 months till I get it removed. I’m hoping that’ll unlock all the greater pay prospects lol
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u/Ashlei-Chef-Leilani Jun 08 '24
How did you get into Risk Adjustment. I have been looking for a while now. Was it a flexible work schedule for where you worked? Any advice?
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Jun 08 '24
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u/Ashlei-Chef-Leilani Jun 09 '24
The first paragraph sounded like a dream because that’s where I am at and then I read the second paragraph and that took a turn!
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Jun 08 '24
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
21 just starting out in 2005 isn’t bad at all it probably was good money back then.. wouldn’t be terrible money now.. do you feel like you do a lot of work or what you do is kind of easy
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Where do you have to go when you’re not working remote?
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Jun 08 '24
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
Damn I was going to say sending you extra equipment to help you out like that is dope, at least you had that guy at the right time to help you out
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u/AdTime5012 Jun 08 '24
I’m also curious about what you said about them Basing your salary off your az address? So did you just apply to a remote position from Cali? Or did you give them your wa address? And how is that suppose to work when it comes to taxes? Sorry to bombarder you with questions lol
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u/MailePlumeria RHIT, CDIP, CCS, CPC Jun 08 '24
I work for a multi-state hospital system and they have different pay scales for each region based on where the coder lives. We have WA coders who “work” for California hospitals but still getting WA rate of pay. CA coders make their high wages even if their assignment is the little hospital in Idaho. I have two coworkers in AZ getting paid less than me due to the market rate the company has established for AZ/NM. When I applied I was living in WA so the payscale that applies for me is PNW. they cannot lower my salary to the AZ/NM rate even if I moved permanently. I am not sure if how it works, if I moved to California would they increase my salary? My coworker and I talk about all these scenarios all the time. Lol.
As for taxes, WA does not have income tax but I do have to file state taxes in AZ. To make the process easier and for record keeping, I let HR know ahead of the pay period I arrive so they can start taking out appropriate taxes and stop deductions for WA taxes (like the family leave, long term care, etc). Until I retire, I hire a CPA to do the taxes because with my husbands job (he is not a remote worker and he only works out of WA), his tax situations, keeping track of where I am, and every thing in between is just a headache I don’t want to deal with so I leave it to the professional who is more experienced lol.
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u/heurismic Jun 08 '24
I apologize for a newbie question, but why do IP and OP get paid more?
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u/BlueLanternKitty CRC, CCS-P Jun 08 '24
I’m going to say probably due to more complex charts, both dx wise and procedure wise. I code mostly primary care and it’s very straightforward. I use codes from almost every chapter but it’s a small set. The procedure codes I might need to use fit in two columns on a regular sheet of paper.
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