Urology Coding Alert

Veteran coders share how you can get your piece of the pie

If you thought all specialties paid the same, think again. Our salary survey reveals that anesthesia and neurosurgery coders earned the highest salaries, but urology was close behind, ranking it among the top-five specialties whose coders are most likely to pull in more than $70,000 a year.

If you're saying, "Where is my share of this windfall?" we've got some advice from seasoned urology coders that can help you discover your maximum earning potential in the field. Keep Educating Yourself You've finished college and attained your coding certifications, so you're ready to stop reading coding advice, right? No way, our experts say. If you want to move up the ladder or increase your salary, continued education is key.

"Never stop learning," says Daniel J. Rogers, practice administrator at Gulf South Urology in Biloxi, Miss. "Take the initiative to observe and learn other operations in your facility.

"A good supervisor tries to encourage and nurture his or her staff to keep up with education and use the acquired knowledge to enhance the practice," Rogers says. "This type of dedication does not go unnoticed."

Rogers suggests the following examples of ways that coders can make themselves stand out among the crowd:

• Learn the medical terminology and jargon so you can "speak the language" of your specialty.

• Request support for continuing education and certification. When you return from an employer-supported educational program, share what you learned with your employer, and explain how it might apply to your practice.

• Keep track of your achievements. For example, Rogers says, if you learn the proper use of modifier 58, keep a log of how much more revenue you were able to bring into your practice because of the changes.

• Never complain without providing a well-thought-out solution. "This demonstrates to management that you are valuable to your team and interested in the overall success of the business," Rogers says. Take Advantage of Your Resources Some urology coders believe that urology pays better than other specialties due to the complexity of coding urology op reports and keeping track of the many changes in the urology field. And besides continued education, the only way to stay on top of these changes is to use multiple resources. That's what separates a good urology coder from a great one.

Check out the following advice on which resources are key, provided by Ann Minnick, CPC, insurance and billing specialist at Seven Hills Urology Center in Lynchburg, Va.:

• You may think of your coding manuals as your best resource, but remember that your fellow staff members might be even more helpful. "Work as closely as you can with your administrator and physician so they will [...]