Question Are There any companies out there that will hire new CPC-A

[venitaperry@yahoo.com]

I can't seem to find a company that's not asking for experience.😞

 

[bgudal]

I gave up. 6 months of applying for jobs. Not one interview. Didn't even make it past the resume bots. It's the A of death. So glad I invested thousands of dollars and almost a year of my time. I think AAPC should be a little more up front about job availability. Yes, there are tons of jobs out there for experienced hires -- none for As.

 

[adiemeyer]

I had a hard time finding my first coding job too. It took about 9 months to find my 1st position. I worked for a temp agency initially so some of them will say they want experience but they'd rather take on a new coder than lose the revenue of passing up a coding contract. My first job was at Wellmed (which is part of Optum) and I worked there almost 2 years as a temp which helped get my A off. They didn't care if I was new because again they preferred having a blank slate they could train how they wanted to train vs a coder who may have already formed bad habits to break. That was HCC coding which is all diagnosis coding so it was pretty easy. After that I got hired at UT Health in San Antonio who will also hire coders with their A's. The pay is average but the benefits are great. My suggestion to y'all might be to try and get experience through a coding temp agency or to just apply for any entry level coding position you see. I've had 3 different coding jobs and all of them claimed they needed 2 years or more of experience and yet all of them would hire coders without it and most of them are remote so you're location wouldn't matter. Contract jobs are good to get experience. Those are my suggestions and I wish y'all luck on your search.

 

[LisaAlonso23]

I will be brutally honest. The education we received to prepare for the CPC exam provided us with a foundation to build on. The amount of coding knowledge still out there to attain is mind blowing!!

Check your resume. Make sure it highlights transferrable skills. Then, take any position you can get to prove your capabilities and get a foot in the door to gain experience. All experience is good experience. Looking for a coding position is a humbling experience, but it's all in the attitude and not impossible.

I suggest going to local chapter meetings and networking too. One of my current clients was found through networking.

I started as an Extern. Someone walked out one day, and they gave me her position verifying insurance. Although it wasn't a coding position, I was happy to learn all I could to be the best insurance verification specialist I could be. The insurance knowledge I gained is golden. Then, I moved on to my first coding position for another company and took what I had learned with me.

The only coding positions I'm aware of that don't require experience are in HCC (risk adjustment) coding. Those positions are mostly remote with the employers providing training. Many positions I've been contacted for are on a contractual basis, but it's a good place to start.

Lastly, I recommend establishing a LinkedIn profile. It's a great networking site that afforded me one of the clients I currently work with. I suggest going to local chapter meetings and networking in person too.

 

[sls314]

I gave up. 6 months of applying for jobs. Not one interview. Didn't even make it past the resume bots. It's the A of death. So glad I invested thousands of dollars and almost a year of my time. I think AAPC should be a little more up front about job availability. Yes, there are tons of jobs out there for experienced hires -- none for As.

A recruiter from Judge just posted 100+ remote positions. No experience needed, and they will consider CPC-A.

(I have done work through through Judge before - they are a legitimate recruiter for coding positions. I had a good experience working through them.)

 

[sls314]

Gah! Sorry - I tried to attach a screenshot of the posting, but apparently the site isn't letting me post images.

Here's the text cut & pasted from what the recruiter just posted this morning in the HCC/Risk Adjustment Coders Facebook group:

WORK FROM HOME HCC CODING POSITION - HIRE OFF RESUME! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

Judge Healthcare is now hiring 100+ remote HCC coders to start in the upcoming weeks! 40 hrs/wk, ongoing contract. If you are interested in this opportunity or know someone who might be, email your resume to jlabes@judge.com and we will schedule a call.

Certifications: CPC-A, CCS, or CCS-P certifications with zero experience!

 

[ychadha21]

I have same story they want only experienced one , I had an interview yesterday it went pretty well but i got rejected for not having enough experience in coding. how can i get experience if no one hires.

 

[LJrowland]

A recruiter from Judge just posted 100+ remote positions. No experience needed, and they will consider CPC-A.

(I have done work through through Judge before - they are a legitimate recruiter for coding positions. I had a good experience working through them.)

Can you clairify what "Judge" is? I am looking for a coding position, I have one full year working in an office experience, but 1 year of school (which counts for experience in Kansas at least) I still have my A and I am wondering how remote work is? How does it work?

 

[debrahips@gmail.com]

I had a hard time finding my first coding job too. It took about 9 months to find my 1st position. I worked for a temp agency initially so some of them will say they want experience but they'd rather take on a new coder than lose the revenue of passing up a coding contract. My first job was at Wellmed (which is part of Optum) and I worked there almost 2 years as a temp which helped get my A off. They didn't care if I was new because again they preferred having a blank slate they could train how they wanted to train vs a coder who may have already formed bad habits to break. That was HCC coding which is all diagnosis coding so it was pretty easy. After that I got hired at UT Health in San Antonio who will also hire coders with their A's. The pay is average but the benefits are great. My suggestion to y'all might be to try and get experience through a coding temp agency or to just apply for any entry level coding position you see. I've had 3 different coding jobs and all of them claimed they needed 2 years or more of experience and yet all of them would hire coders without it and most of them are remote so you're location wouldn't matter. Contract jobs are good to get experience. Those are my suggestions and I wish y'all luck on your search.

Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear things work out for you. I will be taking my CPC exam on Sept 17, 2022.

 

[debrahips@gmail.com]

Can you clairify what "Judge" is? I am looking for a coding position, I have one full year working in an office experience, but 1 year of school (which counts for experience in Kansas at least) I still have my A and I am wondering how remote work is? How does it

Gah! Sorry - I tried to attach a screenshot of the posting, but apparently the site isn't letting me post images.

Here's the text cut & pasted from what the recruiter just posted this morning in the HCC/Risk Adjustment Coders Facebook group:

WORK FROM HOME HCC CODING POSITION - HIRE OFF RESUME! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

Judge Healthcare is now hiring 100+ remote HCC coders to start in the upcoming weeks! 40 hrs/wk, ongoing contract. If you are interested in this opportunity or know someone who might be, email your resume to jlabes@judge.com and we will schedule a call.

Certifications: CPC-A, CCS, or CCS-P certifications with zero experience!

Will still hire you while you are in training without CPC-A

 

[sg2boys]

I agree - every job I look at requires some type of experience. I have worked as a Nurse Practitioner for years (in-patient and out-patient), and I thought I could use my medical experience and get a remote job as a coder, auditor (worked as a Defense Auditor for several years). When I called to get information regarding the coding certification courses, I wish someone had advised me there was a barrier in entering this field before I paid $3000 for the course and the exam prep. I really feel like I have been duped. I blame myself for not digging deeper into the job requirements of each job posting, because I would have definitely noted the experience requirement. Lesson learned.

 

[hperry10]

I agree - every job I look at requires some type of experience. I have worked as a Nurse Practitioner for years (in-patient and out-patient), and I thought I could use my medical experience and get a remote job as a coder, auditor (worked as a Defense Auditor for several years). When I called to get information regarding the coding certification courses, I wish someone had advised me there was a barrier in entering this field before I paid $3000 for the course and the exam prep. I really feel like I have been duped. I blame myself for not digging deeper into the job requirements of each job posting, because I would have definitely noted the experience requirement. Lesson learned.

Have you considered a position as a provider educator? The educators need clinical training and coding training but not necessarily coding experience. My organization has provider educators who train providers on coding and documentation improvement - none of them have worked as a coder but have worked as MDs, RNs and PAs. Having coding knowledge and training can open many doors outside of coding charts.

 

[sg2boys]

Really - I had no idea!!! So - I would look under coding educators? Thank-you so much for letting me know!

 

[twizzle]

Really - I had no idea!!! So - I would look under coding educators? Thank-you so much for letting me know!

In order for myself and the previous (I just retired) team of provider educators I worked with, extensive coding experience was a requirement, but some auditing experience was also required for the position of provider quality educator.
Providers will often ask difficult coding questions for which you need to have an answer. None of my coworkers, other than an LPN and myself had any clinical background.
Just saying.

 

[sls314]

I agree - every job I look at requires some type of experience. I have worked as a Nurse Practitioner for years (in-patient and out-patient), and I thought I could use my medical experience and get a remote job as a coder, auditor (worked as a Defense Auditor for several years). When I called to get information regarding the coding certification courses, I wish someone had advised me there was a barrier in entering this field before I paid $3000 for the course and the exam prep. I really feel like I have been duped. I blame myself for not digging deeper into the job requirements of each job posting, because I would have definitely noted the experience requirement. Lesson learned.

Have you tried looking for CDI positions? (Clinical Documentation Integrity) There are many positions in that field that require a nursing credential.

Search for positions using terms like RN-CDI, CDI Nurse, etc.

 

[troen]

Good morning everyone,

I think your best bet as a newly certified coder is to go with a company you does contract coding like PerGroup or something similar. A lot of these organizations will allow you to work remotely and they are good about taking newly certified coders to help you gain the experience you need. You can do a Google search on these types of organizations in your area.

 

[tjones@acsmd.com]

Steward Medical Group is hiring right now for 10 coders. Will also hire CPC-A.

 

[jbenjamin1]

Gah! Sorry - I tried to attach a screenshot of the posting, but apparently the site isn't letting me post images.

Here's the text cut & pasted from what the recruiter just posted this morning in the HCC/Risk Adjustment Coders Facebook group:

WORK FROM HOME HCC CODING POSITION - HIRE OFF RESUME! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

Judge Healthcare is now hiring 100+ remote HCC coders to start in the upcoming weeks! 40 hrs/wk, ongoing contract. If you are interested in this opportunity or know someone who might be, email your resume to jlabes@judge.com and we will schedule a call.

Certifications: CPC-A, CCS, or CCS-P certifications with zero experience!

I applied on 9/20 and a recruiter called me same day and said they were hiring and you did not need experience but I’d had to wait until the job “becomes live” before she can send my resume off to be selected. Now I’m just waiting. She said there would be three different jobs that go live over the next few months and I’ve got to wait to see which group I’ll be selected with. I’m trying to be patient but it’s hard. I have 10 years medical experience and an AA in medical billing and coding along with CPC-A. I also had an interview for a coding job at my local hospital and will find out if I’m selected at the end of this month. I’ve applied to over 100 jobs and have had three interviews over the last 18 months. I passed my CPC last month and the interviews have been since then. Never got an interview without the CPC. Now that I have it everyone wants experience. Just have to hope the lord sends a job my way!

 

[aibp0223]

Steward Medical Group is hiring right now for 10 coders. Will also hire CPC-A.

Can you attach the link? Or copy and paste it please

 

[clark.miam@gmail.com]

A recruiter from Judge just posted 100+ remote positions. No experience needed, and they will consider CPC-A.

(I have done work through through Judge before - they are a legitimate recruiter for coding positions. I had a good experience working through them.)

Thank you for sharing. I actually applied on Judge today, a few hours before I came to the AAPC discussion, looking for more opportunities. I found it through LinkedIn. I will update you on how it goes. Thanks so much!

 

[clark.miam@gmail.com]

Gah! Sorry - I tried to attach a screenshot of the posting, but apparently the site isn't letting me post images.

Here's the text cut & pasted from what the recruiter just posted this morning in the HCC/Risk Adjustment Coders Facebook group:

WORK FROM HOME HCC CODING POSITION - HIRE OFF RESUME! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

Judge Healthcare is now hiring 100+ remote HCC coders to start in the upcoming weeks! 40 hrs/wk, ongoing contract. If you are interested in this opportunity or know someone who might be, email your resume to jlabes@judge.com and we will schedule a call.

Certifications: CPC-A, CCS, or CCS-P certifications with zero experience!

A recruiter from Judge just posted 100+ remote positions. No experience needed, and they will consider CPC-A.
Thanks so much for posting! I just sent and email confirming my interest. I will update you on how it goes!
(I have done work through through Judge before - they are a legitimate recruiter for coding positions. I had a good experience working through them.)

 

[suki_26]

I originally went to school for coding about oh gosh 14 years ago i think it was. The school promised anyone in the top of the class would be granted a coding position in the local hospital group ( they are buying up hospitals left and right so there should have been plenty of positions.) The school offered us internships for a few months but I did not do any coding what so ever. Once we graduated we were told the only positions were traveling positions and not at all like anything we were promised. After a couple months of hearing no experience so sorry and rent still being due I was willing to take anything in the billing end of the medical field.

After a very short stint at a billing company doing only eligibility... hey its experience, I was able to get my foot in the door of a small private practice. They needed someone to help with the AR. There were 3 of us in the billing team and we did everything billing not just coding. I stayed at that job for 4 years and then transferred to my current office where I've now been for 9 years. I'm still doing AR and love love it!! The coding is a part of it but this entails soo much more. There are 5 of us on this billing team and only 1 girl is actually makes the claims. Not too much to code the doctors pick the Cpts and Dxs. If you work in a small office, apposed to a billing company or a large hospital, you will need to know all aspects of the billing process. As the assistant billing manager at a Private Primary Care Group I may not be making the same money that the large monopoly hospital is offering but I know for a fact I am much happier and wouldn't change it for the world!!

Keep your options open, you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[nancyllovejoy@gmail.com]

A recruiter from Judge just posted 100+ remote positions. No experience needed, and they will consider CPC-A.

(I have done work through through Judge before - they are a legitimate recruiter for coding positions. I had a good experience working through them.)

I have a phone interview with Judge today for an HCC coder. Do you have any extra information to share? I’m nervous about contract work.