Wiki How to handle interview coding questions with no experience?

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Hi, all. I've only just completed my billing/coding course so have no practical experience. I may have an interview coming up where I'd be asked coding questions. Any hiring managers or supervisors out there that can give me some tips on how to handle that? Pretty nervous about that aspect and I want to do the best I can. Thanks!
 
Practice ahead of time with a friend. Be up front about no practical experience. Make a binder related to the specialty you are interviewing for, with Medicare articles, guidance, etc. For instance, if you are interviewing for pain management, you would want sections on trigger points, joint injections, epidurals, emg/ncv, pain pumps, etc. Take the binder to the interview. Show them that you have done your homework.
 
I agree with Sharon - be honest (but not apologetic) about your lack of practical experience, study up on the specialty you are interviewing for and be confident in yourself. As a past coding manger, I was often more impressed and more willing in most cases to hire a newly credentialed coder who showed initiative and interest that someone who came in asking for lots of money and when they could work from home with no experience.
 
And when you get the job (and your type does) don't hesitate to speak up and ask questions when you don't understand something. After hiring newly credentialed coders we start them slowly on coding office visits. I did not care how many questions the new coders asked me as long as I saw that they were learning and improving. They would code the office visits and turn in their E/M audit sheets to me for review. I had one new coder that came up with straightforward MDM on every single E/M, and what was worse, the three elements (Diagnosis/Treatment, Data and Table of Risk) were all different. It was clear that this coder had no clue what they were doing, but what made it worse to me was this person was not willing to ask me for help! I will help a new coder that helps themselves, but if your not going to ask questions when you need to... And no, this coder did not make it. If you want to set yourself apart from the other candidates, tell the interviewer that you will ask questions when you don't understand a concept and that you are a fast learner and your chances of getting hired will go up 75%.
 
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