Wiki Medical Coding Job Guidance

[cyn94]

Hello everyone,

Happy New Year to all. The reason I’m posting in this forum is actually for a bit of guidance. Just to give you a little background on myself, I just recently got my associates degree in health Information management in medical coding and then got certified in August as a CPC-A. Throughout the past couple of months I’ve been on the job hunt and fortunately landed two offers. The problem is I’m not sure which one I should choose. One position is as a charge entry rep for a hospital affiliated billing department and another is a medical coding position for an auto insurance company. Prior to this the experience I’ve received is close to 3 years as a medical secretary for an urgent care, this would be my first coding job if I were to go with the insurance company. Anyone with experience if you could please send me some guidance, it’d be much appreciate!

 

[SharonCollachi]

All other things being relatively equal (pay, hours, benefits, etc.), I would go with the hospital job. That is the harder job to land, so I would take it. You will have a broader range of experience, and you can move positions within the hospital when a coding job becomes available.

Just my thoughts.

 

[thomas7331]

I would tend to agree, just based on the limited information you've given. The coding you would be exposed to working in auto insurance is going to be quite limited - that's really kind of a 'niche' specialty where you're mainly going to be exposed to coding of traumatic injuries and that experience will be limited and maybe make it harder to move into a coding position with a healthcare provider or payer in the future.

As an entry level coder, I'd recommend a position where you can be exposed to a wider range of coding situations so that you can expand your knowledge of coding more broadly. Working within a hospital, even if just in a charge entry position, will give you exposure to their coding and the chance to learn how the process works and become familiar with using the hospital's software and billing systems, so I think there's a greater chance for growth in a position like that, even if you're not going to actually be coding right from the start. But of course a choice like this is a very personal matter, so only you can really know what is right for you here!

 

[Rhyde520]

I would tend to agree, just based on the limited information you've given. The coding you would be exposed to working in auto insurance is going to be quite limited - that's really kind of a 'niche' specialty where you're mainly going to be exposed to coding of traumatic injuries and that experience will be limited and maybe make it harder to move into a coding position with a healthcare provider or payer in the future.

As an entry level coder, I'd recommend a position where you can be exposed to a wider range of coding situations so that you can expand your knowledge of coding more broadly. Working within a hospital, even if just in a charge entry position, will give you exposure to their coding and the chance to learn how the process works and become familiar with using the hospital's software and billing systems, so I think there's a greater chance for growth in a position like that, even if you're not going to actually be coding right from the start. But of course a choice like this is a very personal matter, so only you can really know what is right for you here!

This is great advice here and i agree 100%. I started out in an entry level position in the business office of a hospital and worked my way up. There were many opportunities over the years, as people tend to leave/quit/get promoted. There will absolutely be open positions at some point needing to be filled and you would get first dibs being an internal applicant. I work as an ED coder for that same hospital now and found it extremely helpful to be encountering & coding all different scenarios. I'm still learning new stuff everyday. Set yourself up for an opportunity to gain as much exposure as you can for a better, well-versed coding experience. The opportunity will come if you remain patient. Congrats on the current job offers!