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I understand it's dependent on geographic factors. However, I am wondering what the starting wage of a medical coder is.


Thanks.


EDIT: can someone delete this thread. It just didn't go in the direction I had hoped.
 
I would just do a google search. SO much of it varies by not only location. I know that is not the answer you want but consider not only geographics, but responsibilities, some will bill, code and do collections. Some may just code. Some will code for a large corporation, a billing company, or hospital. How much other experience do you have in medical billing. What other credentials may you have, etc. Unfortunately that is a loaded question. I believe the AAPC has this broken down by average by regions based on experience you can look at as well. Look under resources in the blue banner on top of this page under the AAPC logo whjich is the 7th one from the left. A drop down should appear and select under resources Medical coding salary. Hope this helps a little.
 
No tin utah they start off about 13-14 dollars per hour here and go up to about 22 depending on experience of course higher if you have bachelors or masters.
 
No tin utah they start off about 13-14 dollars per hour here and go up to about 22 depending on experience of course higher if you have bachelors or masters.

Can the bachelors be in anything? That sounds REALLY low. My teacher told me 16 dollars an hour on the low end. I now feel like my investment has been a waste.


Edit: from reading these boards. A lot of false promises are given within this field.
 
Well I think what coders should be making here in Utah and what they are making are 2 different things. I have 15 years experience but no degree. I think here in Utah degrees are really important to people especially in management.
 
Coder Salary

Unfortunately, the going rate seems be starting around $11-12 per hour and topping out at about 18/hr. I, too was misled in the amount of money one could make coding. We were promised all the great and wonderful travel opportunities and working for companies at home and making $50-75/ hr doing this. Ok, IF they are there, I haven't been able to find them. Believe me, I have tried.:(
 
Unfortunately, the going rate seems be starting around $11-12 per hour and topping out at about 18/hr. I, too was misled in the amount of money one could make coding. We were promised all the great and wonderful travel opportunities and working for companies at home and making $50-75/ hr doing this. Ok, IF they are there, I haven't been able to find them. Believe me, I have tried.:(

Wow, this is exceptionally depressing


So, all this liability is going to be placed on me on this job? Why wouldn't I just work retail?


Edit:I would not work a job for 10-12 an hour when I can make that doing retail....


http://kp.taleo.net/careersection/external/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=497440

that job pays 22-25 an hour with 3 years of experience.
 
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That job you posted seems like a good one, there are some employeres out there that appreciate the experience and knowledge some just want to save money.
 
It really depends on the employer I have seen one hire someone with about 4 years experience for 22 an hour and one hire someone with 10 plus for 18 an hour.
 
someone mentioned contract coding and depending on what you are coding for, I have done at home diagnositic radiology and made 75-100 dollars an hour depending on how much work there is and how hard I am willing to work.
 
someone mentioned contract coding and depending on what you are coding for, I have done at home diagnositic radiology and made 75-100 dollars an hour depending on how much work there is and how hard I am willing to work.

How hard is it to get a stable job paying say 22-25 an hour in colorado
 
So, a job like I just posted isn't the norm?Saw a coder level 1 position here in colorado starting at 17 bucks an hour.

It was already mentioned that location is a large factor in pay. I have never lived in Colorado, but if they are starting a level 1 coder out at $17, I am going to guess they have a high cost of living.


@Jenifer, I also live in Utah and our pay is definitely low out here. Especially since there are only a handful of large health care employers and the big one in particular only recently decided that having knowledgeable coders is a good idea!!
 
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It was already mentioned that location is a large factor in pay. I have never lived in Colorado, but if they are starting a level 1 coder out at $17, I am going to guess they have a high cost of living.


@Jenifer, I also live in Utah and our pay is definitely low out here. Especially since there are only a handful of large health care employers and the big one in particular only recently decided that having knowledgeable coders is a good idea!!

average cost of living here. Also, do you need a degree to become a medical coding auditor?


Is the money just not in this field like I thought?
 
average cost of living here. Also, do you need a degree to become a medical coding auditor?


Is the money just not in this field like I thought?

This field rewards experience, knowledge and dedication. The longer you have been in the field, the more experience and knowledge you have, the more money you will be compensated. With the current recession, high unemployment and the fact that EVERYONE is going back to school for healthcare, thus making competition for entry level jobs that much greater, most new coders are glad to get their foot in the door, to gain experience and eventually move up to better jobs and better pay, even if that means getting paid $11 anhour for a year, the eventual pay is usually worth it.

As far as auditing goes, no, you do not need a degree to audit medical records, you need at least 3 years experience and be well versed in E/M coding. That being said, if you want to become a consultant, or something similar to that, most employers would prefer you have a more well rounded HIM background (rather than just straight coding knowledge) and will probably prefer you have at least a RHIT/RHIA, and some will even want a Masters.

But to sum up, I will almost guarantee that you were mislead on the pay of this field. There are some directors, consultants, analysts, etc that get paid $80,000-$100,000 a year, but they are the exception and have at least a bachelors, if not a masters and have been in the field 10+ years.

As far as someone who only has a billing/coding certificate, the average pay is going to top out around $40,000-55,000. But, when you consider you only went to school for 8 months, that is not bad pay.

Again, this is just my personal opinion and what I have noticed with my 6 years in this field. I hope others will chime in and share their experience and knowledge as well.
 
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This field rewards experience, knowledge and dedication. The longer you have been in the field, the more experience and knowledge you have, the more money you will be compensated. With the current recession, high unemployment and the fact that EVERYONE is going back to school for healthcare, thus making competition for entry level jobs that much greater, most new coders are glad to get their foot in the door, to gain experience and eventually move up to better jobs and better pay, even if that means getting paid $11 anhour for a year, the eventual pay is usually worth it.

As far as auditing goes, no, you do not need a degree to audit medical records, you need at least 3 years experience and be well versed in E/M coding. That being said, if you want to become a consultant, or something similar to that, most employers would prefer you have a more well rounded HIM background (rather than just straight coding knowledge) and will probably prefer you have at least a RHIT/RHIA, and some will even want a Masters.

But to sum up, I will almost guarantee that you were mislead on the pay of this field. There are some directors, consultants, analysts, etc that get paid $80,000-$100,000 a year, but they are the exception and have at least a bachelors, if not a masters and have been in the field 10+ years.

As far as someone who only has a billing/coding certificate, the average pay is going to top out around $40,000-55,000. But, when you consider you only went to school for 8 months, that is not bad pay.

Again, this is just my personal opinion and what I have noticed with my 6 years in this field. I hope others will chime in and share their experience and knowledge as well.


8 months isnt something to sneeze at though. My friend is in x-ray tech school. She is expecting a starting wage of 20 bucks an hour.
Never expected 100k a year with an 8 month course
 
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The difference here is that while the starting wage may be the same as a "retail" job, the rewards are better and the advancement potential is much better. No 8 months of education is nothing to sneeze at, you cannot expect the same wage as someone with a Masters degree. This is not a get rich quick profession but it is a profession and not just a job. I do not know what you are being promised by the schools and such but you should always take those claims with a grain of salt. No employer is going to start untrain and limited experience persons at top dollar. Can you make a 6 figure income in this profession? Yes you can but you need lots of experience and you need to constantly update your knowledge to stay on top of the changing environment.
Now to your question as to does an inpatient coder make more than an outpatient coder , in most facilities I have found the answer to this is yes but most facilities will require a CCS certification for the inpatient side and a minimum of 5 years experience before you can get that higher wage. Inpatient coding is very different.
I had a very wise professor that once told me that pay is only a minor satisfier in any occupation, there are many other factors that determine if you are happy in what you do. I would rather have less pay and love my job than more pay and hate waking up in the morning to go to work. I am lucky inthat I listened to him and took the jobs that offered me the most satisfaction and from there I was able to work my way up quickly because I was happy and excelled. Now I have a job that I love and that pays extremely well. So I feel this was excellent advice. Look for something you can like because when you are happy in your job it come thru your work and the employer will notice and advancement will happen.
There are so many more opportunities once you begin, things you cannot get with a "retail" job. I would suggest that you take a leap and start working and enjoy.
 
Deb, good advice, as always.

She's right....this is not a get-rich-quick industry. The work is challenging, the work environment can be stressful and the demands change from day to day. That having been said, starting hourly wage for a brand new coder (CPC-A, with no experience or education beyond high school/coding school) is about $12.00 per hour. In New England, where we pay upwards of $4K per year just to heat our homes, this is barely a living wage. Experienced coders, with 10-20 years under their belts, with a bachelor's degree and auditing experience can expect to earn in the 50-60K range. Degrees are not required, but strongly preferred, due to the need for excellent communications skills and project management ability. I can tell you that coders who don't advance beyond back-end coding, who don't have a college education, or who don't continue to expand their coding knowledge will find themselves phased out of a coding job. In order to be successful, you must, must continue your education an take advantage of every learning opportunity possible. Good coders can carve out their own niche if they know what they want and how to go about getting it. At my facility, physician and inpatient coders make the same, depending on experience.

The biggest misconception about the coding field (other than the ads that say you can make 40K and work from home with only 8 months of training), is that this is a field that anyone can learn and be successful at. It takes a certain kind of person, with a particular set of skills to be able to do this work correctly and efficiently. It frequently takes a new coder several years to figure out that they're not going to be able to progress further than data entry and diagnosis coding. Those people are the ones who are going to be looking for a different line of work within the next few years.

A lot of the rewards with this kind of work are not linked to money. Coders can work fairly flexible schedules. The work is sedentary, meaning it's do-able for most anyone with physical limitations. It's intellectually stimulating, and interesting most of the time. The opportunities for ongoing education are endless. You can't buy that kind of job satisfaction.
 
Very well said Deb and Pam! You both hit the nail on the head with your comments. I appreciate and look forward to reading your posts on this forum because I always learn something I either didn't know or I may have forgotten but with this particular thread it really does bring home the fact that.

A. This not just a job, it's a career and the learning is endless, can be stressful at times but I wouldn't trade it for another ( unless it's retirement from winning the PA lottery)

B. It takes a special breed of people to do what we do and enjoy it. You are in control of your destiny, as certified coders we have so many differant avenues we can take, we don't have to be production coders we can be Practice Managers, Coding Managers/supervisors, chart audtiors, compliance auditors, billers, Accounts receivable managers , consultants, educators... the list goes on and on....

I can certainly say I am very happy with my current role, I think I'd even like to as some point get into other aspects but not just yet....

Again... thank you ladies for your words of wisdom and your plethora of knowledge to this forum, I'm grateful to be in the company of you all.
 
Deb, good advice, as always.

She's right....this is not a get-rich-quick industry. The work is challenging, the work environment can be stressful and the demands change from day to day. That having been said, starting hourly wage for a brand new coder (CPC-A, with no experience or education beyond high school/coding school) is about $12.00 per hour. In New England, where we pay upwards of $4K per year just to heat our homes, this is barely a living wage. Experienced coders, with 10-20 years under their belts, with a bachelor's degree and auditing experience can expect to earn in the 50-60K range. Degrees are not required, but strongly preferred, due to the need for excellent communications skills and project management ability. I can tell you that coders who don't advance beyond back-end coding, who don't have a college education, or who don't continue to expand their coding knowledge will find themselves phased out of a coding job. In order to be successful, you must, must continue your education an take advantage of every learning opportunity possible. Good coders can carve out their own niche if they know what they want and how to go about getting it. At my facility, physician and inpatient coders make the same, depending on experience.

The biggest misconception about the coding field (other than the ads that say you can make 40K and work from home with only 8 months of training), is that this is a field that anyone can learn and be successful at. It takes a certain kind of person, with a particular set of skills to be able to do this work correctly and efficiently. It frequently takes a new coder several years to figure out that they're not going to be able to progress further than data entry and diagnosis coding. Those people are the ones who are going to be looking for a different line of work within the next few years.

A lot of the rewards with this kind of work are not linked to money. Coders can work fairly flexible schedules. The work is sedentary, meaning it's do-able for most anyone with physical limitations. It's intellectually stimulating, and interesting most of the time. The opportunities for ongoing education are endless. You can't buy that kind of job satisfaction.

Pretty sure you can make 50k-60k in retial with a college degree as a manager...

Never thought it as a get rich scheme. I just FIGURED it would make me better off relative to previous jobs. Never excepted to make 100k a year with an 8 month certificate.


However, I don't think the 45k-50k range was an unreasonable expectation after maybe 3-4 years. You can make that in most careers easily.


I think this seems like it can potentially lead to a decent job. Just not as fast as I thoughy
 
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Also, I want to add. I am using medical coding as a way to fund my bachelors(have an AA in business admin). Anyway ya...

What is a good business degree that is oriented towards coding. I chose this because I didn't want to be poor as a student. I figure I might as well orient my education towards it.
 
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School,

Respectfully, your expectations are unreasonable. I have been in this field for 30 years and never made $45-50K until about six years ago. Since then, I have expanded my coding role and salary. It was a long, hard fight to get to the place I am today. I personally an AA degree in a related field.

Of note is that when my 24yo son was younger (and I was a single-mom) I chose to work closer to home, rather than a long commute both ways, so my salary in the rural area I lived in was lower than it may have been otherwise. The trade off for me at that point was way more important to be involved in my son's activities than drive time for bigger bucks. Even if I had driven to DC, my salary would not have been near the amount you are wanting to make in a couple of years. Unless you live in Los Angeles or some place like that, you are not going to make that kind of money.

Pam, Deb and Roxanne are correct, most long-term coders do this for the love of the profession, are passionate about what we do, and don't see it as a means to an end. It is also a never-ending education and having a thirst for knowledge. I love what I do and am very fortunate in that I get paid well for it, and have several other opportunities as well. It took many years of hard work, continuous education and research to get here. I don't regret a minute of it.
 
School,

Respectfully, your expectations are unreasonable. I have been in this field for 30 years and never made $45-50K until about six years ago. Since then, I have expanded my coding role and salary. It was a long, hard fight to get to the place I am today. I personally an AA degree in a related field.

Of note is that when my 24yo son was younger (and I was a single-mom) I chose to work closer to home, rather than a long commute both ways, so my salary in the rural area I lived in was lower than it may have been otherwise. The trade off for me at that point was way more important to be involved in my son's activities than drive time for bigger bucks. Even if I had driven to DC, my salary would not have been near the amount you are wanting to make in a couple of years. Unless you live in Los Angeles or some place like that, you are not going to make that kind of money.

Pam, Deb and Roxanne are correct, most long-term coders do this for the love of the profession, are passionate about what we do, and don't see it as a means to an end. It is also a never-ending education and having a thirst for knowledge. I love what I do and am very fortunate in that I get paid well for it, and have several other opportunities as well. It took many years of hard work, continuous education and research to get here. I don't regret a minute of it.

While I find your reasons for coding noble, I only care about getting education to increase my income.

http://www.job.com/my.job/jobdisplay/page=jobview/pt=2/key=118386206/

right there a job that pays 48k a year for a coder with 2-3 years experience.

from the source:
ED/OP Surgery Coder
Department: HIM Coders
Schedule: Full time - Hourly
Shift: Day shift
Hours: Variable days of the week
Salary: Grade 410, Range-Min $48, 527 compensation increases based on exp
Req. Number: 0350-12
Contact Information:

Job Details:
The OP Surgery Coder, as a member of the HIM coding team, this position functions as an mid level, experienced coder and is credentialed. Responsible for assigning diagnostic and procedural codes to outpatient surgery and observation accounts. Works with various computer applications in the abstracting and coding of patient records. Must be able interpret physician documentation and apply critical thinking skills. Complies with facility, federal and state policies and guidelines. Must have advanced knowledge of coding reimbursement issues with regards to APC assignment, medical necessity, NCCI, and Medically Unlikely Edits (MUEs). Adheres to the AHA's Official Coding Guidelines.
The ED Coder, as a member of the HIM coding team, this position functions as mid level coder and is a credentialed position. Responsible for assigning diagnostic and procedural codes to Emergency Department accounts and various clinics as assigned. Proficient in Infusion and Injection coding and modifiers. Responsible for analyzing charges and edits as related to Emergency Department services. Works with various computer applications in the abstracting and coding of patient records. Complies with facility, federal and state policies and guidelines. Adheres to the AHA's Official Coding Guidelines.
Minimum Education: High school degree plus college courses in health care related field or equivalent technical training in healthcare related field. CPC, CCS or RHIT or RHIA within one year.
Minimum Experience: At least 3 years acute care coding experience. Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 lbs of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body.

As you can see, I have provided a physical example of a job that:

a.) requires 2-3 years experience

b.) pays 45k-50k a year.

c.) only requires a CPC

Unless this is some sort of scam. I feel if jobs like these exist, why can't I obtain them? Seems reasonable to me.


http://kp.taleo.net/careersection/external/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=497440

There's another job in my area^
 
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While I find your reasons for coding noble, I only care about getting education to increase my income.


I respectfully suggest that this is probably not the field for you. As a hiring manager, I look for people who are passionate about the work, not people who need something to do in between paychecks. If money is that important to you, perhaps you shouldn't waste any more, and change your career direction right away. Just my opinion.
 
First of all, School, I take offense at "only needs a CPC." You obviously have no respect for the credential or what it takes to earn it and maintain it.

Where is this job located? And what is the cost of living there? Also, are you proficient at ED and OP coding, because OP specifically has way more guidelines, etc, than a physicians practice.

I agree with Pam, I don't believe this is the profession for you. It seems you thought this would be a "quick fix" (to tide you over until you get to your "real' profession) and apparently didn't do much research before becoming eduated as a coder. I wish you luck!
 
I respectfully suggest that this is probably not the field for you. As a hiring manager, I look for people who are passionate about the work, not people who need something to do in between paychecks. If money is that important to you, perhaps you shouldn't waste any more, and change your career direction right away. Just my opinion.

I need to develop a better additude.
 
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First of all, School, I take offense at "only needs a CPC." You obviously have no respect for the credential or what it takes to earn it and maintain it.

Where is this job located? And what is the cost of living there? Also, are you proficient at ED and OP coding, because OP specifically has way more guidelines, etc, than a physicians practice.

I agree with Pam, I don't believe this is the profession for you. It seems you thought this would be a "quick fix" (to tide you over until you get to your "real' profession) and apparently didn't do much research before becoming eduated as a coder. I wish you luck!

-I apologize if I came off as disrespectful. I didn't mean to come off that way.

-I am in no way devaluing the CPC. It's been a very hard credential for me to gain.

- I viewed it as a job that would provide me with valuable working experience as I continued my education.
 
In Michigan the starting coder's salary with CPC credentials is about 17/hr. so it does matter by region.
 
The problem is not initially the salary, it is actually getting a job as a coder when you first get out of school, that is when you really start feeling your investment is wasted. Guess I am disillusioned, I spent 15 years as an LPN in acute, long term care, & outpatient clinic, worked for an attorney dealing with Medicare & Medicaid for 7 years then decided to go to school to become a coder, graduated with honors, but can't get a job coding to save my life.
 
Check out April's edition of Coding Edge

A fellow coder/friend of mine told me she has an article that will be published in the next edition of Coder's Edge regarding " finding a job when you're newly certified". Brandi Tadlock wrote the article and I'm very anxious/excited to read it when it comes out.

I think it would benefit alot of us to read it, even if you are employed.

Good luck to you school and klhopp!
 
Advice Please

This field rewards experience, knowledge and dedication. The longer you have been in the field, the more experience and knowledge you have, the more money you will be compensated. With the current recession, high unemployment and the fact that EVERYONE is going back to school for healthcare, thus making competition for entry level jobs that much greater, most new coders are glad to get their foot in the door, to gain experience and eventually move up to better jobs and better pay, even if that means getting paid $11 anhour for a year, the eventual pay is usually worth it.

As far as auditing goes, no, you do not need a degree to audit medical records, you need at least 3 years experience and be well versed in E/M coding. That being said, if you want to become a consultant, or something similar to that, most employers would prefer you have a more well rounded HIM background (rather than just straight coding knowledge) and will probably prefer you have at least a RHIT/RHIA, and some will even want a Masters.

But to sum up, I will almost guarantee that you were mislead on the pay of this field. There are some directors, consultants, analysts, etc that get paid $80,000-$100,000 a year, but they are the exception and have at least a bachelors, if not a masters and have been in the field 10+ years.

As far as someone who only has a billing/coding certificate, the average pay is going to top out around $40,000-55,000. But, when you consider you only went to school for 8 months, that is not bad pay.

Again, this is just my personal opinion and what I have noticed with my 6 years in this field. I hope others will chime in and share their experience and knowledge as well.
From this post I see a lot of experienced coders on this thread. I am a new coder (CPC-A), and I think it is extremely hard to get into the field. Do you have any advice for the new coders? I have an AA in Business, I am 6 classes from a BA in Healthcare Administration, I have a certificate in Medical Billing and Coding, and I have worked for two large insurance carriers with a solid work history. However I am unable to get my start in the field. I am willing to start from the bottom up. I have applied for entry level jobs and those I don’t qualify for, and nothing. I am very positive about the whole thing, I believe that when an opportunity comes through I will appreciate it that much more. At times it is frustrating, any who do you ladies have any advice for the new coders?
 
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From this post I see a lot of experienced coders on this thread. I am a new coder (CPC-A), and I think it is extremely hard to get into the field. Do you have any advice for the new coders? I have an AA in Business, I am 6 classes from a BA in Healthcare Administration, I have a certificate in Medical Billing and Coding, and I have worked for two large insurance carriers with a solid work history. However I am unable to get my start in the field. I am willing to start from the bottom up. I have applied for entry level jobs and those I don’t qualify for, and nothing. I am very positive about the whole thing, I believe that when an opportunity comes through I will appreciate it that much more. At times it is frustrating, any who do you ladies have any advice for the new coders?

https://jobs-bannerhealth.icims.com/jobs/99578/job?mode=job&iis=&iisn=Indeed

Another job starting off at 17-18 bucks an hour in my area...


toping out at around 55k
 
Something to consider with these job postings you are seeing. Many organizations have job openings, they also have persons already employed that they want to move up into these positions, therefore they tailor the job qualifications to match this person's. They are required to post the opening, but really they have little or no interest in any of the applicants. They are also not interested in filling the vacancy the that will be created when they move this person up. This is a game that is played to comply with state and federal laws and maintain business expenses in this economy. I know this is part of it because I have been on that side and had to play the game that way.
You have to get inside an organization first befor you can go up, that means starting from the bottom, meaning probably minimum wage.
If you are able to grab an interview then explain what you will bring to the organization, what will they gain from hiring you. I got a job once even when in the interview I was told there was no position they could put me in, I then explained that I was there not for them to GIVE me a job, I was there to see what I could offer to them, this got me back in the door and all the way to the CEO where I was then hired into a position several paygrades higher than I was originally applying for.
 
Something to consider with these job postings you are seeing. Many organizations have job openings, they also have persons already employed that they want to move up into these positions, therefore they tailor the job qualifications to match this person's. They are required to post the opening, but really they have little or no interest in any of the applicants. They are also not interested in filling the vacancy the that will be created when they move this person up. This is a game that is played to comply with state and federal laws and maintain business expenses in this economy. I know this is part of it because I have been on that side and had to play the game that way.
You have to get inside an organization first befor you can go up, that means starting from the bottom, meaning probably minimum wage.
If you are able to grab an interview then explain what you will bring to the organization, what will they gain from hiring you. I got a job once even when in the interview I was told there was no position they could put me in, I then explained that I was there not for them to GIVE me a job, I was there to see what I could offer to them, this got me back in the door and all the way to the CEO where I was then hired into a position several paygrades higher than I was originally applying for.

Defiantly something to consider. However, these look like entry level positions:


Minimum Qualifications


Requires a high school degree or equivalent and specialized formal training equivalent to the two year certification course in medical record keeping principles and practices, anatomy, physiology, pathology, medical terminology, standard nomenclature, and classification of diagnoses and operations, or an Associate’s degree in a related health care field.

Must demonstrate a level of knowledge and understanding of ICD and CPT coding principles as recommended by the American Health Information Management Association coding competencies, and as normally demonstrated by certification by the American Academy of Professional Coders. Six months providing coding services within a broad range of health care facilities. Must be able to achieve an acceptable accuracy rate on the coding test administered by the hiring facility according to pre-established company standards.

Must be able to work effectively with common office software and coding software and abstracting systems.



Preferred Qualifications

Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) or Certified Professional Coder (CPC) in an active status with American Health Information Management Association or American Academy of Professional Coders is preferred. Will consider experience in lieu of certification/degree.

Additional related education and/or experience preferred.


As you can see it doesnt state an experience requirement. Hence, I assume it's entry level. If you want. I can go and call this employer and ask.



My teacher TOLD me 16 on the LOW end is the salary here. So, I don't think she was lying
 
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I will also chime in that all of the jobs you have posted appear to be acute care/inpatient/facility coding positions. On average, inpatient/facility coders tend to make more than outpatient/physician coders. So that might also be where some of the confusion is stemming from.

The last job you posted didn't seem to list required experience, it did say that you need DRG and APC experience. That is something that your new coder isn't going to have since that is usually not taught in most programs.

It also appears to be a level II trauma facility, and that is complex coding, that again, your average new grad will not be familiar with and most facilities prefer to hire someone who already has that experience.

Cordelia, CCS, CPC
 
I will also chime in that all of the jobs you have posted appear to be acute care/inpatient/facility coding positions. On average, inpatient/facility coders tend to make more than outpatient/physician coders. So that might also be where some of the confusion is stemming from.

The last job you posted didn't seem to list required experience, it did say that you need DRG and APC experience. That is something that your new coder isn't going to have since that is usually not taught in most programs.

It also appears to be a level II trauma facility, and that is complex coding, that again, your average new grad will not be familiar with and most facilities prefer to hire someone who already has that experience.

Cordelia, CCS, CPC


should I have gone for my CCS then? Do I need to work my way up into inpatient coding?
 
I will just say that the CCS is a VERY challenging test, it is meant to test a coders advanced skill set. The pass rate for first time test takers is less than half. Most new grads simply do not have the skill set. While some have passed, they are definitely the exception, not the rule.

Even if you are able to pass the CCS, you will still be lacking the required experience that most facilities are going to want.

Since this seems to be an area of coding you are interested in, I would suggest trying to find an outpatient facility position. This will allow you to get your foot in the door, gain experience and be able to move over to inpatient coding.

Cordelia, CCS, CPC
 
I will just say that the CCS is a VERY challenging test, it is meant to test a coders advanced skill set. The pass rate for first time test takers is less than half. Most new grads simply do not have the skill set. While some have passed, they are definitely the exception, not the rule.

Even if you are able to pass the CCS, you will still be lacking the required experience that most facilities are going to want.

Since this seems to be an area of coding you are interested in, I would suggest trying to find an outpatient facility position. This will allow you to get your foot in the door, gain experience and be able to move over to inpatient coding.

Cordelia, CCS, CPC

Should I go back for a degree in healthcare admin or healthcare information managment?

I have an AA that's good for 2 years at any 4 year college.
 
This has been a great thread and one very useful for an assignment our local college gives coding students during their first couple of weeks at school. Students are instructed to "do the research" to find out what MAY or may not be available concerning jobs and the payscale offered. It's a little off the subject but if the original poster "school_email" had presented this type of research as proof of what she had been doing to investigate the work possibilities, she would have been noted for the efforts. Wish more would do the research before taking the plunge. Whatever you end up deciding, school_email wish you the best of luck! ---Suzanne E. Byrum CPC
 
This has been a great thread and one very useful for an assignment our local college gives coding students during their first couple of weeks at school. Students are instructed to "do the research" to find out what MAY or may not be available concerning jobs and the payscale offered. It's a little off the subject but if the original poster "school_email" had presented this type of research as proof of what she had been doing to investigate the work possibilities, she would have been noted for the efforts. Wish more would do the research before taking the plunge. Whatever you end up deciding, school_email wish you the best of luck! ---Suzanne E. Byrum CPC

I''m a highly disapointed male

So, I did the research, I called the facilities...
 
Thanks for the "correction", after re-reading your posts it should have been obvious, sorry. You have received some excellent advice however. Consider and go with it! ---Suzanne
 
Salary of a medical coder is a JOKE

I too am very disappointed in my salary. Especially now that a multi million dollar company took us over. I make $12 an hour.....coding for multi specialties. NICE.

What was I thinking. Should have stayed as a developmental Aide.
 
In New England, starting pay for new coding assistants is between $12-15 per hour. Most staff coders make in the $17-25 per hour range. Auditors bring in salaries over $50K or higher, about $25-32 per hour.

More education is helpful; most coders I know of have at least an Associates' Degree, some have a BS. But overall, experience is a key factor.
 
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