Is coding a viable career choice right now?

[sgeorge10]

Hi everyone, I'm looking into some different education options, and am wondering if medical coding is a good career choice? I've had some people tell me that it is nearly impossible to find a job after graduating. Is this true? Or is it just a matter of having to apply some elbow grease?

[geargirl113]

I went to school for medical billing about three years ago now. I had heard the same thing about it being difficult to get a job. I found that with some hard work and using the resources that the school I attended gave me, I did get a job, outside of the house.

It was not a top coding job like I had wanted at first, but it was medical billing, After putting in a year there, I was able to get a job at the company that I am with now. I know that there are places hiring (at least for outside of the house employment). I have trained 4 new hires in the last three months that have been out of school for less then 3 months for my current employer.

[VirtuousT]

I have a friend that is coding at home and makes pretty good money. But she has to code a certain number of cases per week. (I think that's the right term) Anyway, the company provided her with a computer and internet equipment in her home. She has her own internet carrier but they reimburse her for it. She seems to be happy. She's a fast coder and can get a lot done in a short period of time. She reaches her quota pretty quickly.

Best Wishes,

V

[tomboard]

hi this is tom
Medical billing and coding is definitely safer. Therese a pretty big demand for it now and no matter where you go you’ll find a job like that.Writing seems more like a crap-shoot. You could end up doing well off but you could also end up working in fast food or something. Therese less education involved in medical coding and billing too so you don’t have to go to school forever.

[Freebies4Real]

coding is a very good thing to start learning! The way the world is now, most of everyone has a computer and all they do is search the web so, if you learn coding you can have people pay you to code their site or you can code your own website.

[wahmt]

Originally Posted by Freebies4Real

coding is a very good thing to start learning! The way the world is now, most of everyone has a computer and all they do is search the web so, if you learn coding you can have people pay you to code their site or you can code your own website.

Are you a paid forum poster? Did you even read the initial post or pay attention to the title of this folder (MEDICAL and LEGAL coding). I think with "coding" you're very loosely referring to computer code, as in programming. The original poster is asking about medical coding (assigning numerical codes to medical documents for insurance and billing purposes).

While I'm here, I might as well answer. With the transition to electronic medical records, I'd speculate that medical coding would be a viable career option. The thing is with any field, you will always have some segment of people who claim it is impossible to get a job, but overall, I think they're the type of people who would have difficulty securing employment regardless of the field they chose. Now, when you graduate you might not get your dream job first off, but I wouldn' be discouraged from pursuing a field based on a few naysayers.

[reliablemom]

I found my 1st coding job 10 months after graduating from Career Step. I passed the CPC Exam in November 2010. I was blessed to find a Remote Coding Opportunity through AHIMA job board who was hiring graduates and coders who are new to the field. You definitely have to do a lot of research, testing, and interviewing before you find the right match. Hope that helps!

[Cindy52]

I think there will always be a need for coders. I have/had owned my own business for the past 17 years and I just lost my largest contract of 12 years, due to them transitioning to electronic records. So the transcription portion of my business ended November 30th.

As far as coding, I have been doing that for over 20 years and even if the facility goes electronic medical record keeping, someone will have to code it at the least. The next hurdle is convincing the company they are saving money by outsourcing it to you.

I'm actually looking for a virtual job at the present. I have a daughter that is 11 so would like to be able to continue working from my home while she is still in school.

Just my two cents

Cindy

[still learning]

This has been very good for me to read for me i am doing the research to go to coding school..i wll be sure to look for a school that may have job placement..

[cconnor]

Thanks for all the info given on this post, I don't think it's for me right now though.

Good luck to all of you!

Chris
thinkgreen4laundry.com