Medical Coding and Billing - Columbia,SC

If you are going to do this, see if you can have a job lined up before you start. My cousin checked into this and it was very expensive and not that many places hiring so she decided not to do it. Good luck.

Hi there.
I know a couple girls that just did this and they can't find a job. I would suggest checking out jobs in your area and make sure there is a need before investing school.
:)

I love what I do but yes it's hard to find jobs in the field right now for people without actual experience. And most of us don't consider the things you learn in these programs to be of much help. And this job is definitely not for everyone! If you like super minute detail work, have a great memory, can majorly multitask, and are okay with sitting at a desk most of the day typing away, keep looking into it, by all means. But I agree with checking for the need in your area first.

None of our coders had any formal training. They learned as they went. Some offices require it, others don't. It is considered a violation of HIPAA to allow charts to be taken home so I doubt you will be able to work from home.

Although we do not allow it here, there are still transcriptionists that work from home.

There is one major problem with this: For coding, billing and transcription, employers want someone with experience. So you have to find an entry-level spot to gain this experience.

Entry level coding, billing and transcription jobs simply don't exist in this economy.

I'd suggest you look elsewhere, sorry!

I've worked in hospitals and in medical complexes. All the coders and billers I know work on-site. Many are contracted through other companies, but use space in the medical or hospital offices. The hospital coders actually work in a small office that they can close the door and shut themselves off from everyone else because the work is so tedious. Especially the coding. You have to know the difference in a tumor X size (or above or below) making the difference in how the removal procedure is coded. You have to know the difference in coding a lateral view of an x-ray as opposed to another.
I know very intelligent women who do it and they basically spend time in quiet offices while they concentrate on nothing else. The billing coders are the same way. They do billing codes based on the procedure codes.
They sit long hours at a time.

I personally could never be happy sitting that long with little interaction, but some people are cut out for it.

I would call hospitals and local medical offices to ask what their requirements are and if they are hiring. That might give you an idea of whether or not this is something for you or something you can even do at home.
None of my coders worked from home. They logged in from the facilities they occupied and reported to the companies they were contracted from.
Their hours and "productivity" were strictly monitored, all by computer and punching in at the facility they occupied.

This is just my experience. It may be possible, but I don't know anyone in the profession who works from home. You have to be able to access the software and due to HIPAA privacy laws, many companies won't allow that access at someone's home.
It's not a bad job at all, I don't mean to say that.
But, none of the medical professionals in my area use coders or billers from home, mainly for security purposes.

Best wishes.