flynn043

A lot of schools will tell you all about their coding programs, but what they may not tell you is what the local job market looks like. And as more and more distance education schools pop up, it becomes your responsibility to find out if there is a need for coders in your area. While it is true that there is a national coder shortage, there is no guarantee that coders are needed in the geographic location where you currently reside. So how badly do you want to be a coder? Are you willing to move somewhere else if there aren’t positions close to you? Where the Job Postings Are The initial research is simple. Check local and national job postings. This may mean going to a variety of sources, such as the local newspaper, AHIMA, AAPC, and employer job listings. Don’t expect to find a whole lot in the newspaper ads (although smaller physician practices still use newspapers to post positions), since there are many professional job listing sites and coding positions are ...

The thing I like best – and sometimes least – about coding is that it is a dynamic field. If you want to learn a trade that will stay the same, this isn’t it. But if you love to learn new things all the time and can adjust to the ever changing coding and reimbursement rules and guidelines, you may just find coding to be your passion. Like any trade that is highly technical and subject to change, there are trade publications that you should be reading. And you should start as soon as you’ve made the decision to become a coder – even if you don’t understand everything you’re reading at first. The Basics So what should be on your reading list? Let’s start with the basics for the job. Of course you need the latest version of any and all of the codebooks for the health care setting in which you work. For most of us, this list includes ICD-9-CM, CPT, and HCPCS Level II. And yes, you need the current year. While not all of the codes change annually, some of the changes can be sign...

As Past President of the Northern Colorado Health Information Management Association (NCHIMA), I am currently in possession of the association’s archives dating back to 1960. On August 7, I was asked to give a presentation chronicling our association’s history. I’m sure that many people would look at 40 years of archives (which had been neatly thinned and organized by a former board member) as tedious and intimidating, but I found the process enthralling. The issues of the day, the speakers’ topics, and the sense of community as well as seeing the names of “new” professionals in the meeting minutes who would later become industry leaders and mentors, left me so excited I was, at times, actually shaking with enthusiasm (this is a common side effect of being a super-coder-geek!). On more than one occasion, I picked up the phone and called my mom, a veteran HIM-er, and told her about all the treasured tidbits I had found. But with all my enthusiasm, I was worried. Worried that...

I know I've been slacking and haven't posted anything in a couple of weeks, but more is coming this week, I promise!

A few months ago I held a forum for wanna-be coders and much of my presentation was devoted to hospital versus physician coding. By the time I was done, I had several people asking me how to choose between the two. This is an excellent question and one that you need to decide right off because how you proceed with joining organizations and networking will be impacted. First off, not everyone has the skill it takes to be a coder. I have, unfortunately, met and attempted to train a lot of people who just “don’t get it.” Coding requires a great deal of attention to detail that can be tedious to a lot of people. It’s also detective work – once you have all the details, then you need to be able to assemble them and make sense of them. And because these details come from medical record documentation, coders must understand medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and disease process. What Makes a Good Coder? The first question to ask yourself is, do I meet the follo...