Medical coding job

[berklynn]

My wife will retire from teaching next year and wants to continue working for a few more years. (We are both 60) She is considering learning Medical Coding online with hopes of working part time at home.
Can anyone chime in on this career? (EG salary, full time vs part time, job
prospects) As a RN I don't know much about Coding jobs.

 

[Senator]

Most online learning, "work from home" careers are scams. The rest are so low paid, she would be better off doing babysitting for a few hours. She can do that when she wants, and can make more money.

After all, she is already a baby sitter. Tutoring, writing papers for college students, etc. may all be ways to leverage her teaching skills without any investment and a steep learning curve.

It doesn't hurt to learn. And if she just wants to just keep busy, go for it. Just do not expect to make much money.

 

[Jerry1]

It's not totally a scam, but it's not work that's actually available. What is done from home, at least in the past, is coding for small doctor practices. Now, most practices are large and use software and/or vendors (large companies) to do the work. Hospitals generally do not outsource coding as it is part of their revenue maximization process to ensure that their coding is at the highest level legally possible.

On top of that, it's one of those areas where you need experience before anyone wants to work with you. Since the latest coding came along (ICD-10), it is more complicated and the opportunity that comes with a new set of rules (everyone's learning) has already past.

Have her look into case management if she want's to continue working. No education required if she's been a practicing RN. She'll just need some basic training on the specifics. Both healthcare providers and insurers use and need case managers and it is certainly something that can be done from home.

 

[misshathaway]

It's not totally a scam, but it's not work that's actually available.

I used to work in medical billing with coders, but I was in IT. There was a fair amount of communication between the coders and doctors to make sure coding was generating the highest revenue that was accurate. It takes experience.

My friend is a coder for a hospital in a very specialized area of medicine so she knows all the codes that are most efficient for reimbursement, and which doctors are careless procedure documenters that she has to monitor more. She works from home 4 out of 5 days a week, but she has 20 years experience at the same hospital. Her cousin, seeing this gravy train, went to coding school, and last I heard she still does not have a coding job.

 

[tmm99]

My friend went to some kind of school for it when she was changing her career in her mid life. She got a job as one for a short time, but she decided it wasn't her thing. That she wanted more social interaction. She obtained a RE license after that, and she sold houses for about two decades. This may be an OK job for many.

As the the OP, I wonder if there are online tutoring jobs via Skype? I might look into something like that if I had teaching credentials. I think I have seen a few jobs like that on indeed.com.

 

[Koolau]

It's always been my opinion that if you NEED to w*rk, you should continue doing what you are currently doing. If you just want to w*rk, find something you love to do. Medical coding doesn't sound like anything that anyone would want to do, but what do I know. YMMV

 

[sengsational]

Clark Howard has a guide that lists the legit WFH opportunities. Most will not earn you too much money, but some are legit.