The options for employment as a medical coder are enormously diverse. Nevertheless nearly all of them lead back to one place – a medical coding job with a medical clinic or hospital. Luckily, unless you live in the middle of nowhere, opportunities for medical coding jobs should be overflowing. For many years the demand for medical coders has greatly outweighed the supply. This is wonderful news for a new medical coder hunting for employment.

Medical coding is not as simple as it may sound; it’s more complex than just assigning numbers. A medical coder reads and interprets the medical records of patients in all types of health care facilities. They get hold of thorough information pertaining to diseases, injuries, surgical operations and other procedures. He then assigns codes using ICD-9-CM and CPT.

There are several ways to learn medical coding. People who are interested in medical coding can approach the career from diverse angles. Most of the ways to learn medical coding are flexible, facilitating people to work to support themselves while learning medical coding.

One way to learn medical coding is to work in a medical office and gain knowledge of medical coding through experience. You can start out with basic filing while familiarizing yourself and then gradually take on responsibilities. Once you’ve acquired enough expertise, you can go for a certification exam and pursue the profession of a medical coder.

Also, you can take up a home-study course, which are conducted at the student’s own pace. That apart, vocational schools, technical colleges, etc also offer courses in medical coding. Graduates of such programs sometimes have the upper hand as they can usually take the certification exam as soon as they become graduates.

Lastly, as a medical coding specialist, you need to be ready for continuing education after you’ve learned the ropes of medical coding. You also need to update yourself with the latest in the field as the codes keep changing. As such, some coders prefer to join a professional organization where they can reach out to educational materials, conferences, fellow medical coders and the like. But keep in mind that you can have access to these organizations only if you’re a certified coder.

There is plenty of room for everyone in healthcare occupations as long as they have the drive to achieve their dreams. Recruiters and employers are on a hiring spree, looking for qualified staff to better serve their patients and clients. This includes medical coders and billers, whose job is to see to it that healthcare providers get paid for the medical services they have provided in their community.

Medical coding career has a great future and possibilities. Hundreds of people have made it their lifelong career path. They work hand in hand with medical billers and allied health professional’s health insurance billing needs. Most of them get certified while some eventually start their own medical business from home.

To be a medical coder, you need to have certain skills. Coders need to work well with numbers and should have an eye for detail. While much of the job entails administrative tasks such as reviewing, processing and submitting medical claims, some interpersonal skills are required. Sometimes the coder may have to get hold of additional information from a physician or other medical provider in the office. What’s more, the coder may have to contact insurance companies regarding questions about claims.

To become a medical coder, you must have a high school diploma and pass an accredited program in medical coding. For instance, the AAPC offers accredited certification courses to achieve a CPC or other related credentials for coders. Normally the academy recommends completion of a medical terminology course and anatomy course prior to the medical coding course.

As with everything, a medical coding career will take time, effort and persistence. But if you put your mind to it, you’ll be able to master the skills you need within a short span of time.

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As a medical coder, you have to be constantly on the move, trying to get the latest medical coding update. If you feel you are not up to the mark as far as your coding is concerned, the best bet is signing up for an audio conference. Unlike the medical coding conferences where you need to travel the distance to take part, these audio conferences do not require you to be present at the venue as you can attend them from the comforts of your office or home.

At such a conference, a nationally-renowned coding expert will take you through a one-hour audio event which will provide you an overview of the most important coding information every healthcare professional should be aware of.

To add to it, these conferences will also provide you with knowledge that will help your organization and your relationship with your coding and billing staff. What's more, if you are eyeing a medical coding certification, such a conference will be of immense help to you.

An audio conference will tell you what needs to be coded, what are CPT, ICD-9 Codes and HCPCS codes and when and how coders should use them; what a claim looks like, provide you an introduction to ICD-10 and how it's going to affect the coding industry, and lots more.

Not only will you walk home with all the coding know-how, but also get to earn CEUs on attending such conferences. And if you happen to miss the conferences for some reason, you can always go for CDs and PDF transcripts so that you can train your staff as per your schedule.

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According to the Obama administration, health care reform will make "health care more affordable, make health insurers more accountable, expand health coverage to all Americans, and make the health system sustainable." With an increase in the size and prevalence of the health care system, it will mean higher work volume for today's medical coders.

Quality health care relies on the maintenance and accuracy of patient records.  With insurance coverage expected to greatly expand under health care reform, the role and importance of medical coders will greatly increase. In fact, their unique skills and training will play an important part in health care reform and ICD-10 coding as a whole. Will you be ready?

How Health Care Reform and ICD-10 Will Affect Your Career

Under the new plan, Americans will experience:

Increased Affordability: More affordable insurance plans will enable 32 million more Americans to obtain coverage, with the expectation that 95% of all Americans will be covered. Longer Dependent Coverage: Under the new plan, parents will be allowed to keep their children on their health plans until these dependents are 26 years old. No More Pre-Existing Conditions:  Health care reform will eliminate discrimination based on pre-existing conditions or medical history. If people haven't been able to get coverage because of a pre-existing condition, they will not be able to be denied covered in 2014. More Accurate Records: The implementation of the ICD-10-CM coding classification system will enable the U.S. to become compliant with the international coding system currently in use worldwide and provide a more accurate way to classify diagnoses, procedures, treatments, and more.

What does this mean for your medical coding career? The bottom line is that health care reform will greatly increase the number of insured Americans. Many families and businesses who currently can't afford insurance will have an avenue toward coverage. Plus, the ICD-10 coding system will revolutionize the way health information is classified – as there are new medical breakthroughs, there will be an effective way to capture and record this data.

Health care reform and ICD-10 will trigger significant changes in the medical coding industry. They will serve to pave the way for a greater need for trained medical coders. The increase in the number of insured individuals and claims, as well as the significant change in the data system, will mean more jobs and opportunities for coding professionals. You can be prepared by embarking on a new medical coding career or enhancing your existing skill set with ICD-10 training and professional certification.

Published by the American Medical Association (AMA), CPT is an acronym for Current Procedural Terminology. CPT medical coding is the explanation of a procedure identified with a five-digit code and descriptor nomenclature.

As the practice of health care changes, new codes find its way, existing codes get modified and unused codes get the axe. Thousands of codes are in use and they are updated every year. Basically there are three types of CPT codes – Category I CPT Code, Category II CPT Code for performance measurement and Category III CPT Code for emerging technology.

Plus points of CPT Coding in Medical Transcription:

• Easy to track. With CPT coding of medical files, it becomes extremely easy to track diseases and related diagnosis from a large database of records.
• Quicker analysis. Physicians and statistical organizations can search for simple to complex cases in no time and analyze them.
• Healthcare financing. CPT coding is used by all healthcare insurance companies to identify the accurate disease and offer reimbursement.
• Common codes. With precise coding of medical records, the information sharing among physicians, patients, surgeons, accreditation organizations, insurance companies and financial reimbursement organizations becomes consistent.

Understanding the CPT is particularly vital for employees of records, billing and insurance firms who don’t have any medical training but rely on their knowledge of the code. Proper knowledge of CPT coding can be an essential precondition to work in the healthcare field, even if it’s in an entry-level position in a doctor’s office. When you get a certificate in CPT medical coding, it can be a powerful credential and open the doors for you for a high-flying career in the healthcare sector.

The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC, www.aapc.com) held its 17th Annual National Conference last week, bringing nearly 2,000 coders and health care professionals to the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. The four-day education event included the AAPC's first-ever Anatomy Expo, more than 45 educational courses and a keynote presentation by three-time cancer survivor Matt Jones on winning strategies for the "race of life."

"We are thrilled with the turnout at this year's conference," said Reed Pew, AAPC CEO and president. "Despite the current economic landscape, coders and health care professionals nationwide recognize now, more than ever, the importance of current education. This conference kept our members updated on many topics."

New this year, the AAPC's Anatomy Expo invited conference attendees to roll up their sleeves and learn from the experts. Nine physicians–all experts in their fields–led the Expo, which provided attendees with an in-depth look into the different functions and parts of the body through the use of anatomical models, devices and videos. The three-hour event allowed attendees to rotate through different anatomy stations, including percutaneous interventions, pelvic and abdominal, colonoscopy and the heart, among others.

In his annual conference address, Pew discussed the state of the health care industry and its impact on conference attendees and the AAPC. He presented the AAPC's training plan for the transition to the new ICD-10-CM code set. The AAPC was instrumental in the Department of Health and Human Services' final rule on the Oct. 1, 2013 implementation date for ICD-10, as more than 60 percent of comments came from AAPC members. Related to ICD-10 training, Pew cautioned attendees to not "get sucked into getting individualized training too early because it can be very difficult to remember anything four years later." The AAPC's implementation plan includes organizational efforts beginning in early 2010 and code training for individuals beginning in 2012.

A new National Advisory Board was introduced at this conference as the AAPC bid a fond farewell to Deborah Grider (Indianapolis, Ind.) and installed Terry Leone (Palmyra, N.Y.) as the new president.

The AAPC's 2010 National Conference will be held June 6-9, 2010 in Nashville, Tenn., at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The AAPC is also hosting two regional conferences later this year:

    Hawaii Regional Conference, Oahu, Hawaii, Sept. 10-12, 2009     Virginia Regional Conference, Norfolk, Va., Oct. 8-10, 2009 More information about the AAPC's regional and national conferences is available on its Web site at http://www.aapc.com/conferences/index.aspx.

About the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
The AAPC (www.aapc.com) is the nation's largest medical coding training and certification association for medical coders. The AAPC provides credentials to medical coders in physician offices, outpatient facilities and payer environments. The certifications AAPC offers are Certified Professional Coder (CPC®), Certified Professional Coder – Hospital (CPC-H®) and Certified Professional Coder – Payer (CPC-P®), as well as 18 specialty-specific credentials and the Certified Interventional Radiology Cardiovascular Coder™ (CIRCC™) credential. These credentials represent the gold standard certifications for medical coding. AAPC provides a wide variety of benefits to its 76,500 members worldwide.

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The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC, www.aapc.com) introduced its new National Advisory Board (NAB) at the awards banquet of its annual national conference at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The NAB, comprised of 21 members, will serve from 2009 – 2011.

The role of the NAB is to advise AAPC leadership on coding and other health-related issues and questions while promoting and supporting the mission of the AAPC and the coding profession. The NAB works with the AAPC national office for the betterment of the medical coding community through active participation in local and nationally sponsored conferences, events, publications, educational programs and activities.

AAPC 2009 – 2011 National Advisory Board:
President
Terry Leone, CPC®, CPC-P®, CPC-I®, CIRCC™
Palmyra, N.Y.

President-Elect
Jonnie Massey, CPC®, CPC-P®, CPC-I®
Portland, Ore.

Secretary
Cynthia Stahl, CPC®, CPC-H®
Lebanon, Ind.

Member Relations
Julia Croly, CPC®
Chapel Hill, N.C.

AAPC Liaison
Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC®, CPC-I®, CENTC™, CGSC™, COBGC™, CPEDC™
Seneca Falls, Pa.

Region 1–Northeast
Donna SanGiovanni, CPC®, CASCC™
East Haven, Conn.
Beverly Welshans, CPC®, CPC-I®, CPC-H®
West Falls, N.Y.

Region 2–Atlantic
Janice G. Jacobs, CPC®
Dalton, Pa.
Jacqueline J. Stack, CPC®, CPC-I®, CEMC™, CFPC™, CIMC™, CPEDC™, CPC-P®
Oil City, Pa.

Region 3–Mid-Atlantic
Trina Cuppett, CPC®, CPC-H®
Newton, N.C.
Barbara Scott, CPC®
Bluffton, S.C.

Region 4–Southeast
David B. Dunn, MD, CIRCC™, CCC™, CPC-H®
Nashville, Tenn.
Robert A. Pelaia, Esq., CPC®
Jacksonville, Fla.

Region 5–Southwest
Marge Carney, CPC®, CGCS™
St. Louis, Mo.
Sandra Kunze, CPC®, CPC-I®, CPC-H®
Castroville, Texas

Region 6–Great Lakes
Kerin Draak, NP, CPC®, CEMC™
Suamico, Wisc.
Terri Scales, CPC®
Newburgh, Ind.

Region 7–Mountains/Plains
Melody S. Irvine, CPC®, CEMC™, CPC-I®
Loveland, Colo.
Julie A. Leu, CPC®, CPC-I®
Omaha, Neb.

Region 8–West
Corrie Alvarez, CPC®, CPC-I®, CEDC™
Northridge, Calif.
Stacie Hannah, CPC®, CPC-I®
Tacoma, Wash.

To be considered for a position on the NAB, applicants must be certified members of the AAPC and submit an application. Applicants must also submit a letter of recommendation from a current officer in their local AAPC chapter.

About the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
The AAPC (www.aapc.com) is the nation's largest medical coding training and certification association for medical coders. The AAPC provides credentials to medical coders in physician offices, outpatient facilities and payer environments. The certifications AAPC offers are Certified Professional Coder (CPC®), Certified Professional Coder – Hospital (CPC-H®) and Certified Professional Coder – Payer (CPC-P®), as well as 18 specialty-specific credentials and the Certified Interventional Radiology Cardiovascular Coder™ (CIRCC™) credential. These credentials represent the gold standard certifications for medical coding. AAPC provides a wide variety of benefits to its 76,000 members worldwide.

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