Nurses. Physicians' assistants. Ultrasound technicians. Surgical technologists. Nurse's aides. All have had openings, and all entail working directly with patients.
What if you want to ride the health-care growth train but are more comfortable in an office than an operating room?
Health information management might be for you, and a job as a medical coder might be the place to start.
Medical coders serve as a bridge between doctors and insurance companies. Typically, they read the doctor's notes and other medical records and translate the diagnosis and services such as exams, operations and X-rays into a standard form that insurance companies recognize. As such, coders play a crucial role in making sure doctors and other health professionals get paid for their services.
In fact, coder William Levine recalls that when a hospital he worked for decided to cut staff, his department was spared.
His explanation: "The bills don't drop until we code them."
Coders work the other side of the street, too, reviewing doctors' payment requests for insurance companies.
Some in the field do only coding, while others take on additional tasks in a doctor's office or other medical business. Even with formal training, many coders start out at a small medical practice or in a non-coding job because bigger employers consider some experience essential.
Perhaps as a result, starting wages are only $10 to $11 an hour, but experienced workers average closer to $18, according to state statistics. South Florida wages may be higher, starting around $12 an hour and going up to $22, said Christine Dundas, coordinator of Miami Dade College's medical coder-biller training program.
Working as a coder requires attention to detail, a knack for researching and analyzing information and a willingness to adapt to the fast-changing world of health care.
Some coders learn entirely on the job, while others take classes. Levine completed a 26-credit certificate at Palm Beach Community College. A similar program is available at Miami Dade College, among others, and both schools also offer associate's degrees in health information management.
Selwyn Brathwaite hopes to combine what he's learning in the MDC associate's degree program with his experience as a computer programmer to capitalize on opportunities in the national push to computerize health records, which the federal government is helping to fund.
Ruth Vasquez, who completed MDC's coder-biller certificate, went on to get a master's degree in health-care administration and now works as operations director for an urgent-care clinic, supervising 11 people.
"I'm super happy," said Vasquez, who ran her own medical billing company and taught part-time at Miami Dade before taking her current job.
"It's definitely not a career where you will ever stop learning."
___
(c) 2010, The Miami Herald.
Visit The Miami Herald Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.herald.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Related Reads:
[widget:related_reads__workplace_skills]
_____
PHOTO (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. 1083194
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
Hot Jobs: Medical Coders Are in Great DemandOriginally from: http://www.nursinglink.monster.com/news/articles/9423-hot-jobs-medical-coders-are-in-great-demand
View this post on my blog: http://travelnursesuccess.com/hot-jobs-medical-coders-are-in-great-demand-2
No comments:
Post a Comment