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A Career as a Medical Transcriptionist [2008-09-09]
You’ve very likely heard of someone who is making a good living as a medical transcriptionist. He or she might even be working from the comfort of their home. And you’ve probably asked yourself if this might be a career option for you.
It may well be. Let’s take a look at the facts.
What exactly is medical transcription? In the course of their work, doctors and other healthcare professionals make dictated recordings of various things including physical examination observations, patient history, operative reports, referral letters, discharge summaries, observations regarding imaging data and so on.
A medical Transcriptionist listens to these recordings and transcribes them into medical reports, correspondence, etc. She listens to a segment of recording, pauses the playback and keys in what is said before moving on to the next segment. She may do some editing for better grammar and clarity.
The transcribed document is sent back to the health care provider who then reviews it for accuracy and gets it signed. These documents become part of the patient’s medical history records and perhaps insurance records.
Many distance education programs, colleges and vocational schools offer post-secondary training in medical transcription. Having a degree is not essential. With a home-study course, you can usually pick up the necessary knowledge within a year, often in less than nine months.
You can find work in hospitals, laboratories, physician’s offices, firms offering transcription services, government medical facilities and so on. Working from home is also a possibility and many employers offer work-at-home options for transcriptionists. Apart from that, many individuals work as independent contractors.
What equipment would you need, if you wanted to do medical transcription at home? Not very much -- a computer with a medical spellchecker, printer, a transcriber and reference books are about all you need. To help you save on the actual typing, a word Expander utility might help. If you are on a tight budget, buy second hand equipment will do just as well.
Medical transcription work does call for certain skills and mindset. Apart from basic computer skills, you must be detail oriented. If detail work bores you to tears, this might not be the career for you.
You must know typing, although speed will come with practice. You should also have excellent listening skills and grammar skills.
If you’re planning to work from home, it is essential to be comfortable with working alone and meeting deadlines. You must be a self-starter who can work consistently without being driven by a boss.
For More Visit our sites
With Best Regards
Linda
Re: Medical Coding Career [2008-04-24]
I was in your same shoes a couple years ago. Newly single mom of three young kids - one with a disability - and nursing school was no longer possible. Thatt finishe yet, but I am already coding for a clinic. I started there as a receptionit and when they found out what I was in school for I kept getting asked to fill out forms needing codes. More and more later, I am now being transitioned into a billing/coding position, and am able to flex some of my position from home. Plus, since it is work related, my employer will pay for my books, certification exam fee. My advice for newcomers to the field is to get a job at least part time at a clinic, privte doctors office somewhere. That's where most coders I know, and myself, have gotten their foot in the door. And it is well worth it in the end.
Medical coding career is better than MT [2008-04-01]
For those MT's who are planning to get in to medical coding, i would like to say that medical coding is far better career than MT.
I was a MT for two years and then switched to coding. I feel like jumping into a heaven. Moneywise, coding is 10 times better than MT. The job is cool and once you finish your training and OJT period, then everything becomes fine. So go for coding.
Job prospects are good. There is huge shortage of medical coders in US. Also, coders are required in Pharma industry and Clinical Research, so growth prospects are also good.
for more info on medical coding check http://medicalcodingindia.blogspot.com/
Career Step [2008-02-24]
I It is worth it or should I somewhere else?
meditech vs career step [2007-11-13]
I have taken the Career Step course and was not very impressed with it. Took the course through a vocational school with no real instructor to answer questions. Career Step does offer class online....but would seriously look at closely before enrolling.
meditech vs career step [2007-11-05]
Which of these seem to be better. I would like to pursue coding and billing opportunities. I currently am a Transcriptionist and interested in cross training. Which schools are better equiped to help pass the exam? I checked out both but need some help in determining which one is better. Please any advice would be appreciated. Thank you...
career step [2007-03-23]
I'm currently taking the course. You can work at your own pace and if you have problems in certain areas you can work on the subject matter as many times as you need to master the information. There is a lot a subject material that you cover, so take a lot of notes.
U.S. Career Institute in Colorado [2006-08-03]
Anyone taken the Billing Specialist course from thie school? Any advice if so. Thanks
Love it / Hate it [2008-11-03]
I am a codercertified with AHIMA and AAPC. Coding really is straight forward. If the information is there you code it. If the physician doesn't document clearly then you send a query. The coding guidelines guide you to what can or cannot be coded.
Remember to take things one step at a time. Review the guidelinesand write everything down. Thiswill make coding much easier for you.
What is the "typical" day for an inpatient coder like? [2008-10-23]
I'm at the beginning stages of investigating hospital-based coding as a career, and I'm just trying to get a feel for what the job is like before I sign up for some expensive schooling (although so far, it all sounds fascinating).
I Do you always have a stack of manualsto consult, or is there specialized software you access in order to enter the codes? How do you know what documents to access? How long was it before you first felt competent at your job? Assuming I start school in January, what can I be studying beforehand to get a headstart (I have the medical terminology down, and IP course).
I'm currently taking a diploma course for medical coding and billing... Here are the books I am u [2008-10-22]
Step-By-Step Medical Coding by Carol J. Buck
Step-By-Step Medical Coding Workbook by Carol J. Buck
Insurance Handbook for the Medical Office by Marilyn T. Fordney
Insurance Handbook for the Medical Office Student Workbook by Marilyn T. Fordney
The Language of Medicine by Davi-Ellen Chabner
Quick Guide to HIPAA for the Physician's Office
Mosby's Medical, Nursing, & Allied Health Dictionary by Elsevier Mosby
CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) by AMA (American Medical Association)
ICD 9 CM (I believe the ICD 10 has come out but I haven't gotten that one yet)
ICD 9 CM stands for International Classification of Diseases 9th revision Clinical Modification
by PMIC
HCPCS ( Health Care Procedure Coding System)
National Level II Medicare Codes by PMIC
Like I said I am currently enrolled in a colege course for medical billing/coding, and will be recieving a diploma and these are all the books I have needed (for the coding part, I have also had anatomy, pycology, and several other regular courses, but the above books are all I needed for the coding parts)
I hope this info helps! I wish I knew you didn't have to go to school for it, I would have saved $2500o, well minus the prices for the books. From what I have been reading recently all you need to do is be able to pass the certification test, so you should be able to teach your self with these books!
A Career as a Medical Transcriptionist [2008-09-09]
You’ve very likely heard of someone who is making a good living as a medical transcriptionist. He or she might even be working from the comfort of their home. And you’ve probably asked yourself if this might be a career option for you.
It may well be. Let’s take a look at the facts.
What exactly is medical transcription? In the course of their work, doctors and other healthcare professionals make dictated recordings of various things including physical examination observations, patient history, operative reports, referral letters, discharge summaries, observations regarding imaging data and so on.
A medical Transcriptionist listens to these recordings and transcribes them into medical reports, correspondence, etc. She listens to a segment of recording, pauses the playback and keys in what is said before moving on to the next segment. She may do some editing for better grammar and clarity.
The transcribed document is sent back to the health care provider who then reviews it for accuracy and gets it signed. These documents become part of the patient’s medical history records and perhaps insurance records.
Many distance education programs, colleges and vocational schools offer post-secondary training in medical transcription. Having a degree is not essential. With a home-study course, you can usually pick up the necessary knowledge within a year, often in less than nine months.
You can find work in hospitals, laboratories, physician’s offices, firms offering transcription services, government medical facilities and so on. Working from home is also a possibility and many employers offer work-at-home options for transcriptionists. Apart from that, many individuals work as independent contractors.
What equipment would you need, if you wanted to do medical transcription at home? Not very much -- a computer with a medical spellchecker, printer, a transcriber and reference books are about all you need. To help you save on the actual typing, a word Expander utility might help. If you are on a tight budget, buy second hand equipment will do just as well.
Medical transcription work does call for certain skills and mindset. Apart from basic computer skills, you must be detail oriented. If detail work bores you to tears, this might not be the career for you.
You must know typing, although speed will come with practice. You should also have excellent listening skills and grammar skills.
If you’re planning to work from home, it is essential to be comfortable with working alone and meeting deadlines. You must be a self-starter who can work consistently without being driven by a boss.
For More Visit our sites
With Best Regards
Linda
B & C online [2008-08-04]
Career Step offers an online coding course. They offer their MT grads job placement assistance - they probablydo the same for coding students.
This is not true [2008-08-02]
Your advisor gave you bad information.
First of all, the RHIT credential is not specifically for coding. It's for health information technology in general.
You can and should sit for the RHIT credential immediately after you graduate. Passing that exam does not depend on experience in coding. You should be able to pass it with just what you learned in school. It is an ENTRY LEVEL exam. In fact, the longer you wait, the worse your score will be because you'll forget what you learned.
The AHIMA coding exams, i.e., the CCS, CCS-P, are mastery level exams. AHIMA recommends that you have 2 years of experience before taking them, but it's only a recommendation. Their certification communicates only that you know the material. Students from some coding programs are able to pass them without experience.
The American Association of Professional Coders, however, REQUIRES two years of experience before they will grant the full certification. You can TAKE the exam at any time before that, but you'll get a temporary certification which indicates that you do not have the experience. Their certification communicates to employers and clients that you not only know the material, but that you have significant experience, as well.
If you are considering a career change, get the information you need directly from the source. Don't pass up an excellent career opportunity based on some nonsense spouted by someone at a school who has no more clue than a rabbit about what you intend to study.
Don't take advice given by people, either. Find out the truth for yourself. Both certifying organizations' websites explain exactly what you need to do. www.ahima.org and www.aapc.com
B & C Schools [2008-07-30]
What are the best B Cschools online? I was thinking about US Career Inst. but got a bad comment on it. Any recomendations
rhit [2008-06-21]
It just seems to make sense for a Transcriptionist to venture into HIM, but the problem is there are so many peolple I am hearing who are having a terrible getting an entry-level position in the field. Most people can ill afford to waste several years out of their life in education and come out without a job or one that pays the same as working as a bank teller, which requires no advanced education. I realize in most fields one must pay their dues and make lower pay in entry level positions but what I am hearing is pretty low pay if you can even get the foot on the door and find an entrylevel job. Those coders making really good money seem to have many years of experience and are not entry level.I suppose if one has a good second income you might be able to wait it outuntil someone gave you ashot and makeverly little while paying dues. Just asI supecta fewlucky peole fall in to good paying entry level positions. There are always exceptions but what a gamble considering what most are saying.
Outsourcing/Offshoring is another definite concern. Look what it has done to transcription. Ten years ago I easly could get a good hourly wage in a hospital with benefits. Now not one hospital in my area has onsite transcription. I for one will run like the wind from any job/career that pays production pay. To me it If I bust hump I can make more than the hourly wages I was once offered right now, but afer years of thatit is an exhausting lifestyle for the sole breadwinner in a famiy working full time that way.
Also my goodness what career do you know that pays people this way?. It.You have to wonder who started the trend AND why on Earth transcriptionists accepted it. Understood the possbility of more money but you are essentially dooming yourself to sweat shopt like menatlity and value of quantity over quality when the field decided to go this way. My concerns with coding going the same path and I can see already there is some outsourcing and offshorting there already.
billing [2008-06-17]
I graduated from Us career insitute. It was a great program. I am looking for work from home.
That book is worthless... Sm [2008-06-16]
I really hate having to break the news to you, but after you finish with this book, you will in no way be prepared to transcribe anywhere. I know this because I took a course from a techonology school and they utilized this book. After finishing the course, I went and tested for a local transcription company and total BOMBED the test. I was horribly embarrassed. So, I enrolled at Everett Community College and took the Career Step course through there. Nine months later after completing the course, I went back to the same transcription company and aced the test with 100%. I was offered a job that day. This was about 4 years ago, maybe they have changed some things in that book, but I know from my experience with it. It wasn I don I wish you the very best in your endeavors.
Good luck to you!
Rhit vs strictly coding [2008-06-12]
I have asked this question a few times but have not gotten any responses.so thought I would try again.
I am considering going for RHIT degree and later for RHIA. I have been scared off the HIM field a bit by a lot of people who have found it difficult to find entry-levels positions in coding. However, it was my understanding that RHIT enabled one to do more than just coding, that while entry-level coding was taught other opportunities such as cancer registry and release of information were also incluced in RHIT curriculum.
My question is then is it easier to break into the HIM field with RHIT degree rather just coding certification and looking for only coding positions?
This would bea career change for me. I am 40 and have been a MT for 10 years. I need to have more stable income and benefits than MT is providing asI am a single parent.
My concerns for coding is also off shoring. Is coding going to go eventually the way of MT in your opinions?
I am not sure I should be investing time and money into this course if I cannot find an entry-level position or if the field is outsourced/off-shored such as MT has done, left people either without a job or jobs with reduced pay and benefits.
Thanks and I really would like some insights. Please respond on boards or privately.
rhit [2008-05-16]
It seems a lot of people have a hard time breaking into coding. Does having a RHIT and then possibly going on to RHIA make you more marketable? I am 40 and don I have considered clincal work (PTA or RN) but as a single Mom with a disabled child these types of programs would be a real hardship on my family (we have a mortgage and going to school full-time for 2years isn An RHIT and then RHIA proram seems feasible and a good transition for an experienced MT but really wonder if there are jobs available. I am in econmically crunched Michigan as well. Please would love some responses.
Re: post from Maria [2008-05-10]
I see both part-time (and prn) and full-time jobs for coders; and good that you coding career courses - be aware! Good Luck
Medical coding career is better than MT [2008-04-01]
For those MT's who are planning to get in to medical coding, i would like to say that medical coding is far better career than MT.
I was a MT for two years and then switched to coding. I feel like jumping into a heaven. Moneywise, coding is 10 times better than MT. The job is cool and once you finish your training and OJT period, then everything becomes fine. So go for coding.
Job prospects are good. There is huge shortage of medical coders in US. Also, coders are required in Pharma industry and Clinical Research, so growth prospects are also good.
for more info on medical coding check http://medicalcodingindia.blogspot.com/
I think you should go with the online course at AHIMA [2008-03-31]
AHIMA (http://www.ahima.org)is the accrediting agency for medical coding courses, i.e., if your course is not approved by AHIMA, your certificate is probably not worth the paper it is printed on. That doesn't mean that you won't be qualified or won't get work as a coder, but you may as well go with the AHIMA course if you haven't already started with Career Step. (I didn't see Career Step on the approved list.) You can also get certified online with the AHIMA course after you finish the course. As with any coding course, completion of the course does not mean you are certified. You have to take a test for that.
MT Training [2008-03-09]
Career Step is just as good for transcription training and it is cheaper.
Medical Coding [2008-03-05]
Can anyone help me out getting material for coding certification? I have been in the field of Transcription for 4 years and I want to get a coding certification and want to shift my career to medical coding.
Medical Coding [2008-03-05]
Can anyone help me out getting material for coding certification? I have been in the field of Transcription for 4 years and I want to get a coding certification and want to shift my career to medical coding. Please mail me to vijaydharur@yahoo.co.in if you have anything to help me out in this regard
MT schools [2008-02-25]
Career Step is good. I took their coding course, and it was tough but very good. I graduated from M-Tec Inc. for transcription. I did the research, and nationally there are really only three online programs that are worth anything. If you graduate from one of them, you will have no problem finding a transcription job. Those three are Andrews, M-Tec, andCareer Step. M-Tec has a wonderful Career Opportunity Council that keep you hooked up with jobs that come up for the rest of your life. I am not sure if the other companies have this feature. Career Steps coding course is very good. I passed the CPC test on the first try. Hope to be working doing both coding and transcription from home. yogagirl
Career Step [2008-02-24]
I It is worth it or should I somewhere else?
CareerStep [2007-12-26]
I graduated from Career Step last May and took the CPC test and passed on the first try. I am retiring from my current job in June and will be seeking a coding position. I work from home as an MT and went into coding hoping to make more $. From what I can tell, it is difficult getting your foot in the door with the coding. I am planning on doing an internship with our local hospital next summer in hopes that it may lead to something. If not, I will at least have some experience. I also am signing up with temp agencies. I was told by one local one, that they get requests for coders almost every day. I do believe that working in a hospital setting my increase your chances of getting into coding because they will know you and that he half the battle. I found the CS program very good and user friendly. Their on line teacher is great. Any question I had, he answered very quickly via email. It took me about 8 months to complete the course. If you have any specific questions that I can answer, please email me. yogagirl.
Medical transcription & coding? [2007-12-20]
I have been doing medical transcription for 8 years and am not making as much money as I would like. I was thinking about taking a coding course with Career Step. I am wondering if that would really help me make more money or help me to become more of an asset to start working in a hospital instead of at home. I am especially worried that the money I will put out to take this course will not be worth it in the long run. Does anybody do both or work in a hospital doing this? Thank you for any advice!!
meditech vs career step [2007-11-13]
I have taken the Career Step course and was not very impressed with it. Took the course through a vocational school with no real instructor to answer questions. Career Step does offer class online....but would seriously look at closely before enrolling.
coding course [2007-10-09]
Hello, I too graduated from M-Tec and have been doing MT part time for going on three years. Last winter I enrolled in the Career Step on line coding course. It was very thorough, tough, and challenging. I like the fact that it was all online meaning you could work on it from any computer. I passed their test the end of May and sat for the CPC certification test on August 4 and passed. Whether a course is good or bad, in my humble opinion, is not the question. The question is will this or that school give me what I need to pass the certification test? Because in coding, certification is the name of the game. I plan on retiring from my current job next June and transition into coding. In the meantime, I am keeping on on my reading, CEU credits, and attending chapter meetings. I felt the Career Step course did meet my expectations. Career Step is taking taking steps now to become accreditied, but I agree that the school is not the important thing--it is do you have the experience and certification? Coding is much more difficult to break into compared with MT. One often times has to take a related job and then move into coding or do an unpaid externship to get the experiece piece. Happy to answer any and all further questions. Yogagirl
coding versus MT [2007-08-15]
I just completed the Career Step coding program. It was tough. I also do MT part time. I don With coding, I personally feel that you need to have a really good understanding of the body systems. With MT, you basically have to be familiar with it. But with coding, there are a lot more nuances when selecting a code. Just my opinion.
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