Emerson Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Does anyone see any market value in having a certificate in medical coding along with practicing as a PA. I can see the value and benefit that proper coding can have on profits, but not sure if it would either increase a salary or make an applicant more competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Border Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 nope as far as more marketable hopefully everyone that is practicing/billing has some awareness of billing issues... heck i would never want to code for a living Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer_sd Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Taking a CE course would be helpful in joining a practice, not worth taking a full certificate program of 6 months to a year. You would not gain extra compensation unless you recieve a potion of collections then appropriate coding can help your salary. Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Quality Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hi, I had to throw my two cents in on this one. I run my own business in Austin for electronic medical billing and bank drafting services and it is my experience that coders are specialized and work for a doctor's practice specifically for coding. The time it takes to make sure you are updated on the many changes that happen in coding is exhausting. Insurance companies change things all the time. I wouldn't think it would help you. I would concentrate on providing the best patient care I could. In my business, we free up the doctor's staff so that patient care is top-notch. That is what grows the doctor's business - referrals from existing patients. Well, that an making sure the doctor gets paid consistently from insurance and patients in the month they see them! Good luck! We need more people in the medical field. Janis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quarternote Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 NO, I did that in my other life. I did keep my coding certification until last year and I'm not sure if it made me more marketable or just interesting (switching professions mid life and graduating PA school in my 40's) but doesn't bring extra income. The doc's like that I have a good knowlege of it But it isn't worth the pain it is to go through being certified and then keeping up with the changes as stated above. I also majored in Spanish while doing my PA pre-req's. That made me more marketable and made finding a job fairly easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason09 Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Well I think this would depend on what practice setting you are in and how your salary is configured. Two instances where it might be beneficial for medical coding classes would be production based (RVUs) or salary +/- bonus depending on money generated. These 2 scenarios could greatly be beneficial with coding classes. Having said that I would only take the 1 week or night classes for a couple weeks type coding classes and nothing longer. I don't know if you would be certified but I know providers who took the above mentioned classes and said they really help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forman Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Hello, I will be finishing PA school at 43, I speak spanish and portuguese fluently, I have owned and managed dry cleaning and real estate businesses since I was 25. Any advice and landing first job and/or the concept of a residency or getting coding knowledge? Kurt Wahl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlheat3 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Being a Certified Medical Coder for the past 13 years, I would have to say no it would not be worth getting "certified". But I will say that it would be very beneficial to take a few CEU courses as well as ask the "billing office" if there is any suggestions they may have. The number one reason I have found for either overbilling or underbilling was all directly related to improper documentation. I am currently in process of changing careers, hopefully will begin PA School this year (upcoming interviews), I have chose to not renew my license. I do plan on attending CEU classes just to that I can stay aware of changes that have been implemented. There are so many rules that it would be beneficial to review the coding guidlines for your specific specialty. Example: can not have certain tests done on same day as other test Medicare also has a list of codes that they only allow for certain diagnosis, so it would be beneficial to the practice if you were aware of these. Example. Order CT Head, but "rule out" diagnosis is not payable, signs and symptoms would need to be the diagnosing order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis.alexander Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Yes definitely market value of medical coding certification is high. Your salary will be increased. Degree matters alot nowadays. So you should try to get certified with medical coding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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