nurses expanding out into medical coding

[amygarside]

Hi. Just wondering how long the AHIMA basic coding course is.

[Nano13]

Okay, I realize these posts are from 2008, but thought I would put my two cents worth in. I am a CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) who has worked in an acute hospital setting (Level I Trauma & teaching facility) for over 15 years. I found out about this field while doing a co-op program with my high school, took a coding certificate program at a regional accredited college, got a little experience, sat for the CCS and passed, and the rest is history. I make a little more than $55K/yr currently. I have thought about getting my RN for a salary boost. I'm not sure what the salary for an entry level RN is, but I'm fairly positive it's greater than what I make now....please correct me if I am mistaken. With the implementation of ICD-10-CM in Oct 2014, there will be a great need for coders....credentialed coders. Those coders who are potentially RNs or MSNs along with a CCS would be very high demand. I really wish there were non-clinical RN programs available. I truly am not sure if I have the stomach for the clinical settings I would have to practice in to get the degree. Good luck to those who are pursuing the coding world. It's definitely a challenging career but does enable one to work remotely (I have worked remotely since summer of 2008 & love it!!).

I am very interested in returning to coding, and I do regret not getting my CCS while I did 2 years of chart reviews, with coding and physician queries. I would love to do this remotely as I have a family member who is also interested in this.

[amygarside]

What do you exactly do in coding? Can you do this while still having your regular nursing job?

[mtnbikeguera]

Okay, I realize these posts are from 2008, but thought I would put my two cents worth in. I am a CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) who has worked in an acute hospital setting (Level I Trauma & teaching facility) for over 15 years. I found out about this field while doing a co-op program with my high school, took a coding certificate program at a regional accredited college, got a little experience, sat for the CCS and passed, and the rest is history. I make a little more than $55K/yr currently. I have thought about getting my RN for a salary boost. I'm not sure what the salary for an entry level RN is, but I'm fairly positive it's greater than what I make now....please correct me if I am mistaken. With the implementation of ICD-10-CM in Oct 2014, there will be a great need for coders....credentialed coders. Those coders who are potentially RNs or MSNs along with a CCS would be very high demand. I really wish there were non-clinical RN programs available. I truly am not sure if I have the stomach for the clinical settings I would have to practice in to get the degree. Good luck to those who are pursuing the coding world. It's definitely a challenging career but does enable one to work remotely (I have worked remotely since summer of 2008 & love it!!).

Oh thank you! So glad you posted as I am thinking about coding and realized these posts were very dated! Good to hear what current salary and prospects might be. What part of the country do you live in and do you think the salaries vary as much as nurses salaries do depending on where you live?

[Phoenix98020]

I am a fulltime nurse in an acute care setting. I got my "certified nurse coder" and "certified nurse auditor" certificates. However, where I live, the hospitals don't put nurses in those positions. Especially nurses with 20 years of experience, in a union, on a payscale ladder. They would have to agree to pay me the wages I make now or I would have to take a huge cut in pay to accept a position. Right now, with budget cuts, I don't think they want to pay any more than they already do to the 2 year degree coders they have. My base pay is $46 hour. I can't come close to that working for an institution as a coder. Perhaps I could if I were my own boss and contracted out my time but then I would always be looking for another assignment when I completed the last. There might be gaps in employment and a general uneasiness about where the next paycheck is coming from. California seems to hire more nurses for coding. Here in Washington, nurses do a little coding on the side from their main money making jobs. Or, they don't mind working part-time and working for less than experienced (20 years) nurses would make. The coding jobs I've seen advertised here in Washington for nurses, involved on-site work and the expectation was 30 chart reviews in a day! Thoroughly research nurse coders in your area. Ask the local hospitals if they use nurses now in this capacity and if not, if they have considered it...why or why not? Don't spend a big lump of $$$ only to find out that there is not the demand in your area or you'll be giving up a large amount of pay once you get there or that they plan to work you like a dog.

[malenurse354]

Hi Guys, Thanks for all your post about medical coding! I am very much interested about this field and I am planning to know more about this as it was mentioned that there might be an increase in need of medical coders in the coming years so I might as well venture into this...