Land Your Medical Coding Job

Doctors Need YOU!

The health care indusry is growing, and with President Obabma's plan for health care reform, will grow even more! Currently, the hospitals (visits to hospital emergency rooms) in the United States employ 5.1 million people.  

These Jobs MUST Be Filled!

 

 

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2.8 million health services jobs are expected to open by 2010, and these positions need to be filled. And with the Patriot Employer Act of 2007, companies are encouraged to hire even more full-time employees, pay them better wages, provide health insurance, and create opportunities that benefit businesses and workers. 

Competing on a Highly Competitive Job Market 

Job Search Strategies

Most medical coding and billing entry postitions require only a high school diploma. Certification is preferred but not always required. However, the better jobs, promotions and salaries almost always go quicker to those who are certified because employers expect reliability, and results.

Those who figure out ways to impress potential employers during the application process are usually the ones most likely to get the job. Always find ways to stand out from the rest, be prepared to be tested, and ready to compete for the position you want. Study your medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology. Make sure your resume reflects all prior employment and focuses on skills, and qualifications, and don't be surprised if employers want to see if you can do what you say you can! You may also have to undergo a criminal background check.

Land your medical coding job! Medical coding jobs never cease to exist. The key is knowing how to find them and seize the moment.

Call clinics, hospitals, physician groups, temp agencies (some specialize in medical records), and ask to sit for their pre-employment exam. Flood the area with your spruced up resume, and cover letter, and create ways for potential employers to find you. If you are a recent training program graduate with little experience you must find ways to get your foot into the door. Learn how to escape the so-called lack of experience trap.

 Use the Internet

There are many reliable job search sites on the internet sites, one of them is Careerbuilder.com. However, the number of posted jobs varies, one day there may be 50 jobs listed, and the next one. The following 6 month assignment could lead to a permanent position depending on how well you do.

Example: "We are looking for an Accounts Receivable/Billing clerk for a 6 month contract assignment. Candidates must have at least 2 years of experience with AP/AR and billing. Familiarity with project accounting is a big PLUS. Cost center allocation experience is also preferred. For immediate consideration please email a copy of your resume today as our client is currently interviewing! Don't delay!"

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You can search for doctors in any location. The results will be broken down by physician specialty. For example, there are 1,643 Physicians and Surgeons listed in the search. No need to pay for a list of (alleged!) providers in your area.

 Use the Newspaper

Read every coding magazine you can, and check the wanted ads for employment opportunities in your area daily. You should get several local newspapers to broaden your net when trying to catch available job openings.

 Use Job Bulletin Boards

Check your help wanted boards at your local Vo-Tech institution, community college, small university, or local hospital. Many a first billing job was obtained after seeing a simple hand written note, for example an AR recovery specialist. The local community colleges, and universities always post job openings to students.

 Practice Flexibility and Compromise

You may be looking for a medical billing position but come across an opening for a receptionist. Your goal is to get your foot in the door. You may have little experience, and by taking the receptionist position, you can take some of your training and use it to build new skills. You will learn how things are done at that office. Now, that right there is a great advantage! Your training may involve patient registration, verification of benefits, obtaining authorizations, or precertifications, and handling calls. And soon enough, you can take on medical billing procedure on your own.

You could also ask to work self pay accounts in your spare time, such as after work hours, or on weekends to work receivables an gain more experience. And then, if there is a position that opens you can try for it.

Our advice: If your goal is to work from home, don't automatically discard job offers for in-house positions! If you do well the employer may be willing to let you telecommute after a certain period of time. Many places hire from within as a means of promotion. After gaining the providers trust you could ask whether you could do some of the billing from home.

 Stick to Accuracy and Punctuality

When responding, do EXACTLY what is requested. If the employer says e-mail, don't fax, or send your resume by mail. Whomever is doing the hiring is looking to see if you can follow directions. Make sure you have no misspellings or grammatical errors on your application, or resume. If you make an error here, you could make errors in your work! This is a great turn-off to employers, because errors are costly in revenue, and can lead to carrier audits.

If there is an appointment given for 1pm, don't arrive late, or too early. If asked for a one page resume on white paper, don't send a multipage document on blue, yellow, red, or pink paper. I know, you might think it will get you attention - and it will. The wrong kind! Just remember this simple rule: to get the employer's attention always follow directions.

Honesty and Truthfulness

Do NOT lie about anything! Not on your application, resume, or during the interview. Honesty is more appreciated than trying to impress someone with a lie.

Example: One applicant I interviewed said she was an expert on spreadsheet. When given a task, it turned out she didn't know the first thing about spreadsheet, thus putting her chances of getting the job into jeopardy. If she lied about this, what else might she have lied about?

Integrity and Credibility

A few years ago, someone posted the following to a medical billing and coding forum: "I have an interview tomorrow with a doctor, can someone teach me a little about his specialty so if he asks me questions, I can answer them." This type of cheating does no one any good. It constitutes a serious breach of trust. It should come as no surprise that anyone that comes after this person for the job will probably be faced with even more critical pre-employment questions, and probably will be asked to take a test, and undergo a criminal background check. Of course, YOUR name will wind up on the "black list".

What does this mean to you? It means that it is essential that the medical coder is familiar with different types of insurance plans, regulations, and codes, and then use all resources and mean you can think of to join the evergrowing workforce needed to run the expanding health care machine.

 
Starting A Job Search: Getting A Medical Coding Job

• Job Interview Survival Tips