Medical Coding From Home- Profile: Carolyn Heath Codes Remotely

[LaureenJ]

Medical Coding From Home- Coder Interview

Today’s technology allows medical coding from home. This is one of the many positive benefits of this profession. Carolyn Heath is currently working with a client through an agency and her specific title is “Remote Medical Coder Contractor.” We asked her a few questions about her profession, her thoughts on CCO and more.
Here is what she had to say:
Do you use paper manuals or online encoders?
Paper manuals.
What are your thoughts about specialty credentialing?
I believe it will bring more job opportunities.
Tell me about your experience with CCO.
I enjoy the webinars and am very active in the discussion forum. I enjoy helping the CCO discussion forum members by sharing my knowledge.
What do you like least/most about medical coding?
The thing that I like the least about medical coding is that it is difficult to find a position with a CPC-A credential and to the get the experience that you need to succeed in your chosen field. The thing that I like the most about medical coding is that you are always learning something new.
What advice can you offer to people just getting started in their medical coding careers?
Get certified and continue learning.
What are your future career goals?
To continue to work as a remote coder. I would also like to attain more coding certifications such as CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-P, and possibly CPMA and CPPM.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
Reading.
How does your personality help you in your job?
I am a friendly person who treats co-workers with respect.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I enjoy playing with my cat and giving her attention. I also enjoy playing games – mostly the Bingo games on Facebook and being a member of Facebook and LinkedIn groups. I just recently created my own Facebook group, “Medical Coders Talk, which has 285 members and is growing. If anyone is on Facebook and would like to join a coding group, you are welcome to check us out. Laureen Jandroep, owner of COO; and Alicia Scott, instructor at CCO are members as well.
Facebook Group- “Medical Coders Talk”
Medical Coding Jobs


Read More https://www.cco.us/medical-coding-from-home-carolyn-heath/

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[Marc V]

Howdy Carolyn, I also did remote coding/billing for a year, for a billing company (the company got bought out and moved all work inhouse). But it worked great for me, I worked about 2/ 4 hrs a day, I had access to the billing software for data input. and did apprx.
1000/1300 pts a month. my specialty was IM and Peds. There are billing companies hireing. have fun!

 

[Carolyn Heath]

Can you recommend a good agency or company which would allow me to continue to do remote coding? I have 4 or 5 months (by calculation) more to go to get this "A" remove. I really enjoy coding at home.

 

[Marc V]

Hi Carolyn, There is a company, www.inovalon.com the company name is Inovalon Inc. they do chart review, check them out.
Have fun!

 

[Carolyn Heath]

Thank you, Marc V!

 

[Rosetta D]

Congrats---Carolyn!!! I must of missed the post of you finding a job--I knew you were looking-----yay for you!!! --My goal is to also bill from home!!

 

[Carolyn Heath]

Rosetta D, I am still looking for a job. This has not been a good year for jobs so far. I started the year with a job, lost that job after 2 weeks and hardly no training, found another job coding from home which I loved and enjoyed, and lost that job just last week. I still want to code and bill from home and that is my main goal. I am not giving up and still searching for that employer who will give me a chance to work. I am also taking this time to study for another medical coding certification and working on ICD-10 while I am looking for another opportunity.

 

[Rosetta D]

oh --it sounds like it is not that easy--what is the reason the company gives for letting you go?--how do you go about finding a coding from home job?---what is the NRCAHA cert stand for?
Hopefully your luck will turn around.--fingers crossed!!

 

[Carolyn Heath]

The first job was working in a local retail pharmacy as a customer service phone clerk. When I got hired for that position, I was not told about the job duties, but only was told it was data entry which it was not. I was poorly trained and the owner decided to let me go. The second job (which I loved) was working at home doing remote HCC medical coding. I went through an agency for that job and the client wanted to hire me for the 2011 project. When that project ended, the client told the agency they wanted move forward with me for the 2012 project. I was just told this past week that the client decided they did not want move forward with me (and after I went through training to do the job and told it was going to be ongoing). I am going through job websites, companies that will allow you to do coding at home, etc.
NRCAHA is a national credential through National Association for Health Professionals and it stands for Nationally Registered Certified Administrative Health Assistant. You have 20 CEUs which is due every year. Your credential is renewed every year, too. You have two publications to read--one for January and one for June--and you have CEU questionnaires that goes with the publications and they are 10 CEUs each. Every five years, you will take an unproctored recertification test and it has to be mailed back to NHA at a certain date so you have a deadline to take that recertification test. This is to show them that your skills are being kept up.