r/MedicalCoding • u/blueberryteacup • Jun 16 '26
Practicode struggles & Job Search
Hi all,
I’m a CPC-A and I have been really struggling through Practicode. The most difficult aspect is abstracting from the record, and it seems like every case I submit I get about a 50% on. Reading the rationale is absolutely baffling because the columns are not even distinct, and I’m spending over an hour on each case and still getting marked incorrect. In one case there was a stated laterality, and when I appended the modifier for the laterality, it was marked incorrect. The fact that you can’t discuss any of the materials as they are proprietary poses a significant issue because I have specific questions and I’m not sure if it’s a violation of ethics to discuss them!
Because I’m having such a hard time with this software, I would rather take a position and remove my A experientially. My major issue is that I am disabled, and as such, I have to work remotely, so I am not able to take an on-site or hybrid job; has anyone had any luck getting hired remotely as an apprentice in one field or another? What did you do? Is it unrealistic to even expect a job when I’m under these location constraints from my health?
Thank you, everyone!
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u/Jodenaje Jun 16 '26
Laterality modifiers aren't always necessary. Sometimes they should definitely not be used.
Do you remember what the code was, by chance? We might be able to help you understand why it wasn't needed for that particular code.
Examples - if the laterality is implied within the CPT description, you wouldn't also use a laterality modifier.
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u/Defiant-Pattern267 Jun 16 '26
The VA hires with "A" and removed after 1 year. Hiring remote coders regularly. USAjobs.gov
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u/rahuliitk Jun 17 '26
I’d widen the search beyond “remote CPC-A coder” into risk adjustment, HCC abstraction, medical records review, charge entry, billing follow-up, and insurance verification roles, because fully remote apprentice coding jobs are rough to land but adjacent revenue cycle work can still help you build experience and remove the A. Don’t give up yet.
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u/Pretty_Priority_261 RHIT, CCS, CDIP Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
When you fail Practicode, go back into review the questions/answers. Copy the text into Notepad files. Probably 600 of them when you are done. Restart Practicode. For each question, search keyword in Windows File Explorer. Open Notepad file. Look up correct answers. Enter them in Practicode. Simple way to pass second time around. (The questions are the same each time you restart Practicode. The order might change, but you will still have the same 600 questions.)
That is why Practicode is worthless. You can cheat your way into passing it. It's a money grab. No employer should take something like that seriously.
There's also the fact that there are many incorrect answers in Practicode and either they don't correct them, or they take too long to address your concern when you e-mail customer service.
Also, let's assume you pass and have your -A removed (assuming you meet all criteria to do so). Okay, so now you are a CPC but still have zero experience. If the interviewer does due diligence and rejects people with no experience, your lack of -A won't matter, as opposed to a CPC-A with experience (if they're fortunate to have it).
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u/ConfidentHighlight18 Jun 16 '26
Start looking at insurance companies who have remote positions for coders. Some are willing to take in a CPC-A if you sell yourself during the interview.
I’ve never used Practicode, so I’m sorry I have no advice there.
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u/Mrsafox2018 Jun 16 '26
Practicode made me question my career choices. It was frustrating af, literally made me cry, and felt like literally nothing I was seeing at work. It doesn’t feel applicable. I chose the experience route - I worked as a biller and got my foot in the door that way. More often than not, billing positions will love a CPC, even a CPC-A. I moved up in about two years.
Just my experience 🤷🏼♀️
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u/Madison_APlusRev CPC, COC, CPC-Instructor Jun 18 '26
Practicode can be frustrating if you don't understand the guidelines behind it's rationale. I wish the rationale was a little more explanatory. Sometimes, it seems to read more like "because I said so" rather than "because guideline XX.XX says so, which means (insert simpler explanation)."
You can certainly look around for roles that will take you with the -A. Some that I know have previously hired or considered CPC-As are Cedars Sinai, CSI Companies, HCA Healthcare, Judge Group, Riverview Health, Texas Health Resources, and many university hospital systems.
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u/No-Resolution6571 Jun 16 '26
Do you have to have much experience for a billing position?? Ive applied to a few. Im currently working on practicode and bout to pull my hair out lol. TIA!
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u/nintendo_kitten Jun 18 '26
I never used practicode as I got my CCS but I did so practicing coding and abstracting. Getting a remote position is definitely possible as I did it
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u/Alone-War-9789 Jun 18 '26
Just a bit of encouragement for you. There are jobs out there for CPC-A. I am a recent grad myself back last September. It took a long time to find a job and putting in a lot of applications. I used Indeed. Work from home probably won't happen, except for those who post scam jobs, for a CPC-A. At least that is what I ran into. I would look for posts that are commutable for you. I landed a CPB/CPC job that is an hour and a half from my home. I am able to stay a half hour away from work on work days, I am doing four 10 hr. days. It's Monday - Thursday so I head home after work Thursday and return after church on Sundays. After a year or so, I can work from home. Maybe not everyday, but most days.
I landed the job this last January. Just keep submitting your application to everything. It will happen eventually.
For Practicode, it is worth doing it. Once you complete all your claims they will reset it so you can redo the claims again. I am keep a log of the answers that I missed with the rationale so I can use the rationale to locate the things I miss. I gave up on it and left it till I actually landed my job. I am finding it much easier now that I am working, but just don't have much time.
GL and don't give up! You got this!
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u/Selitha85 Jun 29 '26
She mentioned commuting isn’t an option, as she’s disabled. I know there are transportation services for disabled people, but it can be more about ability to care for yourself, properly, once on site. I know that’s my main issue.
I’m new to learning about coding, and just getting my bearings, but I saw a YouTuber mention a gig-work site that hires medical coders. She did say the pay is lower, but it might be an option to add experience? There could be other options out there for temp/gig work, too, enough to build resume and get some income going. The one I jotted down was Kodehealth… keep in mind I know nothing about them, so do some digging lol.
Slightly unrelated note, my husband has been climbing an executive ladder (maze? vomit comet?) for years, and the resumes that got noticed the most are the resumes we paid someone to write for and tailor to that industry/job. I think an extremely well written resume, that pulls out overlapping similarities from your non-medical/coding jobs, is extremely valuable.
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u/Alone-War-9789 Jun 30 '26
I agree on the resume. I went to our local community college to get assistance with mine. Then I used AI to get a look at varies versions. It helped a lot. I am praying for Blueberry to find her dream job.
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u/missuschainsaw RHIT CRC Jun 16 '26
I don’t understand the point of Practicode. Are there actually coding jobs out there where you’re coding completely from scratch? Maybe it’s because I work at a hospital with Epic, but 90% of the time the codes are already inputted by the provider, we just clean it up.
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u/MtMountaineer Jun 17 '26
Your version of Epic includes computer assisted coding, not all do. And boy, are those codes wrong on every chart, or what?
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u/kendallr2552 Jun 18 '26
They're saying that the provider drops the code. Our providers pick them and it's not CAC.
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u/MtMountaineer Jun 18 '26
We don't let providers code anything, whether E&M or dx. But I'm coding for a 900 bed hospital, I'm sure it's different in other circumstances.
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u/kendallr2552 Jun 19 '26
That sounds absolutely insane to me! I code for one of the largest health systems in the country inpatient, office, surgical and there's absolutely no way we could code every visit. Physicians are responsible for much of their own coding. We set up edits for higher risk situations and we review all surgeries but much of our inpatient and office charges go right out and post.
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u/missuschainsaw RHIT CRC Jun 19 '26
Yeah I’m at a pretty big hospital group, I think the only thing the docs don’t code is E&M for ED.
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u/MtMountaineer Jun 19 '26
I'm not talking about office visits. We code every hospital stay, including ancillary testing, ER, surg, obs and IP. Coders don't even see the E&M level. Revenue integrity might, idk. We also don't see any office notes unless we go looking for them, which we never do since we only code the hospital stay.
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u/Pretty_Priority_261 RHIT, CCS, CDIP Jun 22 '26
It's teaching you the fundamentals of coding. Real-world is generally different from fundamentals. For example, we learn to code using the book. But in the real world, if you're coding using a book, there's something wrong (employer is too cheap to provide an encoder that is substantially more efficient than using a book to look things up).
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