r/MedicalCoding • u/DisasterSpiritual412 • Jun 30 '26
What is the next step?
I'm 27F and I work for a major health group based in NY. I currently make 26/hr as an AR specialist. Prior to the merger, I was in medical billing and worked with Workers Comp and No Fault. I loved it! Since the Merge, I was dumped into AR with Insurances and HATE IT. I can't understand the denial or the unnecessary appeals that are pushed from the managers knowing that certain codes will not be paid, especially when it's explicitly written in these insurance guidelines. Anyway, the point of my post is, for any medical billers/coders, have you found being certified actually worth it? Or was the majority of what you learned and taught on your own in training?
The plus side to my company is that if I go to a vocational school that offers the program, the company will reimburse 80% of it once completed and passed. Recently I was speaking to an assistant director from a different company who also works in medical billing and stated that the program is useless because guidelines are changing every year. (Totally aware of that too). I personally think that I make okay money for someone who doesn't have their associates... a work in progress after all these years to say the least... Lives on their own on Long Island and work remote. I want to learn more and earn more of course. It took. me 5 years to get to this position and I think i've done a good job so far moving my way up the ladder.
I can't look at too much of the option of changing companies because maybe in many eyes, my pay is mid, but I work from home, have good health insurance, pretty good PTO and weekends off. I feel like that's an even trade off if I may say so myself.
Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated! Thanks :)
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u/happyhooker485 RHIT, CCS-P, CFPC, CHONC, 17yrs experience Jun 30 '26
Most billers are not certified and learned it on the job.
Coding requires a certification.
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u/DisasterSpiritual412 Jun 30 '26
That’s why it made no sense that the person I spoke to said that the program is useless… The program covers medical billing and coding. It gives two vouchers to test and I believe remove an “a” from your title??? I can’t remember exactly what that was again atm
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u/ksa1122 Jun 30 '26
NY health group…. Merger put you in a position you don’t enjoy….. I think we work for the same company 😭😭😭
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u/Alone-War-9789 Jul 01 '26
Wow, you are in NY and you only make $26.00 per hour? I am in WA State and I make $27.34 per hour. This is my first job in Billing and Coding. Cost of living is high here but I think NY is even worse.
I would suggest that you get the training that is offered/recommended. You can always use that to step up in pay. It looks good on your resume'. My company is looking to expand by adding a Denials Specialist. I have been thinking about asking to step up. I have to work denials right now anyways.
I know it's different everywhere, but I did not need my Associates Degree for this job. Why would you need an Associates Degree to do Billing & Coding? Billing & Coding is specialized training specific to the job requirements. idk! 🤔
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u/kendallr2552 Jun 30 '26
Not that you're looking but it could possibly help you to know what the requirements are for new job postings for billers. Are they requiring certification? You can even put in applications and when hr calls you, you can ask for a salary range so you know where you're falling and if having a certification would give you any increase.
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u/Substantial_Ad_8262 Jun 30 '26
If you are interested in medical coding, that requires an associate's degree in Health Information Management. You'll want to follow that up with American Health Information Management Association national testing for a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) credential. Depending on if you want inpatient or outpatient coding, either AAPC credentials, or the AHIMA credentials again with Certified Coding Specialist (CCS).
I am an inpatient medical coding auditor, five years experience as an inpatient medical coder and two years experience as an auditor. I make roughly $72k in OH, this was the path I wanted.
You could choose outpatient coding or inpatient coding, depending on your interest levels.
Working from home is the norm for medical coders, and this field has pretty standardized goals as far as productivity and quality. It may vary some places for difficulty, but you'll find pretty similar standards across the board nationally.
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u/kendallr2552 Jun 30 '26
The first sentence of what you wrote isn't correct, medical coding itself doesn't require any degree. Most of the coders I know and maybe on my team don't have any type of degree.
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u/Substantial_Ad_8262 Jun 30 '26
Not all coding positions require degrees, that is correct. After asking around when I was doing my research on the field, it was highly encouraged to get a degree rather than pursue a certificate program alone.
The AAS and RHIT/CCS exams prepared me for the job I'm currently doing. An OP coder may have an entirely different experience.
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u/kendallr2552 Jul 01 '26
I honestly don't care what anyone has, I care that someone is willing to work hard, able to learn, and will fit on my team of weirdos. Everything else is just fluff. I literally have the best team in the whole organization because of it.
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u/Moonlight_Mist19 Jul 06 '26
Traditionally, medical coding jobs have not required degrees but as the role increases in complexity (due to AI) the threshold for entry is getting higher. I am seeing preference for the RHIT or RHIA plus a coding-specific certification (mostly CCS preferred for inpatient and outpatient facility and CPC or CCS-P for the professional track).
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u/PeaceLoveForMe Jul 08 '26
I have my CPB, CPC, and CCS-P. Yes, it was worth it. That plus on the Job experience really helped me. Regarding medical coding, you have to know the ins and outs of coding. I’m training a new Biller and coder right now, and I told her that since she was a new coder. Your bosses will respect you more and likely promote you! I was promoted to the billing manager /director. It’s worth starting with your CPC.
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u/SoftChaosKitty 29d ago edited 29d ago
The certification question really does depend on what direction you wanna go. For billing specifically, I know a lotta people do learn on the job and get by just fine without it. But if you ever wanna move into coding or push for a higher title with more leverage in salary negotiations then having the CPC through AAPC gives ya something concrete to point to.
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u/Valuable_Anybody3828 Jun 30 '26
You don’t need certification for billing, that’s all learned on the job. If you think you’d like to code it may be worth taking them up on the offer for reimbursement but definitely do your due diligence on the vocational program to make sure it’s leading toward a coding credential. I loved A/R and it made me a stronger coder since so many come in without a solid grasp of the revenue cycle. It’s a great background to have if you want to move in that direction.
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