Does Certification Really Make a Better Coder?
How does one possibly think of starting a career as medical coder? One obvious pattern is when the individual spends a good amount of time and money studying the entire classification system, considering the medical record documents and lastly, the most important part, keep on practicing the coding charts. Once you are done with your academics and waiting impatiently to get a job, you realize there is one more essential step which is yet to be started.
The certification!
Most organizers are looking for certified coders, while the newcomers like you, are busy focusing on getting their first job. That way you keep on postponing the exams which may cost you. You may find it increasingly difficult to find a job if you are not certified. Although using helpful resources available to help you secure more job interviews, such as this tool from Cultivated Culture can allow finding a job to become easier without being certified right away.
A coding credential gives an impression, that the candidate has completed the initial training in physiology as well as anatomy, disease process, medical vocabulary and classification process. When a recruiter realizes that potential recruits have actually taken the exam, it means they are serious about the profession. Also, coding certificates do come with a price. So, without coding credential it will be really difficult to start a career on medical coding, even it may cost you much in terms of long career growth.
Salary is a big issue for the coders with credentials. There is a significant rise in salary since 2014, according to a survey by AAPC. Here you can find few steps which may help you to get prepared for the coding exams.
1. Start with focusing on ideas and theory of the coding training manuals. Reviewing the exercises afterwards is a wise idea.
2. You should review the coding guidelines related to your certification.
3. You can think about planning ahead and make a schedule of study time and exam. It will help to keep you on track. Try to enroll yourself in an online website which conducts the routine test.