# Is the pay different for hospitals than physician coders



## cpccoder2008 (Nov 29, 2010)

I have been employeed for a physician's office for over 10 years, i have a CPC and CPC-H. I was recently offered a job at a hospital and was told the pay is determined based on expirence. I was just called and told it would be a dollar more than i make now, and i am stunned. I am already well under paid for our area but because of our benefits packages most people don't complain. I just thought with 10 years and two certifications behind my name i would have gotten at least three more dollars a hour. So i am guessing that since i have physicians expirence, and this will be straight hospital, that my prior expirence wouldn't count. Any thoughts ??


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## kevbshields (Nov 29, 2010)

Your train of thinking is probably also what the hiring manager or HR is thinking.  If all your experience is on the physician side, it would be difficult to argue that ten years of experience applies to the work you'll be doing there--that is, assuming that all of your coding will be facility coding.  

Once you're in the door, look into ways you can boost your pay.  These may include getting additional training and education in hospital-specific areas.  Regardless, I'm certain there are opportunities there to grow your salary; you just have to make the attempt at learning those routes.

I wish you luck and congrats on your new position.


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## cradcliffe (Nov 29, 2010)

Unfortunately sometimes you do have to change jobs in order to get higher pay.


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## cpccoder2008 (Nov 29, 2010)

kevbshields said:


> Your train of thinking is probably also what the hiring manager or HR is thinking.  If all your experience is on the physician side, it would be difficult to argue that ten years of experience applies to the work you'll be doing there--that is, assuming that all of your coding will be facility coding.
> 
> Once you're in the door, look into ways you can boost your pay.  These may include getting additional training and education in hospital-specific areas.  Regardless, I'm certain there are opportunities there to grow your salary; you just have to make the attempt at learning those routes.
> 
> I wish you luck and congrats on your new position.



I agree, i guess since its totally different it would be like starting fresh since i don't know the hospital guidelines as well as i know the physician's. Regardless of the pay i accept the job because i feel there is more room to grow in the hospital setting than in the phsician's that i'm currenlty in.

Thanks


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## capricew (Nov 30, 2010)

I just wanted to chime in on this......
I started like you, from a single physician practice where mainly i just billed out what the doctor told me to......
I got a job offer from a surgery center, which was about to open another center, where i would be doing coding only for both centers.  At the time it was guestimated about 600 multi specialty surgeries per month on average.
The pay was only one dollar higher than what i was making at the physicians office.  At the time i was not certified.

I was scared!!!!  It was this fear that told me i was doing the right thing.
This move was going to give me a much more global knowledge of billing and coding, as opposed to the specialty practice i had been at for 5 years where there was nothing left to learn.

In the first 3 months, i got a two dollar raise.  Mainly for taking the initiative where others didnt want to and rising up to a leadership position.  On my annual review, i got another two dollar raise.
Yes, that is four dollars in the first year, which is unheard of.

After the first year, i decided to take the cpc, and passed the first time!

Now two years have passed, and the knowledge i learn every day in this environment is staggering.  

I know its hard to leave a position where you know everything already and are comfortable.  The question is, if your brain desires a challenge then make the leap.  You can never learn enough in this field.  The more you know -- the more versatile you are-- the harder it is to replace you.

If the thought of this new job scares you, i say go for it!!  It was fear that drove me to my success with my new adventure.


Hope this helps


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## cpccoder2008 (Dec 1, 2010)

*thank you*

Thank you, very well said. I have been with this company for quite sometime now and i feel i have mastered everything here. I have both coding and billing expirence for a multispecialty phsycian's group and also hold a CPC and CPC-H. I am currently studying for the CCS as well. I do feel it is time for a change. It does scare me but on the flip side there is so much more room to grow at this new company.


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