# Coding & Outsourcing?



## laurellafone (Apr 27, 2011)

Hi, I'm currently prepping for the CPC and hope that I can find a way into the field of coding w/that, but sort of wondered what everyone's thoughts on coding being outsourced were? I was considering going into transcription initially, however after doing some research felt that b/w outsourcing & new technology, the field was dying more so than coding. But I don't know, I have heard stories of coding being outsourced as well - this is such discouraging information & being that the other two fields of graphics & customer service that I have education and experience in have also been hugely affected (thus me going into coding), I'm a definitely paranoid. Where are the incentives for companies to keep work here in America??


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## eadun2000 (Apr 28, 2011)

laurellafone said:


> Hi, I'm currently prepping for the CPC and hope that I can find a way into the field of coding w/that, but sort of wondered what everyone's thoughts on coding being outsourced were? I was considering going into transcription initially, however after doing some research felt that b/w outsourcing & new technology, the field was dying more so than coding. But I don't know, I have heard stories of coding being outsourced as well - this is such discouraging information & being that the other two fields of graphics & customer service that I have education and experience in have also been hugely affected (thus me going into coding), I'm a definitely paranoid. Where are the incentives for companies to keep work here in America??



I just have to say this.  If my medical records are being coded by somebody in India, I would never see that doctor again.  How can the coders be held accountable in another country?  We can be fined and sentenced to jail for incorrect coding, but what about India?  I personally do not see any PROFESSIONAL physician wanting his/her work coded/audited by somebody in another country.  If they do, then they are opening themselves up for a world of trouble and I think they would deserve it.  The phrase "you get what you pay for" holds true.  AND it seriously pisses me off that AAPC allows for people in foreign countries to become certified.  I can see that for DoD employees needing certification if they were overseas at a medical base, but cannot see allowing others to become certified as they cannot be held accountable like we are.  Just my two cents for what it is worth.


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## Mojo (Apr 28, 2011)

I certainly would not want my PHI or any other identifiers floating around in a foreign country, especially areas of unrest. As patients/consumers we can advocate for made-in-the-USA certified coders. 

I think we all know why the AAPC allows certification of foreign coders. Money!


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## eadun2000 (Apr 29, 2011)

Mojo said:


> I certainly would not want my PHI or any other identifiers floating around in a foreign country, especially areas of unrest. As patients/consumers we can advocate for made-in-the-USA certified coders.
> 
> I think we all know why the AAPC allows certification of foreign coders. Money!



absolutely money rules!  At least that is what some companies think.  I personally considered just dropping my CPC because morally I do not think that they should allow them to be certified.  BUT, I worked my butt off for my CPC and not just going to piss it away either.  I hope that one day they will come to their senses about this.  I think it is ludricus to do it for money.  Where did all of the morals go?  I see it all the time all around me.... makes me sick and sad.  Who knows... maybe, just maybe we can get our morals back one person at a time   Hope you have a great Friday Mojo!!!!!!!!!!


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## Mojo (Apr 29, 2011)

I share your frustration, Eadun, when profits trump professionalism and compliance. I left a company with a weak coding management team that caved under the CEO's temper tantrums when production goals were not met. Insanity seemed to be the game plan: practicing the same behavior and expecting a diifferent outcome. 

Working at said company went against my core values: negativity towards the very foundation of the corporation (the staff), coding procedures from the nurses' notes as well as procedures that did not meet the CPT descriptor and coaxing the providers to add documentation in order to bill the almighty high reimbursement of critical care. I can't help but smile that a year later, the company still cannot meet it's production goals. The solution is simple, really, but they don't get it.

I agree with you that we must raise the bar, one coder and one medical record at a time. Have a great weekend!


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## hrojzen (Apr 30, 2011)

*huge shortage of HIM coders*

Laurellafone:  Coding consists of several very separate markets.  I eventually found work as a CPC-A, a few years back, and made it to CPC status, but early on in my work in physician SERVICE coding, I realized that the job market for FACILITY coders was more vibrant than the one I'd tapped in to.  Facility coders focus heavily on the complex field of diagnosis coding according to AHA Coding Clinic rulings and in keeping with the demands of optimization of reimbursement through proper use of the DRGs (diagnosis-related groups).  I love service coding, and I am currently enjoying double-duty at work because i'm the only CPC in an office filled with CCSs (I also have the CCS, but that is routine at my office); but honestly, the demand for facility coders today appears to be growing much more rapidly than that for service coders.  Why?  Because the implementation of ICD-10 will incline a huge number of older facility coders to retire, while also hugely slowing down the coding process during the transition period.  As a result, the numbers of facility/HIM coders needed will soon be increasing greatly.  My employer is seeking to double its coding staff NOW, in preparation for ICD-10.  So keep moving towards the CPC, but if you have a community college nearby that could cross-train you in HIM/facility coding, i.e., emphasizing diagnosis coding rules, go for that, TOO. . .The great news is that AAPC is ahead of the pack on preparing coders for ICD-10.  Even though CPCs don't often specialize in diagnosis coding, AAPC is going to require CPCs to pass testing in ICD-10 between 2012 and 2014, and as a result, CPCs are going to be officially credentialed in ICD-10 in a way that is not true of other types of coders.  You will love diagnosis coding. . .AAPC trains us in that, but not nearly as deeply as we could be.  .So find that training, and complement your CPC studies with it. . .You could win big. . .The shortage is real. . .


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## elizabetharonson (Apr 30, 2011)

I agree. If I found out my doctor was outsourcing my records to a different country I would no longer see that doctor. I can't stand all the credit card companies that have outsourced their customer service agents. Makes me very angry because there are PLENTY of people right here in the US that need those jobs. I know many stay at home moms who would love to have extra income and the ability to do customer service calls from home.......seems the same for coders!


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