# cpc employment wages



## camillekorb (Jan 3, 2022)

Hey everyone,
I was just wondering if I could get some opinions or some background information.  I have a CPC-A and took their EHS course and the CEDC course but haven't sat the the CEDC exam yet.   I realize I don't have any real on the job experience and I would be entry level.  I got 2 job offers but they are for 34k a year which is just slightley above minimum wage in my area....
I was wondering what some of you started out at as far as income for those of you who are working as a CPC.   Also how did you get your start and where did you work (physician outpatient office etc...? And for those of you who have been doing this for a while how quickly or slowly have your wages increased by what percent since you started working if you don't want to give your exact income?  I know these might be personal questions, it was so discouraging to see entry level be such low pay.  I did see online that that national average for entry level income is around 43,000.....

Thank you so much everyone!


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## camillekorb (Jan 3, 2022)

camillekorb said:


> Hey everyone,
> I was just wondering if I could get some opinions or some background information.  I have a CPC-A and took their EHS course and the CEDC course but haven't sat the the CEDC exam yet.   I realize I don't have any real on the job experience and I would be entry level.  I got 2 job offers but they are for 34k a year which is just slightley above minimum wage in my area....
> I was wondering what some of you started out at as far as income for those of you who are working as a CPC.   Also how did you get your start and where did you work (physician outpatient office etc...? And for those of you who have been doing this for a while how quickly or slowly have your wages increased by what percent since you started working if you don't want to give your exact income?  I know these might be personal questions, it was so discouraging to see entry level be such low pay.  I did see online that that national average for entry level income is around 43,000.....
> 
> Thank you so much everyone!


whops i mean EHR and EMR course!


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## LisaAlonso23 (Jan 3, 2022)

Take *any* position to get experience, but negotiate the salary.  I started verifying insurance for $12/hr and learned as much as I could at that job before landing a coding position.  Salaries are different throughout the country and are different depending on the perspective of the employer.  Some believe you can teach someone to code in office (we all know that you need formal education and certification to be compliant), while others hold our certifications in high regard. The more experience you gain, the more you're worth. I do understand it's discouraging, but keep your head up and eye on the prize.  It's about finding the right setting and employer for the type of coding you would like to do.


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## camillekorb (Jan 3, 2022)

LisaAlonso23 said:


> Take *any* position to get experience, but negotiate the salary.  I started verifying insurance for $12/hr and learned as much as I could at that job before landing a coding position.  Salaries are different throughout the country and are different depending on the perspective of the employer.  Some believe you can teach someone to code in office (we all know that you need formal education and certification to be compliant), while others hold our certifications in high regard. The more experience you gain, the more you're worth. I do understand it's discouraging, but keep your head up and eye on the prize.  It's about finding the right setting and employer for the type of coding you would like to do.


Thank you so much for the encouragement and for responding!!  once I get my externship done I want to take the CIC course to see if I would like inpatient or outpatient better.


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## LuckyLily (Jan 4, 2022)

2 job offers is great for just starting! Sometimes it takes years for entry level coders to find a job, because it is very difficult to get your foot in the door in this particular line of work. Once you start working and gain more experience, keep an eye on the coding trends and what the projections are in the coding industry. This way you know if you have to pivot and shift to gain that higher position.


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## rockylopez (Jan 4, 2022)

I agree with the responses above. I started as a medical biller start $16/hr and decided to get my cpc two years later. With enough experience they were able to promote me and bump up my pay to $22/hr. After becoming a coder for six months i decided to start looking for a remote medical coder position and was blessed to find a job that offered me $52,000 salary. As i just became a coder less than a year i am blessed to have the courage to look around for more options especially working from home. Keep your eyes open i am not sure where you are located but there are companies currently looking for remote coders with very good pay.


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## jcjustin@charter.net (Jan 4, 2022)

camillekorb said:


> Hey everyone,
> I was just wondering if I could get some opinions or some background information.  I have a CPC-A and took their EHS course and the CEDC course but haven't sat the the CEDC exam yet.   I realize I don't have any real on the job experience and I would be entry level.  I got 2 job offers but they are for 34k a year which is just slightley above minimum wage in my area....
> I was wondering what some of you started out at as far as income for those of you who are working as a CPC.   Also how did you get your start and where did you work (physician outpatient office etc...? And for those of you who have been doing this for a while how quickly or slowly have your wages increased by what percent since you started working if you don't want to give your exact income?  I know these might be personal questions, it was so discouraging to see entry level be such low pay.  I did see online that that national average for entry level income is around 43,000.....
> 
> Thank you so much everyone!


Hi! 
That's great that you have two offers already! I know that 34k doesn't sound like much, but to start at over $16 per hr and get your foot in the door so you can start building experience might not be a bad idea. You can always accept a higher paying job later. I have a CPC and am currently working on an associate's degree in healthcare mgmt, just to have that extra education on my profile. After I finish I may at some point take the RHIA/RHIT exam to get that credential, but not sure if I'm going to pursue that or not. I started working with a healthcare organization in 2014 as a call center rep for patient accounts, then moved into a financial counselor position where I remained until 2017. In May of 2017 I was hired by the same organization as an outpatient profee coder. I had some knowledge of coding but didn't have any actual coding experience. Fortunately, my employer was willing to train and also gave me two years from date of hire to get either a CPC or CCS credential, but I got my CPC within four months after starting. They started me at a little over 37k per year. I worked as a coder for them until this past July and at that time was making a little over 41k a year. I had created a profile on LinkedIn about a year and a half ago and out of the blue one day a recruiter emailed me about some contract coding positions he had open and wanted to know if I was interested ( I hadn't even applied for a job and wasn't even looking). I ended up being offered almost 60k a year to start and I started this past August. Keep in mind, I've been coding for over 4 years and have experience coding over 10 different specialties, but all that came with the experience I got through my previous employer. I've made many connections on LinkedIn and since being hired with my current employer I've had 12 recruiters from different companies email me about positions they think I'd be a good fit for based on my experience.  If you don't have one already, I'd suggest creating a profile on LinkedIn and even make a post that you are a newly certified coder looking for work. I've seen other people just entering the coding world do this and also asking if there are any employers willing to train and take a chance on people. Within a short time she received replies from a few different companies telling her to contact them directly. There is a huge demand for coders and many of them, if not the majority, are remote positions. I've seen a couple job postings that specifically state they will not accept the CPC-A (assuming that's the only credential the applicant has), and have seen others that will allow that credential but with a deadline of when you need to get your A removed. Don't get discouraged there is way more work out there than there is coders to do it. So it really comes down to if you want to take a chance on finding something with better pay to start out, or if you want to take one of the offered positions to get your foot in the door and start getting experience. 34k a year isn't too bad for a coder with not previous experience, just my opinion. And remember, where these employers are located makes a difference in what they pay too. Since I'm a contract coder, my actual employer is located in Tampa, and the actual coding work I'm doing is for an organization located in California, and I'm located in Minnesota. The more experience you have, especially in different specialties, the more valuable you are, so get your foot in the door somewhere as soon as you can so you can start building your experience up. Good luck!


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## camillekorb (Jan 4, 2022)

rockylopez said:


> I agree with the responses above. I started as a medical biller start $16/hr and decided to get my cpc two years later. With enough experience they were able to promote me and bump up my pay to $22/hr. After becoming a coder for six months i decided to start looking for a remote medical coder position and was blessed to find a job that offered me $52,000 salary. As i just became a coder less than a year i am blessed to have the courage to look around for more options especially working from home. Keep your eyes open i am not sure where you are located but there are companies currently looking for remote coders with very good pay.


wow! that's a big bump after 6 months of coding! that's so encouraging I would have been so happy hopefully I can get there!


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## camillekorb (Jan 4, 2022)

jcjustin@charter.net said:


> Hi!
> That's great that you have two offers already! I know that 34k doesn't sound like much, but to start at over $16 per hr and get your foot in the door so you can start building experience might not be a bad idea. You can always accept a higher paying job later. I have a CPC and am currently working on an associate's degree in healthcare mgmt, just to have that extra education on my profile. After I finish I may at some point take the RHIA/RHIT exam to get that credential, but not sure if I'm going to pursue that or not. I started working with a healthcare organization in 2014 as a call center rep for patient accounts, then moved into a financial counselor position where I remained until 2017. In May of 2017 I was hired by the same organization as an outpatient profee coder. I had some knowledge of coding but didn't have any actual coding experience. Fortunately, my employer was willing to train and also gave me two years from date of hire to get either a CPC or CCS credential, but I got my CPC within four months after starting. They started me at a little over 37k per year. I worked as a coder for them until this past July and at that time was making a little over 41k a year. I had created a profile on LinkedIn about a year and a half ago and out of the blue one day a recruiter emailed me about some contract coding positions he had open and wanted to know if I was interested ( I hadn't even applied for a job and wasn't even looking). I ended up being offered almost 60k a year to start and I started this past August. Keep in mind, I've been coding for over 4 years and have experience coding over 10 different specialties, but all that came with the experience I got through my previous employer. I've made many connections on LinkedIn and since being hired with my current employer I've had 12 recruiters from different companies email me about positions they think I'd be a good fit for based on my experience.  If you don't have one already, I'd suggest creating a profile on LinkedIn and even make a post that you are a newly certified coder looking for work. I've seen other people just entering the coding world do this and also asking if there are any employers willing to train and take a chance on people. Within a short time she received replies from a few different companies telling her to contact them directly. There is a huge demand for coders and many of them, if not the majority, are remote positions. I've seen a couple job postings that specifically state they will not accept the CPC-A (assuming that's the only credential the applicant has), and have seen others that will allow that credential but with a deadline of when you need to get your A removed. Don't get discouraged there is way more work out there than there is coders to do it. So it really comes down to if you want to take a chance on finding something with better pay to start out, or if you want to take one of the offered positions to get your foot in the door and start getting experience. 34k a year isn't too bad for a coder with not previous experience, just my opinion. And remember, where these employers are located makes a difference in what they pay too. Since I'm a contract coder, my actual employer is located in Tampa, and the actual coding work I'm doing is for an organization located in California, and I'm located in Minnesota. The more experience you have, especially in different specialties, the more valuable you are, so get your foot in the door somewhere as soon as you can so you can start building your experience up. Good luck!


Thank you so so much! very helpful and encouraging!!


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## Coder90 (Jan 5, 2022)

I would accept one of the offers if it will give you coding experience. However, I would keep looking periodically at others jobs because as you gain experience coding you should have a better chance at finding a job with a higher salary.


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## camillekorb (Jan 9, 2022)

knicho said:


> I would accept one of the offers if it will give you coding experience. However, I would keep looking periodically at others jobs because as you gain experience coding you should have a better chance at finding a job with a higher salary.


thanks!


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## kayleeevans907 (Jan 10, 2022)

Yes, echoing what has been said above.  Take the offer(s) you have now and with experience you should be compensated appropriately. If you feel like your wage is not rising at the rate you would like after some time explore other options. A lot of remote/work from home coder positions will accept people with 2 years of experience and the pay ranges for those can be higher depending on what departments you are willing to/have experience coding. 
Also once you are settled in your position if you feel safe doing so research the average pay for coders in your area and send that research to your boss/HR. I've been working on this with my current employer, my wage has been adjusted up slightly after doing so.


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## taylorking14 (Jan 14, 2022)

camillekorb said:


> Hey everyone,
> I was just wondering if I could get some opinions or some background information.  I have a CPC-A and took their EHS course and the CEDC course but haven't sat the the CEDC exam yet.   I realize I don't have any real on the job experience and I would be entry level.  I got 2 job offers but they are for 34k a year which is just slightley above minimum wage in my area....
> I was wondering what some of you started out at as far as income for those of you who are working as a CPC.   Also how did you get your start and where did you work (physician outpatient office etc...? And for those of you who have been doing this for a while how quickly or slowly have your wages increased by what percent since you started working if you don't want to give your exact income?  I know these might be personal questions, it was so discouraging to see entry level be such low pay.  I did see online that that national average for entry level income is around 43,000.....
> 
> Thank you so much everyone!


I have 7 months of coding experience. I have my CPC-A and RHIT. My first coding position was starting out at $18.63. I just started a a pro-fee coder position with a new company and I'm not making $27 an hour. I started out a year ago by taking a position as an Analyst with a health system. From there, I stayed for 6 months until I was able to apply for a coding position. I do have a degree in HIT, but I only have 7 months of hands on experience in the field.


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## H@ppyCoder1 (Jan 31, 2022)

Would anyone be able to tell me the average salary for a CPC in Langhorne , PA area?
 25 years experience in different specialties but certified 9/2020


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