Urology Coding Alert

Knowledge and perseverance are key to earning big money in the field

If you've ever wondered whether higher education, certification and years on the job had any effect on your salary, wonder no more. Our urology coders' salary survey revealed some fascinating information about coding careers--and a few surprises.

Our survey found that the average salary of the 631 urology coding authorities who responded to our Coders' Salary Survey is between $50,000 and $65,000 a year, with the highest-paid coders working in the urology field for 11 or more years. Our study also revealed that coding certification and education significantly helped coders increase their earning potential.

11 Years' Experience May Bring in $70,000 or More

Experience power: Our survey revealed that beginning urology coders (those with one to three years of experience in the field) brought in an average of $25,000 to $30,000. But after 11 or more years in the field, urology coders are bringing in $70,000 or more on average, based on our respondents' data.

Certification power: And if there was any doubt that certifications carry earning power, our survey will erase any reservations you may have about honing your skills. A full 31 percent of urology coding professionals who responded to our survey said that certification was required before they were hired, and 59 percent hold either the CPC or CPC-H specialty certification.

Certification Can Help Promotions, Salary

"Certification does show a deeper commitment to the job--it shows that you are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that you're coding correctly and maximizing reimbursement," says Doris Kozdron, CPC, urology Coders at Huron Valley Urology Associates in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Real-life example: "Having my CPC certification helped me recently get promoted to business office supervisor," says Merilee Pallack, CPC, business office supervisor at Urological Associates of Southern Arizona. "Our practice manager felt that the business office supervisor would also need to be a member of our compliance team, and therefore a certified coder would be invaluable."

Our survey results overall indicated that other specialties may not take certification as seriously. We found that industry-wide (those whom we surveyed from other specialties), only 21 percent of our respondents said that certification was a prerequisite for their jobs, and only 41 percent of non-urology respondents held CPC or CPC-H specialty designations. Therefore, urology practices may be more interested than some other specialists in hiring certified coders.

"Getting certification is, in my opinion, the best thing you can do to prove that you are serious about your coding position," Kozdron says. In addition, she says, "The physicians are willing to pay a higher salary to committed employees who maximize their potential by keeping up-to-date on insurance rules and regulations, attending educational seminars, and subscribing to billing and coding newsletters. They are aware that these employees will help to increase their revenue."

Education power: In the urology field, education pays. Twenty-nine percent of our respondents are high-school graduates, earning an average of $30,000 to $35,000. But the majority of those with four-year or advanced degrees earn $70,000 or more.

Your Least Favorite Payer Revealed

Although Medicare continues to baffle urology coders with outdated regulations, unjustified denials and poor coverage, it takes a backseat to our number-one annoying payer: Medicaid.

Twenty-three percent of our urology coding respondents cited Medicaid as their most problematic payer, whereas only 20 percent named Medicare.

"Medicaid is a problem because their rules vary so much state-to-state, they have low payment, and many times their computer systems are old and outdated and you have to do extra things when it comes to billing issues," says Annette Grady, CPC, CPC-H, director of educational services with Coding Metrix.

For example: "I have seen some Medicaid payers that still develop their own modifiers, or apply a modifier rule differently than CMS," Grady says.

Software Use Is Growing, but Manuals Reign

Although nearly 63 percent of our urology respondents use coding software, most say that they rely more on their manuals than their software.

Coders tell us that software may contain glitches and errors, and they like to fall back on their manuals, where they can make notes in the margins. Because of the negatives associated with software, coders aren't too worried that software will replace human coders. Only 6 percent of our respondents felt that coding software might eventually do their jobs for them.