Wiki Bad "billing" position

[Viverra]

I'm a CPC-A and feeling extremely trapped and miserable in my current job, which is nominally a "billing specialist" but turned out to be about 80-90% call center, even though I was initially told I'd probably only have to handle 5 or 6 calls a day. I do write appeals and use some awareness of Medicare/Medicaid regs but I am very scared this job will just suck up all my time( obviously it's sucking my soul, but that's true of any human interaction and I know I can't escape entirely but I do need to get somewhere this is less) and not allow me to advance or count as experience in the field. Has anyone succeeded in moving from this type of position to actual coding? It seems like the few entry level coding jobs I've seen do require experience in a medical billing position but does this count as that?

 

[Pam Warren]

I started out as a collections person at a mental health clinic, calling and skip-tracing for patients who didn't pay their bills. It was discouraging, boring and low-paying. I asked for more responsibility, more hours and volunteered to do additional work. It truly did pay off in the end.

Whatever you do, don't let them hear you complain about your job. If you're unhappy they will be able to figure that out, and nothing else will come your way. As a coding manager, I know this....Successful people build each other up. They motivate, inspire and push each other. Unsuccessful people just hate, blame and complain. And managers know which employees are which. Try to turn this around as an opportunity to work within the revenue cycle, and learn as much as you can, because there's no such thing as bad experience. What you're doing is a very important piece of the cycle, and it can be challenging and rewarding if you're committed to the work. You're getting experience....something that hundreds of unemployed coders would give their firstborns to have.

It was 14 years before I actually was a 'coder', but in the meantime I was a front desk person, a biller, and a practice manager and I took the good with the bad. It's like that in any job.

You don't say how long you've been at this job, but I'm guessing less than a year. If I were you, I'd hang in there and be the best biller you can be. Quitting so soon into your career is a big huge red flag and you never know what you may learn in your current role that will help you later. Good luck.

 

[Viverra]

Okay, sorry for having a weak moment. I truly hope it will not be 14 years before I get a better position because I'm developing serious mental health consequences from this but you do give me some hope that it's not simply a scam.

 

[Pam Warren]

It wasn't 14 years before I got a 'better position'---it was 14 years before I was a certified coder. In between that time I managed an eating disorders practice, worked as a biller for a hospital, and even stepped outside healthcare and worked for a construction company and a stockbroker. They were all 'better' positions, in terms of either hours, stress level and money and suited what I needed at the time. I never planned to be a 'coder', and actually don't even really code much anymore.

Try not to lose hope, because you don't see yourself working as a coder. Most of those head-down, staff coding jobs are disappearing due to computer assisted coding and EHRs, so your knowledge of the revenue cycle is going to be a plus. Think about it.....your understanding of how to write an appeal letter could be translated into developing an Electronic health record to state exactly what needs to be documented to get the claim paid.

Try not to fail to see the opportunities ahead of you, but if your job is making you sick or anxious, it's time to look for something else.