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I am debating on what to do. Is the heathcare admin degree valuable in the coding field?
Thanks,
Joel
Thanks,
Joel
I have a Masters in Public Health and have never regretted it!
I do consulting and I teach, I worked as the director the Medicaid PRO. I have been offered positions in many different areas, but I so love what I am doing now that I do not consider anything else right now. You can be a director of a medical record department, or a supervisor, you can work with an attorney analysis charts for litigation. There are so many doors that will present themselves depend on your ambition and where you are located or are willing to be located.
honestly the Masters is better but definitely a bachelors.
I would think any billing position would be available, like I said consulting and auditing are a great option. I do not know that it matters where you go as long as the program is recognized. For instance there are only a handful of Universities that offer the MSPH which is different than an MHA(Masters in health admin) The MSPH is 64 hours and the MHA is 32 hours. So if you attend a state shool then what kind of degree do they offer and what kind of classwork is involved. You need classes in business in marketing, accounting, law, and medical to be really well rounded. not all programs will offer all of these things so what is most important to you? what is it you want to do? how far are you will to go outside your present comfort zone to satisfy your goals and aspirations, such as relocating, traveling, etc.
First ask yourself....where do I see myself in 5 years? If you are interested in coding only, then there's no need for a degree, but you certainly could take advantage of additional certifications, such as CPMA or AHIMA certifications.
If you're interested in management, then a degree in Health Administration would place you in a position for both practice management as well as coding/billing leadership. Upper management, (or at least the opportunity for upper management) requires a Master's degree.
Analysts positions (in my organization anyways) require a BS in any business or IT field, with knowledge of software applications. I have my BS in Adult Education, but I think if I were to do it over again, I'd have gone into Information Systems, because so much of healthcare administration relies on understanding of information systems. I am working on an online Master's program in Healthcare adminstration, which has been extremely helpful not only at work, but in helping me determine where my next steps might take me. No education is wasted, but it helps to have an idea where you want to be so that your education is helpful.